For hotels and hospitality groups
The Marriott claim came from the properties, not head office.
Property teams post pool days, room tours and events to trending sounds. We check your brand and property accounts, creator stays and ads, and tell you exactly what to fix. Know every post is safe before your boss or a record label asks.
✓ No logins, just your handles✓ Results in 5 business days✓ Every flag confirmed by a person
The case every hotel marketer should know
In 2024 Sony Music sued Marriott, claiming 931 uses of its recordings in social media posts. The detail that matters most is where those posts came from. According to the complaint, 913 came from accounts of hotels Marriott owned, managed or franchised. Only 18 came from influencers the company paid. Sony dropped the case later that year, in what was reported as a settlement, but the outline of the problem is clear: hospitality's music risk lives at the property level.
That matches how hotels market on social. Every property has its own Instagram, and many have TikTok. Sales, events and front-office teams post pool days, room tours, rooftop sunsets, wedding highlights and "welcome back" videos. They post often, they post to trending sounds, and they rarely have anyone checking the music.
Where hospitality groups have exposure
- Property accounts, run by local sales and marketing staff.
- Restaurant, bar and spa accounts inside your hotels.
- Event and wedding highlights with the DJ's set audible.
- Hosted creator stays you comped, paid for or reposted.
- Boosted posts for seasonal offers and openings.
Your lobby license doesn't cover Instagram
Hotels pay for music in lobbies, restaurants, spas and events, and those licenses matter. But they cover playing music on the premises. A video of the rooftop bar with the playlist audible, posted to promote the hotel, is a separate use online. It needs permission from the label that owns the recording and the publisher that owns the song. A license for the room doesn't follow the video onto social media.
Event footage is a common trap. A wedding highlight reel cut to the couple's favorite song is lovely, and it can be a problem the moment it's posted to sell your venue.
A regional group, twelve properties
Here's what a check typically finds. A regional hotel group with twelve properties has a brand account run by an agency, plus property, restaurant and spa accounts run locally: about 40 accounts in total. Together they post roughly 300 videos a month. The brand account is clean. On property accounts, around a third of videos use trending songs. Event teams post highlight reels with DJ sets audible. Four properties boosted summer-offer videos with chart songs, and two reposted hosted creators' stays with hit tracks still on them.
Every one of those posts was made in good faith by someone trying to fill rooms. That's why the fix is mostly training and a simple rule, plus a cleanup of what's already out there.
What we check
Send us your brand handle and property accounts, or just the group name and we'll find them. We check every post in the last 90 days, creator videos about your properties, and any ads running in your name. For each video we identify the real song, including songs under "original sound", and whether your use is likely covered.
You get one list for the whole group, sorted by property, with each video marked green (OK to run), yellow (check soon) or red (fix now) and a specific fix. A trained reviewer confirms every flag, so property teams get a clean, specific list.
Management companies and owners
Hospitality has an extra layer of complexity: brands, owners and management companies often share responsibility for a property's marketing. A management company may run social for properties under several brands. An owner may hire its own agency. When a claim arrives, everyone points at someone else, but the brand name is the one in the complaint.
That's why we recommend a single check across every account that carries your brand, regardless of who runs it day to day. It gives brand standards teams a clear picture, gives management companies a specific list to fix, and gives owners proof that their property is clean. It also gives you a dated record showing the group found its issues and acted on them, which is useful if a claim ever arrives about older posts.
Groups that run their own restaurants and bars should include those accounts too. Outlet accounts are often the most active and the least supervised, and their content is full of music by nature.
Simple rules for property teams
Hospitality groups that stay clean give every property a one-page rule: cleared music only (the Commercial Music Library, Meta's Sound Collection, or a licensed library you pay for), no boosting posts with trending songs, check creator content before reposting, and no event footage with the DJ set audible. Then they check regularly, because property teams change often.
The first check starts at $500 and is free if there's nothing to fix. For large portfolios, we quote upfront before we start.
Check your properties' content
Common questions
What was the Marriott case about?
Sony Music sued Marriott in 2024, claiming 931 uses of its recordings in social posts. Sony said 913 came from accounts of hotels Marriott owned, managed or franchised and 18 from influencers it paid. Sony dropped the case later in 2024, in what was reported as a settlement.
Our properties are franchised. Are they our responsibility?
The Marriott complaint named the brand for posts from owned, managed and franchised properties alike. Whatever your contracts say, your brand is what's being promoted.
We license music for our lobbies and events. Does that help?
Not for social media. The license to play music in a lobby or at an event doesn't cover posting a video of it online.
Do influencer stays count?
Yes. Creators you host or pay to visit often post with trending songs. If you repost or boost their content, check the audio first.
Is this legal advice?
No. We tell you what's in your content and how to fix it. For a specific claim, talk to a lawyer.
Related
General information, not legal advice. Platform rules and licenses change; check the current terms or ask your lawyer about your situation. Lawsuit figures are as reported and represent claims, not findings, unless noted.