Chances are, if you’re involved at any level in the hospitality services industry, you will someday be sued for violating “standard of care” or “custom of trade practice” norms.

If you’re not 100% certain what those terms mean, you are not alone.  There is no regulatory body or accepted written standard for either.  The only way to defend yourself is to show that your standard of care and your management customs are in line with industry standards.  And you do that by hiring a Hospitality Expert Witness.

The Role of the Hospitality Expert Witness

What the Expert Witness does for you is simple, in a way: They will demonstrate how novelties become standards, and define the difference between a “best practice” and an industry standard.

Consider the ubiquitous keycard.  There was a time when these were new inventions.  Back then no one could have sued you for not having them installed.  Today, they are standard, and failing to install them leaves you open to litigation if something valuable is stolen, because you failed to adhere to “custom of trade practice.”

Knowledge Over Emotion

The Hospitality Expert Witness can also separate the emotional side of a problem from the fine details of where your responsibilities begin and end.  The lack of precise definition makes it easy for your guests to assume you have failed to adhere to standards and are thus culpable.  He or she helps you to win that argument.