Editorial Board   Guest Author

Mr. Schwinger

Joe Schwinger

Chief Executive Officer, MeetingPlay

Conceptualizing solutions to challenges is a core value for CEO and co-Founder of MeetingPlay, Joe Schwinger. From an early age, where others saw adversity, Mr. Schwinger crafted solution-based opportunities. This innovative approach to problem-solving, as well as the insider experience Mr. Schwinger has gained through his career in the hospitality and technology industries, have resulted in the premier event technology solutions that MeetingPlay provides.

As the CEO of MeetingPlay, Mr. Schwinger continues to architect solutions to the challenges faced by event and meeting professionals and the events they plan, and he is credited for the holistic approach to event technology that is MeetingPlay's foundation. The event technology solutions MeetingPlay provides for meetings and events of all sizes is attributed to both Mr. Schwinger's tech know-how and his ability to lead and develop a culture of innovative and talented employees committed to success.

A seasoned entrepreneur, before co-founding MeetingPlay in 2011 and beginning to serve as its CEO, Mr. Schwinger built and lead several successful business initiatives. Prior to his entrepreneurial experiences, he was key to developing global e-commerce solutions with individual properties for Marriott International. First, he built the ecommerce organization for the Eastern Region at Marriott, which involved dedicated plans for all full-service hotels in the region. Then he oversaw ecommerce for North America during a reorganization to help build the foundation of ecommerce at Marriott globally. Through his experiences at Marriott, Mr. Schwinger saw what the future of meetings could look like and started his own venture to make that vision a reality.

Mr. Schwinger studied internet and ecommerce strategy at George Washington University and the University of Maryland.

Please visit http://www.meetingplay.com for more information.

Mr. Schwinger can be contacted at 877-446-1481 or hello@meetingplay.com

Coming up in September 2020...

Hotel Law: Protecting Guest Privacy

Every business is obligated to protect their customers from identity theft but unfortunately, data breaches have become all too common. In an effort to protect a guest's right to privacy and to safeguard their personal data, the European Union passed a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) that could hold hotels legally liable for any breaches that expose a customer's sensitive personal information. Though the GDPR only pertains to EU citizens' data, any international business that mishandles their data can be legally responsible. Another legal issue of concern is the fight involving hotel "resort fees." Several states attorney generals have recently filed suit against two major hotel chains in an effort to litigate this practice. Their suit alleges that these companies are "engaged in deceptive and misleading pricing practices and their failure to disclose fees is in violation of consumer protection laws." The suit seeks to force the hotel chains to advertise the true price of their hotel rooms. There are several other legal issues that the industry is being forced to address. Sexual harassment prevention in the workplace is still top of mind for hotel employers-particularly in New York and California, which now statutorily require harassment training. Hotels and motels in California will also soon be required to train all their employees on human trafficking awareness. Immigration issues are also of major concern to hotel employers, especially in the midst of a severe labor shortage. The government is issuing fewer H2B visas for low-skilled workers, as well as J-1 visas for temporary workers. Though there is little hope for any comprehensive immigration reform, hotel lobbying groups are actively seeking legal remedies to alleviate this problem. These are just a few of the critical issues that the December issue of the Hotel Business Review will examine in the area of hotel law.  



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