Hotelier Weekly
June 15, 2023
AAHOA News
  
The Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association (IHLA) has announced that Omkar Bhatt, Owner/Operator of the Sol Inn and the Executive Inn in Marshalltown, has joined the recently formed Association’s Board of Directors.
 
Bhatt immigrated to the US from India as a teen and began working in his uncle’s Fort Dodge hotel. He attended William Penn University, and upon graduation, worked in hospitality groups across the country, studying best practices and operational strategies before returning to Iowa to launch his Leo Hospitality. He took ownership of his first hotel in 2021 and added a second in 2023.
 
“Omkar represents the next generation of hoteliers,” said IHLA Board Chairman Scott Math, of Heart of America. “He will be a strong advocate for the entire hospitality industry, especially on issues and topics entrepreneurs deal with day in and day out.”
 
Bhatt is a resident of, and an active community member of, Marshalltown. Like his fellow IHLA board directors, he serves as an elected volunteer who collaborates with other members to determine and communicate the Association’s state legislative agenda to local, state, and federal lawmakers. He is also a member of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) whose mission is to advance and protect the business interests of hotel owners through advocacy, industry leadership, and professional development.
 
“It is truly an honor to serve on the board and represent diverse hotel owners of Iowa. I am looking forward to being a valuable voice for under-represented hotel owners of Iowa,” AAHOA Member Omkar Bhatt told AAHOA in a separate interview. “I am extremely proud of the work AAHOA, and its leadership team, has done, and I hope to take advantage of what I’ve learned as an AAHOA Member and utilize it in my new role.”
  
Congratulations to Neal Patel, CHIA, AAHOA Past Chair (2022-2023), on being appointed to the Center for Hospitality Research Corporate Advisory Board for Cornell Nolan School Centers & Institutes.
 
Neal Patel serves as the Immediate Past Chairman of AAHOA, the voice of nearly 20,000 hotel owners who own 60% of the hotels in the U.S., which translates to more than 34,000 properties.
 
Patel is a second-generation hotelier who grew up in the industry wearing many hats as he helped his family run their first 20-room independent property. He began his hospitality career in Texas and owns and operates branded and independent hotels in several states.
 
Neal is inspired to give back to the hospitality industry through service. He has served on a franchise advisory council, he currently serves on the HITEC Advisory Council, and promotes organ donor awareness through his volunteer work with Samaj Saves Lives.
 
"I'm truly honored to accept my new role as a member of the Advisory Board for the Cornell Nolan School - Center for Hospitality Research. This appointment, a responsibility that comes with my recent position as the Immediate Past Chairman of AAHOA, provides an exciting opportunity to further contribute to the future of the hospitality industry," Patel said. "In both roles, I will continue to bring the perspectives and voices of thousands of hotel owners. As a second-generation hotelier, I look forward to sharing my personal experiences and insights, while continuing to serve, learn, and make a difference in this new capacity." 
  
During the height of Regionals season, AAHOA has recently hosted several incredibly successful Regional Conferences & Trade Shows. The Florida, Georgia, and Northeast Regional Conferences & Trade Shows all took place within less than two weeks of each other, but the attendee numbers were strong, and PAC donations were generous. 
 
Nearly 1,000 AAHOA Members attended these three regionals combined, and almost $100,000 in PAC donations were collected across these three events. Furthermore, members had the chance to earn their certificate onsite for the BEST Inhospitable to Human Trafficking Training, sponsored by AAHOA.
 
Thanks to the amazing dedication of the Regional Directors and Ambassadors, these Regional Conferences & Trade Shows consistently set the bar high for other similar industry events. With a plethora of educational resources, networking opportunities, vendor options, and chances to hear from elected officials whom AAHOA has fostered relationships with, AAHOA Regionals are simply unbeatable.
 
Check out the full Regional Conference & Trade Show schedule here, so you can plan on attending one or more and be a part of the excitement, passion, and community. 
 
  
AAHOA’s newest Chairman, Bharat Patel, and Immediate Past Chairman (2022-2023), Neal Patel, sat down for a conversation with Asian Hospitality as part of its Leadership Series.
 
“On the cusp of his transition to chairman of AAHOA, Bharat Patel was ready to take the reins of the association at a time when it was embroiled in a conflict with several large hotel companies over its support for franchise reform. Bharat sat down with his predecessor Nishant “Neal” Patel to talk with Asian Hospitality for our Leadership Series to discuss the situation and his plans for the future of the association.”
 
Read more here.
Watch the interview here.
Charter Communications Operating, LLC
AAHOA Advocacy in Action
The New Jersey General Assembly recently passed Assembly Bill No. 1958, paving the way for new legislation concerning hospitality franchising agreements and moving the bill along to the state's Senate.
 
The article, "Hotel franchising bill draws mixed responses after passing in the New Jersey General Assembly," includes extensive comments from AAHOA President & CEO Laura Lee Blake supporting AB 1958.
 
Check out some of Blake's comments:
"It is not impacting the customer or their loyalty programs. It's not impacting brand standards. It's really just trying to add some fairness back in, especially with some of the things that have developed since COVID-19."
"So if [the companies] have to reasonably reimburse their hotel owners, maybe they can't profit that entire amount[...], but I can't imagine it would ruin the [loyalty] programs."
 
Blake also noted that "franchisees have seen an uptick in surprise fees since the pandemic, something the bill is intended to push back against by requiring more disclosure of fees from franchisors."
 
Blake added, "The bill has been amended since its first introduction to take out anything that would impact brand standards or the guest experience."
 
Read the full article here and here.
Featured Content
Earlier this week, AAHOA President & CEO Laura Lee Blake was featured on the Modern Hotelier podcast, hosted by Steve Carran and David Millili.
 
The podcast episode, titled "Always Striving for Bigger & Better at AAHOA," provided Blake the opportunity to share her insights on how the hospitality industry can utilize technology to fill the space caused by the labor shortage that continues to plague hoteliers.
 
"How can robotics make a difference? Maybe using robots to deliver room service, or using robots to vacuum the floors," Blake said.
 
To listen to the full episode and view other episodes by The Modern Hotelier, click here.
 
Red Roof Inn
Member Testimonial
  
"I want members to be informed, prepared, and connected. How are we going to do that? We’re going to leverage technology, and we're going to have a higher level of member engagement until everyone on our team, the board included, is on board with us. And so, I'm excited to be your next chairman. I'm excited for our industry. And I can't wait to get started."
 
-Bharat Patel, AAHOA Chairman (2023-2024)
AAHOA Education
  
Given the labor shortage the hotel industry is experiencing, having a sales-and-service-focused culture can help us separate ourselves from the competition. It also can help you attract and retain the right employees and customers. In this two-part webinar series, discover how to build and lead a sales-focused culture to help you stand out in the crowd.
 
Presenter: Tammy Gillis, CEO & Founder, Gillis Sales
  
Last month, on May 23, Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP) held a complimentary webinar for all industry stakeholders. This exchange was part of a deepening partnership between the associations with a shared pursuit to advance the hospitality environment to the benefit of their members and the overall industry.
 
The webinar, titled "U.S. Legislative Updates from AAHOA," addressed AAHOA's initiatives on the U.S. Federal level, as well as state and local government levels.
 
Blake also covered policy recommendations that address the industry's labor shortage and SBA loan limits. In addition, she discussed how AAHOA works with states on STRs, OTA, evictions, and human trafficking awareness training and prevention. HFTP offers a robust Virtual Education program for its members, hosting between two to four hour-long sessions a month on a variety of topics of interest to its stakeholders.
 
You can watch the recording of the webinar here.
 
 
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DIRECTV Hospitality
Featured Club Blue Member
  
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Hotel Equities
Karcher North America
Featured Member Benefit
  
All Insurance Underwriters (AIU) is a National Managing General Agency giving AAHOA Members the option to retain current Insurance Agents. We also offer all Commercial General Lines of insurance, together packaged with Worker’s compensation (where applicable) extra savings can be found. Check out the website for more information on AAHOA Member benefits, and fill out a form to contact one of our dedicated team members.
Featured Platinum/Silver Partner
  
At Curve Hospitality, we combine creative design solutions with our ability to manufacture and deliver contract furnishings. Our experienced hospitality interior design team works closely with clients to turn their vision into a marketable commercial product. Visit our website for more information.
Visual Matrix
Alliance Laundry Systems-UniMac
Industry News
With costs continuing to rise, more travelers are staying home as discretionary spending appears to be slowing for the first time this year.
(Source: The Washington Post)
To boost revenue and adapt to ever-changing guest preferences, forward-thinking hotels are implementing cutting-edge technology solutions, including mobile check-in, contactless payments, in-room voice-controlled devices, and more.
(Source: HospitalityNet)
Though it's hardly a new phenomenon, hoteliers continue to struggle to fill vacant positions, and the industry at large is taking greater interest in lobbying for immigration-friendly legislation to help fill their ranks.
(Source: DRG News)
Intellihot
Today's Hotelier

JUNE ISSUE

The June 2023 issue of Today's Hotelier magazine is out now! This month, we're exploring a handful of topics, with a special focus on staying ahead of design trends, including budgeting for current and upcoming hotel design trends, getting back to basics, and much more.

Featured Content

Join thousands of AAHOA Members, brand CEOs, and industry professionals by subscribing to our magazine. Receive every digital issue of Today’s Hotelier as soon as it’s released to the public. Click here to subscribe.

In the Market
  
Truist Securities reports, “Overall U.S. RevPAR was -1.2% y/y for the week ending 6/10/2023, per STR, below the prior week's result of -1.0%, and below the trailing 10-week average of +2.7%. Vs. 2019, RevPAR was +10.0%, above the prior week’s result of -3.5%, but below the trailing 10-week average of +11.1%. The y/y comparison was clean with no holiday shifts. We see continued evidence of difficult comps for summer leisure travel which is most evident in high-end resorts and in the lowest-priced hotels (Economy and some Independents). Upscale RevPAR: +2.4% y/y and +5.2% vs. 2019; Upper Midscale RevPAR: +1.1% y/y and +9.9% vs. 2019.”
For more, read the full report here, read the China/Europe report here, and read the RevPAR monitor here.