Asian American Hotel Owners Association President and CEO Chip Rogers praised the House Appropriations Committee today for including language in the annual Labor Department spending bill to roll back recent job-killing regulations. The bill blocks the use of funds to implement or enforce the new overtime rule or to change the joint employer standard. 

The 2016 AAHOA Gulf Regional Meeting was a success by all accounts. Almost 200 vendors and members packed the Crowne Plaza Baton Rouge for an afternoon of education, networking and deal-sealing. Also, congratulations to 2016-2017 Gulf Region Premier Ambassador Prashant Patel! Thanks for all your dedicated work on behalf of AAHOA! 

Earlier this week, the House Appropriations Committee held a markup of the Fiscal Year 2017 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill. This bill currently includes language that will cut back on the Department of Labor’s expanded joint-employer definition. 

Today, the AAHOA officers and staff met with several elected officials to discuss pressing issues before Congress breaks for summer recess. Among many important meetings, members convened with Congressman Joe Crowley and Chairman Ed Royce to discuss ADA reform, overtime regulations and the joint employer standard. 

Preparation for FNAC 2016 is well underway. During this two-day event – which will take place in Washington, DC, on September 6 and 7 – AAHOA members will receive industry updates, attend networking receptions and meet with their federal elected officials to advocate on behalf of the hospitality industry.

Traditional hotel companies are considering serviced apartments and aparthotels as revenue generators and strong assets to round out their portfolios.

At a recent press event in New York, Google announced a series of updates coming to search results aimed at travel planners looking to get the best deals on flights and accommodations. Now, when you search for specific types of hotels like "pet-friendly and under $175 a night," Google can surface results nearest you (or whatever location in your search query) that fits those requirements. You can also narrow results down by clicking various filters, like "budget" or "luxury."

Sometimes the idea of posting new and fresh content to your business’ social media pages can seem daunting, and trying to come up with relevant content over and over can get exhausting. And having to do so multiple times a week, or even multiple times a day, can seem repetitive. But, social media as a tool to market and promote your hotel doesn’t have to be daunting, exhausting or repetitive. You just have to have the right approach to keep your content exciting and engaging.

In 2004, TripAdvisor, HomeAway and dozens of OTAs launched to capture the new opportunities in travel that became available in a market flush with cheap commercial and consumer capital. That perfect storm led to the explosion of the newest profession in the hospitality industry – the hotel revenue manager (RM). Their role, primarily, was to take advantage of expanding opportunities in a growing market by getting the property well-distributed through a complex web of channels that were all doing well.