Overview

Tourism is Kentucky's third largest industry. National chains and local entrepreneurs alike continue to identify opportunities for capitalizing on travel and entertainment trends in Lexington, Louisville, Frankfort and statewide.

McBrayer provides experienced counsel and representation to the hospitality industry. Our services range from drafting instruments necessary to establishing and operating a business, to matters that are unique to hoteliers and restaurateurs, and the travel industries such as alcoholic beverage licensing and enforcement, tourism grants and innkeeper liability.

Our clients include hotels and motels, restaurants and bars, shopping malls and entertainment centers, amusement parks and attractions, breweries and distilleries, and other tourism and travel-related businesses, including a number of regional and national clients. Our firm also serves as general counsel to the National Tour Association (NTA), the largest travel trade association in the U.S., and the Kentucky Travel Industry Association (KTIA) (formerly known as the Kentucky Tourism Council), and provides legal advice to several of Kentucky’s convention and visitor bureaus.

Kentucky Hotel and Hospitality Law Attorneys

Our attorneys understand the hospitality and tourism industry — what drives development and the challenges those businesses face. Our diverse areas of practice enable us to address:

Real estate transactions and leases
Land acquisition and land use planning
Development and construction
Corporate formation and ownership agreements
Employee management relations and employment contracts
Franchising agreements
Vendor contracts
Alcoholic beverage regulation
General business licensing and regulation
Tourism development grants and other financing
Tort defense (dram shop liability, innkeeper liability, assaults, property loss, food poisoning)
State and federal regulations unique to the tourism and hospitality industries

Hotel properties and tourist attractions are sometimes burdened by heightened legal duties to their guests and patrons. Our lawyers can advise on strategies to minimize both civil liability and regulatory burdens.

The McBrayer Advantage

From our industry relationships, we can expose clients to opportunities they might otherwise not know about. From our wide experience in business law and litigation, we can recommend protections and shield clients from many legal conflicts.

To discuss the capabilities of our Kentucky hospitality and travel law lawyers, contact our law firm online. With law offices in Lexington and Louisville and a government relations practice in Frankfort with a presence in Washington, D.C., we serve clients throughout Kentucky and the United States.

Representative Clients in the Travel and Hospitality Industry

Hotels — Aimbridge Hospitality (Embassy Suites, Marriott, Radisson), 21C Museum Hotel in Lexington

Multi-tenant entertainment centers — The Square, formerly Victorian Square (Lexington), Newport on the Levee (Newport)

Restaurants — Golden Entities (Golden Corral), Georgia's Kitchen, Bluegrass Hospitality, Tolly Ho, The Apiary, Morton's Steakhouse, BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, Hooters, Mi Pequeña Hacienda

Bars — Skybar Lex, McCarthy's, Tin Roof, Harvey's Bar

Beverage suppliers, wholesalers and distributors — Alltech Beverage Division, LLC (supplier); Kentucky Eagle, Johnson Bros. Liquor Company, Tramonte & Sons (distributors/wholesalers)