Earlier this week, we announced the promotion of Rachel Humphrey to chief operating officer. Humphrey previously served as vice president and managing attorney for franchise relations with AAHOA, responsible for strategically developing relationships with brands. "We’re extremely happy to announce Rachel Humphrey’s promotion to COO and are thrilled to have her leadership and vision on our executive team," said AAHOA President and CEO Chip Rogers.

AAHOA women hoteliers are gathering at the Hilton Memphis Operations Center tomorrow, June 9, for a day of meaningful discussions with the Hilton team on topics related to hotel franchising and development, architecture, design and construction, product innovation and brand management, and more on the future of the hospitality industry. Eight additional seats are now available; take advantage of this last-minute opportunity to join us for this unique event!

Join us next Tuesday, June 13, at the Clarion Hotel and Waterford Banquet & Conference Center in Elmhurst, Illinois, for a day of education, networking, and important industry and regional updates! Don’t miss our in-depth education session, "Implement HR Strategies Today, Avoid Costly Claims Tomorrow." Hosted by Tara McCallum of TriNet, this session will provide best practices for hiring and retaining associates.

Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta withdrew the previous administration’s informal guidance that called for an expanded definition of the "joint employer" relationship. This is a positive signal from the current administration that it will defend the traditional franchise model, which grows businesses and creates jobs. 

Florida state lawmakers continue to debate over funding levels for VISIT FLORIDA, the entity responsible for generating 112.8 million visitors to Florida in 2016. This week, the legislature will enter a three-day special session, where the travel and tourism advocates will push for full funding to VISIT FLORIDA at $76 million. Click here to read more about the special session, and here to read AAHOA’s piece on Florida’s fight to preserve the tourism economy.

Tee off, give to charity, and network with vendors and other hoteliers at the 14th Annual Northwest Region Charity Golf Tournament. Benefiting the BEST Alliance, the Autism Society of Oregon and Make-A-Wish Oregon, this event will not only allow you to strengthen relationships with AAHOA members, but will also make a positive impact on the lives of those in need.

Join us for one of these upcoming town hall meetings for AAHOA updates, a short education session and industry info that every hotelier needs to know. 

● June 12: South Pacific – Monrovia, California 

● June 12: Washington D.C. Area – Newport News, Virginia

● June 13: Washington D.C. Area – Wytheville, Virginia

● June 15: Southeast Texas – Huntsville, Texas 

Understand the patterns in hotel demand, business mix by chain scale and costs of customer acquisition associated with online travel agencies. Also learn more about the growth of third-party intermediaries and the role they play in hotel bookings.

The time of a loss is not the time to verify if your property insurance will meet your needs. Learn more about the importance of property insurance, available coverage and how you may be paying too much for inadequate coverage.

Learn more about how loyalty programs and direct booking campaigns are impacting hotel performance. Understand the importance of managing revenue capture to create the best path for higher profit contribution. Also, get an exclusive preview of Part 3 of Demystifying the Digital Marketplace, which focuses more on how hotels can take action and strategize a unique optimal business mix to take advantage of all OTA opportunities.

● Visit www.dell.com/AAHOA to shop, or call 800-757-8442 (please mention you are an AAHOA member and Member ID: 530002735094).

● Dell has partnered with AAHOA to bring members savings (up to 30 percent to 40 percent off the everyday price) on their systems and Dell branded electronics and accessories. 

● Contact Mobolaji Sokunbi at mobolaji_sokunbi@dell.com.

Trump Hotels is adding a new brand to its portfolio — American Idea — and unlike the company’s eponymous luxury Trump Hotels brand or its other more boutique, four-star brand, Scion, this brand will be marketed as a three-star, midscale brand that’s budget friendly, and echoes President Trump’s "America First" tagline referenced during the campaign trail. Click here to see photos of the AAHOA officers at the reception, and click here to continue reading the Skift article. 

Alexa might be in your next hotel room. Following Marriott and Wynn Resorts, Best Western Hotels & Resorts is testing the use of Amazon Dot devices in its hotels for guests and employees, according to Skift. The voice-activated devices can be used to communicate with the hotel — and that includes ordering room service or reporting issues with the room.

On June 5, Wyndham Hotel Group launched its 19th hotel brand and marked its first foray into soft branding with Trademark Hotel Collection. What sets this collection apart from its other branded soft counterparts is its slightly lower aim, targeting independent hotel properties that sit in what Wyndham calls the "3- to 4-star" range, or upper midscale and above.

Nowadays, hoteliers are so inundated with technology that the tasks of prioritization and selection have become far more than just daunting; research and procurement are practically a job title unto themselves! Unless you have specific objectives with a firm plan and budget in mind, you’ll easily be intimidated by the sheer myriad of options for consideration.

Summer is finally upon us, which means vacation season and an injection of money into the hospitality industry. According to a AAA survey more than one-third of Americans plan to take a family vacation of 50 miles or more away from home in coming months. This means either hitting the road or navigating the skies to reach their summer vacation destinations – spending a small fortune on food, travel and lodging along the way.

Take a moment to think about how much you interact with technology during your day. It’s probably so much so, that you can’t even imagine what it was like to operate your property without it. Let’s face it; without a full-featured property management system (PMS) alone, hotel management would look dramatically different.