"The Washington Leadership Program (WLP) is pleased to announce that it is accepting applications from high-potential South Asian college students for the 2017 summer leadership program scheduled to take place from June 10, 2017, to August 4, 2017."

The AAHOA officers are in Las Vegas this week for the RLHC/Vantage annual conference, where they took the main stage to speak to attendees on AAHOA’s relationship with RLHC/Vantage and what’s in store for the hotel industry in 2017. 

Restaurant executive Andrew Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, is currently in consideration to be the Secretary of Labor under President Trump. Puzder has been critical of the current administration’s labor regulations, including the overtime rule and the National Labor Relations Board’s broadened joint employer interpretation. 

Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) will now serve as the Chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. Representative Foxx is a champion of small business issues and has pledged to roll back burdensome regulations that cripple small business growth.

Two weeks ago, a federal judge in Texas granted a preliminary injunction against the new overtime rule, delaying action and quite possibly defeating the new salary threshold that was supposed to be implemented on Dec. 1. For the time being, the salary threshold for eligible overtime pay is still $23,600. Currently, federal elected officials are aiming to pass legislation that will permanently block the new rule. Please stay tuned for critical updates from the AAHOA Government Affairs team. 

Don’t let the holidays keep you from staying engaged with your region! Check the events calendar to see if your regional director has scheduled any town halls for December. (We’re looking at you, West Coast!) 

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, 2–2:20 p.m. EST: Join us to learn how to cut your tax bill so you aren’t giving up money that belongs in your pocket. Discover top strategies that will maximize your investments and minimize your taxes.

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, 3–3:20 p.m. EST: Base impact is the effect of new competition on an existing property, resulting from the addition of hotel rooms that do not share the same brand.

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, 2–2:20 p.m. EST: Retirement planning can be challenging, especially for entrepreneurs and small business owners. As you think about your retirement years, have you ever considered using your business to create a pension plan that will pay you a predefined income stream every month?

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The end of the year — and what a year this one has been — is often a time for reflection, as well as one for forecasting what next year will bring. In 2016, the global hotel industry contended with plenty of changes: Consolidations continued. Disruptors got more disruptive. Throughout it all, one perennial question from everyone in the hotel industry, it seemed, was: "Where are we in the cycle?"

When most people book a vacation rental online these days, HomeAway is typically still their first go-to. The company has been the 800-pound gorilla in the online vacation rental market space for almost a decade now since acquiring its chief rival VRBO (arguably the platform that started it all) back in 2006.

In the mid-1950s, when Howard Johnson and Holiday Inn spearheaded the movement toward hotel franchising, few could have predicted that the experimental business model would enjoy such enduring success. Today, franchisees own about half of the hotels in the United States, and industry experts expect the business model to continue to benefit both franchisor and franchisee in the long term.

This article is about creating leadership inside the financial discipline of a hotel. It’s also about discovering one’s purpose and a new and exciting way to drive better financial results in a hotel. If you own or manage a hotel, this is for you.