Hotel Leisure and Tourism
With stunning scenery and beautiful beaches the West Country is well known for being one of the most popular holiday destinations in the UK.
Whether you are planning to buy or sell a leisure or tourism business, or whether you need advice on commercial or employment issues for your existing business, Stones has the know how to deliver practical advice tailored to our clients’ specific needs.
Business Sales and Purchases
If you are buying or selling a business whether involving the shares in a private Limited company or just the trading assets and goodwill, our lawyers will guide you through the whole process from agreeing the initial heads of terms to completion of the detailed due diligence exercise.
So that you have all the information you need to make the right business decisions, we will advise on the terms of financial arrangements, commercial contracts, issues relating to the business’s employees as well as the transfers of the business leasehold or freehold property.
We will work closely with your bank, accountant, and any other professional advisors involved in the transaction to ensure the whole process goes as smoothly as possible.
Employment
Whether you employ 2 or 200 you have a responsibility to get your employment contract and procedures right. Failure to do so could ruin your business. The average unfair dismissal claim is £8,000, with discrimination claims averaging £13,500 plus your own legal costs of at least £7,500 plus VAT.
Stones professional team of employment lawyers understands that in the leisure industry particularly, employment needs change throughout the year. Seasonal staff come and go, and there are additional pressures in hiring and firing during the holiday season. Employers need to be aware of all the regulations surrounding the rights of your employees, even the seasonal workers.
Stones employment law package BOLDER is an accessible, affordable solution for businesses of all sizes and provides a valuable addition to your existing HR. With BOLDER you will benefit from:
- Legal advice from qualified lawyers;
- Dedicated free phone confidential helpline (direct to lawyers, no call centre);
- Employment Tribunal representation;
- Review of employment documents and procedures;
- Online access to forms and precedents.
Development and Land Acquisition
Acquiring land for a new facility needs careful planning and specialist advice. Our lawyers can help you with early consideration of location, size and development type to identify any likely problems with your proposals which will help to avoid costly delays.
Planning and Licensing
Planning Permission, Premises Licensing and Site Licensing arrangements are an integral part of the regulatory framework within which any hotel, leisure park, caravan or camping site must operate and advice in the early stages on the planning aspects can save you time and money later on.
Having some certainty over Planning Permission for a new project is invaluable for a client who wishes to put forward a viable business proposal to a potential funder. Our planning team will try, wherever possible, to ensure that matters are agreed in principle with the planning authorities before a formal application is made, thus giving the process the best chance of success. We can also advise on appeals and public enquiries where you have difficulty in achieving the consent your business needs.
Contractual Matters
Any business in this sector will inevitably be involved in a variety of contractual relationships. These will range from equipment leasing and hire purchase arrangements to contracts with customers, banks, suppliers and booking referral agencies together with accreditation organisations and leisure and hotel guides. Our lawyers are experienced in dealing with all commercial agreements and can offer quick, no nonsense advice.
Intellectual Property and Information Technology
A business may spend time and money in building goodwill which is associated with a particular design or logo. Unless you protect this by registering your logo as a trademark you may find that someone else is using a similar design and, if they have registered it as a trademark, you risk a situation where you are forced to stop using your unregistered mark and face the probability of having to rebrand at considerable expense to your business.
The use of certain marks and words can be difficult to register as trademarks. Stones has intellectual property expertise to advise and help you to register marks at the UK Intellectual Property Office. If you have no marks at present, we can assist in the preparation and design of a mark specifically with a view to having that registered.
Many businesses now have a website to advertise and to take enquiries and bookings. There is a complex legal framework governing the information you must provide to users of your website, particularly when offering goods and services. If you fail to comply you may find that your Terms of Business are void and that you are liable for a fine. The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) governs the processing of personal data including, for example information that is taken when a person books a hotel room. Stones offers specialist advice on your duties under all e-commerce laws and the DPA.
Travel and Insurance
Inevitably at some point all businesses in the Hotel, Leisure and Tourism industry require legal advice regarding legal expenses, Public liability matters and disputes in connection with insurance contracts. Stones Solicitors Travel and Insurance Team is a well established team of lawyers acting for clients both in the United Kingdom and throughout the world and is well placed to give responsive and commercially practical advice to bring cost effective resolutions to claims and disputes.
The Team has a strong reputation in dealing with all aspects of travel insurance and legal claims including advising with regard to legal expense cover, public liability matters and disputes in connection with insurance contracts. Legal advice on liability issues is essential as liability includes civil liability, strict liability, vicarious liability and may also include criminal procedures leading to civil liability.
The Team has been described by its clients as being appreciated for both “commerciality and responsiveness”.