On the final day of the 2023 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show, the association recognized achievement and excellence in the hospitality industry with its annual awards.

 

Each year, AAHOA honors hoteliers who go above and beyond in service to the hospitality industry. Winners are chosen by an independent awards selection committee, and recipients are acknowledged and celebrated on stage during the AAHOA Convention & Trade Show.

 

The annual AAHOA Awards Program recognizes the best of the best, and AAHOA is honored to highlight this year’s award winners’ service and commitment to excellence. Their hard work and dedication does not go unnoticed, and it is through their leadership, grit, and determination that our industry – and association – continues to thrive.

Virdee is taking home the top prize in the AAHOA Tech Pitch Competition, Co-Powered by HFTP. A panel of five judges with expertise in technology and hospitality chose Virdee’s guest experience technology platform from a field of eight finalists.

 

Virdee Virtual Reception Software is aimed at helping properties become more efficient. Whether it’s to help front-of-house staffing, provide guests with their keys, or help them pay for their stay, their goal is to free up staff in a way that allows them to deliver a true guest experience.

 

The competition is designed to help identify and elevate companies with innovative ideas and products that will help the hospitality industry as hoteliers continue to face challenges, like labor shortages, from the pandemic.

On the opening day of the 2023 Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Convention & Trade Show, the association announced the launch of the AAHOA Charitable Foundation. Forming later this year as an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the AAHOA Charitable Foundation will aim to support humanity, providing disaster relief, educational scholarships and grants, charitable initiatives for worthy causes, and humanitarian aid.

 

AAHOA’s 20,000 members already contribute to their communities by supporting charitable organizations that provide services ranging from education and disease research funding to humanitarian efforts. Thanks to the generosity of vendor partners, members, and sponsors, AAHOA has been able to donate millions of dollars to charities that touch lives and make the world a better place. AAHOA is seeking contributions from members, with no contribution too small. It is anticipated that all contributions will be deductible under the fullest extent provided by applicable law.

Florida hotelier Bharat Patel, CHO, CHIA, is the new Chairman of AAHOA’s Board of Directors. Patel became Chairman at the conclusion of the 2023 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show in Los Angeles, Ca., which set a record level of booth sales for the Trade Show, making it the largest in AAHOA history.

 

“I am honored to serve America’s hotel owners as the newest AAHOA Chairman,” Patel said. “Like the theme from AAHOACON23, I look forward to honoring the past and creating a bolder future by working with AAHOA’s nearly 20,000 Members to ensure we reestablish strong partnerships with our state associations, grow the AAHOA PAC to new record levels, and make advocacy front and center to AAHOA’s mission and vision.”

 

Patel has been an active member of AAHOA since 2008. He served as an Ambassador for several years before his election to the Board of Directors as the Regional Director for Florida in 2015. 

Bharat is a second-generation hotelier who learned the hotel business through hands-on experience at properties owned by his parents. Today he is Partner at Gulf Coast Hospitality, a company based in Sarasota, FL.

 

“From a young age, I wanted to make a difference, which is why I wanted to join AAHOA,” Patel said. “AAHOA Leadership meets with legislators at the highest levels of government, and we’re doing so while simultaneously showing the industry, and beyond, that representation matters.”