Pictured above (L to R) - Joe Dolan, Irish Hotels Federation President, Mark Adair, Partner at Mason Hayes & Curran, Emily Mahoney, Associate at Mason Hayes & Curran, Tim Fenn, Irish Hotels Federation Chief Executive

On Tuesday 5 September, Mark Adair, Partner, and Emily Mahoney, Associate from our Commercial team, presented at the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) Members Event on the GDPR. The event was attended by over 200 delegates and marked the launch of the IHF Guide to the GDPR. The Guide has been jointly developed by the Irish Hotels Federation and Mason Hayes & Curran to help hotels and guesthouses navigate the legal requirements arising from the new GDPR law.

Emily provided an overview of the key changes that will apply to data protection and privacy law as a result of the GDPR and how the new law will impact the hotel and guesthouse industry. Mark focused on practical compliance and the steps hotels and guesthouses can take in different areas of their business to prepare for the implementation of the GDPR.

The event concluded with a question and answer session chaired by Irish Hotels Federation CEO, Tim Fenn. Our speakers, along with other industry experts, covered a range of GDPR topics, including the new types of data included in the definition of ‘sensitive personal data’, the higher threshold on businesses in relation to record keeping and governance requirements, and how data subject rights will be altered.

Founded in 1937, the Irish Hotels Federation is the national organisation of the hotel and guesthouse industry in Ireland. The primary functions of the Federation are to promote and defend the interests of its members. The IHF represents almost 1,000 hotels and guesthouses nationwide, employing over 60,000 people and is a key stakeholder in the Irish tourism sector.

You can find out about our market leading GDPR and Privacy & Data Security team here.