Who Owns the Experience? Protecting IP Value Across Brands, Operators and Exit

More of a hospitality asset's value now sits in brands, concepts, design, and know-how, not just the real estate. Owners, brands, and operators often have different assumptions about who owns what. Those differences tend to surface at the worst possible time: during a sale or financing, when a brand wants to roll out a successful concept, or when a management or franchise agreement ends.

Join Mayer Brown Hospitality & Leisure, IP and Real Estate lawyers for a practical 60-minute program on the IP issues at the heart of the owner–brand-operator relationship. The session is designed for owners of hospitality assets, including funds, REITs, and private investors, and hotel brands and operators. Each group will come away with a clearer view of its own position and of what matters to the other side of the table.

Using a running hypothetical about a successful restaurant and bar concept developed at a branded hotel, we will cover:

• What each party owns: names, logos, design, domains, social media accounts, content, and know-how created at the property, and where ownership is commonly disputed
• Management, franchise, and license agreements: key IP provisions, including brand standards, ownership of property-level concepts, rights to replicate concepts across a portfolio, and post-termination use and de-identification
• Sales, financings, and transitions: what buyers and lenders ask about IP, how gaps can affect value, and what brands and operators should expect during an ownership change or reflagging
• Practical next steps: what owners, brands, and operators can each do now to avoid disputes and protect value before a deal or a dispute forces the issue

Whether you negotiate these agreements, manage the assets, or make the investment decisions, the session is designed for legal and business teams at hotel owners, brands and operators.

Tuesday, November 17, 2026

United States
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. CST
10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. MST
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. PST

Europe
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. GMT
6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. CET

CLE credit is pending.

For additional information, please contact Bella Wilkes at iwilkes@mayerbrown.com or +1 312 701 8520.