Hotels & Leisure

The hospitality industry depends on consistency — in service, compliance, and brand identity. Legal preparation shapes everything from property acquisition and construction to franchising, employment, and tourism licensing. We oversee management contracts, investment structures, and procurement for both domestic and international operators. Our experience extends to dispute resolution in guest-relations, supplier, or regulatory matters. By integrating real-estate, tax, and corporate disciplines, we help hospitality projects maintain profitability and resilience across cycles, ensuring that every guest experience rests on a foundation of legal certainty.

Relevant Legislation

European Legislation

Consumer Rights Directive 2011/83/EU (distance bookings) – governs distance and online contracts, making it particularly relevant to the hotel, travel, and leisure industry, where bookings are frequently made through websites, mobile applications, and third-party platforms. It requires hotels and leisure operators to provide clear, comprehensive pre-contractual information regarding prices, services, cancellation conditions, and additional fees before a reservation is confirmed.

The Directive enhances transparency in booking processes and protects consumers against hidden charges or unclear terms. While accommodation services are generally flexible from the standard withdrawal right, operators must still ensure fair booking conditions, accurate pricing, and clear contractual communication. Compliance with the Directive is therefore essential for maintaining consumer trust and lawful online booking practices across the EU hospitality sector.

Package Travel & Linked Travel Arrangements Directive (EU) 2015/2302 – This Directive regulates package holidays and linked travel arrangements, a core component of the hotels and leisure industry. It applies when accommodation is combined with other travel services—such as transport, car rental, or leisure activities—whether sold directly by hotels, through tour operators, or via online booking platforms.

The Directive establishes strong consumer protection standards, including clear information requirements, liability rules, and guarantees in cases of cancellation, insolvency, or significant changes to booked services. For hotels and leisure providers, it defines when they act as organisers, retailers, or facilitators, determining their contractual responsibilities toward guests.

By harmonising travel rules across the EU, the Directive ensures legal certainty, transparency, and trust in cross-border tourism, making compliance essential for hospitality businesses offering bundled or multi-service travel experiences.

Services Directive 2006/123/EC – The Services Directive establishes the EU framework for the free provision of services within the internal market, directly affecting hotels, resorts, travel operators, and leisure service providers. It aims to remove unjustified regulatory barriers to establishment and cross-border service provision, while ensuring legal certainty and fair competition.

For the hotels and leisure sector, the Directive regulates licensing requirements, authorisation procedures, and administrative formalities, requiring them to be transparent, proportionate, and non-discriminatory. It also strengthens the rights of service recipients, ensuring clear information on service providers and applicable conditions. Compliance with the Directive facilitates market access, operational flexibility, and cross-border tourism activity across the EU.

GDPR (guest data); e-Privacy rules (cookies/marketing) – The GDPR and e-Privacy rules govern how hotels and leisure businesses collect, process, and protect guest data, particularly in digital booking, loyalty programmes, and marketing activities. These rules apply to personal information such as identification details, payment data, booking history, and guest preferences.

Hotels must ensure lawful processing, data security, and transparency, while providing guests with clear information about how their data is used. e-Privacy rules further regulate the use of cookies, tracking technologies, and electronic marketing communications, requiring valid consent for online tracking and promotional messaging. Together, these frameworks ensure that guest engagement, digital services, and marketing strategies are conducted responsibly, securely, and in compliance with EU privacy standards, reinforcing trust in the hospitality experience.

Posting of Workers (for cross-border staffing) – The Posting of Workers framework regulates the temporary cross-border employment of staff within the EU, which is particularly relevant for hotels and leisure operators relying on seasonal, international, or group-wide staffing arrangements. It ensures that posted workers benefit from core employment conditions of the host country, including minimum pay, working time, health and safety standards, and accommodation requirements.

For hospitality businesses operating across borders, these rules require careful coordination of employment contracts, payroll, and compliance reporting. The framework promotes fair competition and worker protection, while allowing hotels and leisure operators to lawfully deploy staff across EU Member States to meet operational and seasonal demands.

Bulgarian Legislation