Hospitality & Leisure

Legal support for hotels, restaurants and the operators behind the UAE’s visitor economy.

Hospitality and leisure businesses operate at the intersection of real estate, licensing, employment, consumer regulation and day-to-day commercial operations. We advise hotel owners, operators, restaurant groups, developers, investors and leisure businesses on establishing, managing and expanding their interests in the UAE.

Our work includes hotel management and franchise agreements, restaurant and leisure concepts, commercial leases, operating arrangements, supplier and service contracts, employment matters, brand protection and regulatory compliance. We also support clients with acquisitions, restructurings, joint ventures and disputes arising from ownership, management or operational relationships.

The regulatory framework may differ depending on the emirate, free zone, business activity and nature of the premises. We coordinate these requirements with the wider contractual and corporate structure so that the business can operate efficiently, protect its brand and manage risk as it grows.

What we do

• Hotel management and franchise agreements — Negotiation of management, franchise, licence and technical services agreements between owners and international operators, covering performance tests, termination rights, budget approval and the limits of the operator’s discretion.
• Owner and operator disputes — Disputes over performance, fees, budgets, capital expenditure and termination, usually best resolved before either party goes public.
• Licensing and permits — Trade, tourism, food and beverage, entertainment and event licensing, together with the approvals required from the municipality and tourism authority before a venue can operate.
• Regulatory inspections and enforcement — Responding to food-safety, hygiene, health-and-safety and licensing inspections, closure notices and fines, and challenging enforcement action where it is disproportionate.
• Leases and concessions — Leases and concession agreements for hotel, mall and standalone units, including fit-out obligations, turnover rent, exclusivity and reinstatement.
• Supplier, procurement and events contracts — Supply and distribution agreements, procurement terms, and contracts for conferences, weddings and large events, where cancellation and force majeure terms matter far more than anyone anticipates.
• Brand and intellectual property — Trade mark registration and enforcement for venue names and concepts, protection of recipes and formats, and action against imitators.
• Workforce and visas — Employment structures for high-turnover, multi-national teams, including contracts, working time, gratuity and visa sponsorship.
• Guest incidents and liability — Injury, illness, property loss, and complaints escalated to the authorities or to social media, handled quickly and discreetly.

Who we act for

Hotel owners and operators, restaurant and café groups, leisure and entertainment venues, event organisers, and hospitality investors.

Common questions

Which licences does a new restaurant need?

At minimum a trade licence, food-safety approvals and municipality permits, with additional permits for alcohol, entertainment or outdoor seating. The sequence matters, because some approvals depend on others already being in place.

Can we terminate a hotel management agreement early?

Sometimes, but rarely cheaply. Termination rights, performance tests and compensation provisions need to be read together before anything is said to the operator.

A guest has posted a damaging and untrue review. What are our options?

There may be civil and criminal routes, but escalation can amplify the problem. We will set out all the options, including the one where you do nothing.

Who is liable if a guest is injured on our premises?

It depends on the cause, the standard of care and what your contracts and insurance say. Preserve the CCTV and the incident report before anything else.