Liability lawsuits are almost an inevitable part of operating a hotel, but coronavirus is a new legal frontier for hospitality lawyers.

It is a matter of when, not if, a wave of litigation unfurls against property owners from plaintiffs claiming they were exposed to the virus at a commercial property like a hotel, lawyers interviewed by Skift say. A late February medical conference at the Marriott Long Wharf in Boston was labeled a "super spreader," where attendees unknowingly contracted the virus and later passed it on upon returning to homes in states like Tennessee and North Carolina.

At a time when social distancing is a key combative measure against the spread of the virus, group events could be seen as the ultimate hospitality liability. But successfully winning a coronavirus claim against a hotel owner will be more difficult than prior health threats.