Do you want to make a difference for AAHOA members and the hospitality community? Committee applications open TOMORROW, Jan. 13! We encourage you to apply to serve on one of these important committees: Awards & Recognition; Bylaws & Governance; Public Relations & Communications; Convention & Meetings; Education & Professional Development; Finance & Audit; Franchise & Industry Relations; Independent Hoteliers SIG; Government Affairs; Membership; Revenue Generation; Sponsorship; Strategic Planning; Women Hoteliers SIG; and Young Professional Hoteliers SIG. Watch your email for details on how to apply!

Members of the AAHOA North Pacific region volunteered earlier this month with the Santa Cruz County Food Bank, where they lent their very capable and compassionate hands to the cause of eliminating hunger. We wholeheartedly applaud their commitment to improving their community and helping those less fortunate. 

On Tuesday, January 10, the AAHOA Government Affairs team hosted its January Small Delegation Meeting in Washington, D.C. During this successful event, AAHOA members and officers, including Jesal Patel, Jignesh Patel and Rashmikant Patel, met with nearly 15 members of congress and staff to discuss 1031 like-kind exchanges and ADA reform. With a new congress and a new president, AAHOA Advocacy has never been more important. Stay tuned for pressing updates on upcoming legislative fly-ins and calls to action!

This week, the U.S. Senate hosted several confirmation hearings for President-elect Trump’s cabinet picks. Click here for an entire list of nominees who testified before the U.S. Senate this week, as well as a list of those who are scheduled to testify in the coming weeks. 

"Nineteen states raised their minimum wage in 2017, with increases as substantial as $1.95 more in Arizona." Click here to view Karl Russell’s (The New York Times) graphical analysis on the future of the minimum wage. 

AAHOA Upper Midwest Regional Director Kalpesh Joshi and Upper Midwest AAHOA members met last week with Toni Preckwinkle, president of the Cook County Board in Illinois. Remember – AAHOA is always working for you on Capitol Hill, but it’s up to you and your region to advocate for hoteliers’ interests at the local level. We’re proud of Kalpesh and his members for taking the initiative on building relationships with elected representatives!

Have you registered? Booked your hotel room? Checked out all the fantastic offerings we’ve got this year? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? Click here for everything you need to know about the 2017 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show!

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This year is shaping up to be a healthy one for the U.S. hotel industry, with more 33,000 new rooms planned in the top 10 most active markets. According to industry research firm Lodging Econometrics, the top market by far is New York City, with an estimated 8,612 new rooms in the pipeline for 2017.

World-renowned global futurist Dr. James Canton envisions hotel experiences that include supersonic travel and DNA-driven spa treatments, so what can we expect in the next decade? Canton, a former Apple Computer executive, author and social scientist, worked in conjunction with Hotels.com to present the Hotels of the Future Study at a recent conference in San Francisco.

Hotel fitness centers and wellness offerings have come a long way. Once occupying dingy, windowless basement spaces some now take up entire floors and, in some cases, some hotel companies have even built entire brands around them, like InterContinental Hotels Group, EVEN Hotels, for example. Or other established fitness brands such as Equinox, have decided to test their mettle by stepping into the hotel business.

Sometimes the best way to plot a course for the future is to look at the past. The hotel industry is filled with successful leaders who have blazed new trails, set new enterprises in motion and, in some cases, changed the way we think about the industry.

The wellness movement and all it entails – exercise, nutritious foods and a healthful environment – was once considered to be a craze. It is now thought of by many as a way of life. Such a large part of our lives, not only has wellness moved into the workplace, it has followed us into hotels and on vacations so our healthy routines need never be interrupted, and perhaps even improved, when not at home.

With technology taking over nearly every aspect of our industry, it is becoming abundantly clear that we hoteliers no longer have the software wherewithal necessary for effective decision-making. To fix this, we must start promoting those individuals who are fluent in IT to senior roles as well as develop incentive programs for current team members to modernize their skillsets.