Stephen Barth on Hospitality Law & the Sonder–Marriott Mess

When a brand implodes overnight, is it just a contract dispute—or a hospitality failure?

In this episode of Check-In with Bryan, host Bryan Fish sits down with Stephen Barth—founder of HospitalityLawyer.com, longtime professor at the University of Houston’s Conrad N. Hilton College, and one of Global Gurus’ Top 30 hospitality professionals—to unpack what really happened in the Sonder–Marriott breakup and what it means for owners, operators, and guests.

They dig into:

• Why your brand is defined less by the crisis itself and more by how you respond
• What a “default” in a license/franchise agreement typically looks like
• Why so many guests were left stranded and who actually holds the legal responsibility
• How the asset-light, franchise model confuses consumers who think they’re “staying with Marriott or Hilton”
• Practical steps guests can take after a collapse like this (travel insurance, credit card disputes, understanding terms & conditions)

From there, Bryan and Stephen zoom out and tackle the big legal minefields facing hospitality leaders heading into 2026, including:

• Hiring, training, and building a culture of safety, empathy, and compliance
• Human trafficking risk and why daily room entry and awareness matter
• Cybersecurity and why hotel owners can’t assume the brand “handles all the tech”
• Alcohol service, dram shop liability, and the dangerous myth that “guests will just go upstairs and sleep it off”
• The often-overlooked protections of EPLI and other targeted insurance coverages

If you own, operate, or advise hotels—or you just want to better understand your rights and risks as a traveler—this conversation will change the way you think about hospitality law, crisis management, and guest care.

This episode is presented by Reliance Hospitality Global—where hospitality meets strategy. From development and operations to profitability and outsourced services, Reliance helps owners, investors, and partners unlock value at every stage of the hotel lifecycle. Learn more at reliancehospitality.com.

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Thanks for checking in—and remember: in a crisis, guests may forgive the mistake, but they won’t forget your reaction.