| Jan 24, 2005 - SANTA MONICA, CA ---The Institute for Conflict
Management, LLC (ICM) is pleased to announce the expansion of its Hospitality
dispute resolution panel to include top members of the International Society
of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC).
ICM paired up with the ISHC to train top hospitality and lodging industry experts in the skills and techniques of mediation, arbitration, and ICM�s own Issue Review Board� (IRB�) process. To date, over 25 ISHC members have received training in at least one of these dispute resolution processes. ICM understands that resolving hospitality-related disputes requires a deep understanding of and experience in the lodging and hospitality industry, and therefore selected ISHC as its source for hospitality experts. According to ICM�s Managing Director, Andrew Golden, �We are very pleased to have this caliber of top-quality individuals committing to ICM�s panel. Admission to the panel requires over 60 hours of dispute resolution training, and also a commitment to adherence to strict ethical guidelines and periodic evaluations.� Peter Keim, Vice President of PKF Consulting had this to say: �With the increasing use of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) within the hospitality industry, owners, operators and investors have frequently been forced to have disputes resolved by arbitrators or mediators not familiar with the peculiarities and terminology of the industry. This has not always led to satisfactory results. Now, however, because of the efforts of the Institute for Conflict Management (ICM) and the ISHC, there is a small but growing number of trained arbitrators and mediators and Issue Review Board� members within ISHC who are thoroughly familiar with the industry, its problems and their unique causes.� Keim continues, �We anticipate increasing use of ISHC ADR specialists, and that this trend will continue as more and more courts around the country are requiring disputes to go to ADR before being accepted for litigation in the courts. All parties to a dispute should benefit, as the costs of ADR are significantly less than those incurred in litigation. We are particularly excited by the potential for Issue Review Boards� within the industry, not just for construction or development projects but for the duration of a management contract, franchise agreement or other such long-term relationships. An IRB� has the ability to address disputes or relationship-based problems quickly as they arise, thus preventing them from becoming major problems that could engender either ADR or litigation.� Established in 1995 as a premiere trainer of dispute resolution processes, ICM developed a panel of highly trained, construction and real estate industry expert resolutionists. All ICM panelists are trained in Mediation, Arbitration, and ICM�s own Issue Review Board� processes. The company�s current branches of its panel focus on construction Hospitality and real estate�panels which have benefited municipalities, public works agencies, and the private sector. |
