Hospitality Solutions earlier this month added a payroll, tax and human resources division, bringing its total to five departments focused entirely on franchise services. Founder and CEO Steven Belmonte started the company with franchise negotiations and legal services divisions and in May he added real estate and insurance divisions.

“Hospitality Solutions is expanding to better position ourselves and our clients for economic recovery and the long-awaited rebound of the lodging and foodservice industries," Belmonte said. “We started in 2002 as franchise negotiation specialists assisting with termination of existing franchise agreements or negotiating new franchise agreements at a low flat fee with a no risk guarantee. With recovery on the horizon, the need for services such as insurance and real estate will surely escalate in the coming months, and we want to be positioned to capture that market share.”

Belmonte doesn't take the optimistic view of many in the industry and believes the road to recovery will be long and winding and the customer’s focus on value and cost will remain even when good times do return. It’s why he’s created a business focused on providing a lower-cost alternative for franchisees and a synergy in what he calls his “everything franchise” focus.

Industry veteran Jim Wilhelm will head the new payroll services division. Matthew Tal, who heads the real estate division, and Thomas Cleary and Patrick Hartle, who lead the insurance division, were introduced at the Asian American Hotel Owners Association convention last month. Belmonte said there are more divisions he’s looking to add down the road to further enhance his ‘everything franchise’ motto.

Although the bulk of Belmonte’s career has been spent in the hotel industry, his company also provides its services to the foodservice industry. He said the similarities in business models make it a natural fit.