Join AAHOA at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas, Texas, for a day filled with everything an owner of an independent hotel needs to know — all in one show! As an attendee, you will receive a briefing on the biggest industry issues that will affect your business this year, in addition to the opportunity to network with and learn from other independent hoteliers. There will also be a trade show with the vendors you need — all in one place!

On July 11, AAHOA Young Professionals will join Marriott executives at the Marriott Corporate Headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, for a day of professional development. Attendees will hear from Marriott execs on the history of Marriott, development, architecture, design and construction, brand management and the future of the company. This event is sold out, but you can check out upcoming brand events here.

Chairman Bhavesh Patel says, "Energy efficiency hasn’t always been a major issue within hospitality, but it is our duty and to our business advantage, both as hoteliers and business owners, to do whatever we can to lessen our collective impact." Has your hotel recently implemented a strategy that has greatly increased your energy or water efficiency? Share it with us! Email pr@aahoa.com to tell us your story.

On Wednesday, July 12, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce will host a hearing, Redefining Joint Employer Standards: Barriers to Job Creation and Entrepreneurship. AAHOA members have long advocated to return to the traditional joint-employer model, where franchisees have the autonomy and flexibility to operate their businesses. Stay tuned for a re-cap of this important hearing. 

The How to Form a Management Company Workshop will be held in Chattanooga, Tennessee, on July 24. Attendees will participate in sessions on a wide range of topics, including accounting and finance, human resources, sales and marketing, information technology and more. They will also have the opportunity to learn from other industry professionals in the "Lessons from Successful Member Management Companies" panel and will end the day with a guided tour of the Vision Hospitality Corporate Office.

With supply headed for substantial growth, The Windy City is expected to see 20 percent increase in room supply by 2019 and play host to 55 million visitors by 2020. Are you prepared? Attend Hotel ROI in Chicago for profitable operating how-tos, market intelligence broken down into actionable insights and an immediate plan for implementation to set your hotel assets up for financial success. An exclusive rate of $199 is redeemable by using promo code AAHOA50 to receive $50 off at registration, then attendees receive a $50 gift card after the event.

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.

●  July 10: Woodbridge, Virginia, Town Hall

●  July 13: Tyler, Texas, Town Hall

AAHOA continues to grow and is widely recognized as a dominant industry resource for hoteliers. Our Call for Speakers seeks to capture relevant information for potential speakers who want to be considered for any of our upcoming events. Ideal speakers will have an expertise in the hospitality industry, more specifically, with aspects of hotel ownership and operations.

Department of Labor Wage and Hour investigations can be disruptive, time intensive and very expensive for employers. Hear best practices for appropriate actions to take, those to avoid, and what to expect during and after the investigation process.

 ●  FREE mobile app

 ●  Earn 5 percent of revenue back 

 ●  Reduce OTA fees 

 ●  Improve guest review scores 

 ●  Get your FREE hotel app

Hotels, they are a'changin', as hoteliers develop properties that cater to the younger, tech-savvy generations. New and older brands are making moves to do away with the beige, interact via apps, double as co-working and social spaces, and score shareable selfie love along the way. But don't call them "millennial hotels." While many of the perks and amenities are inspired by research on the group, these properties aim to appeal to guests of all ages.

When it comes to return on investment from hotel fitness centers, it’s not so much about revenue generated as it is about going above and beyond guests’ expectations, sources said. "One of the goals is to always try to exceed expectations for guests and it is an expectation that there will be a workout facility on the property," said Steven Wallace, GM of Best Western Plus Boulder Inn in Boulder, Colorado. "I guess the answer is, if we did not have it... what would be the loss in revenue to the bottom line?"

The hotel rooms at a new dual-branded Marriott Hotel near Los Angeles, which is scheduled to open in 2018, will be framed, drywalled, carpeted and furnished 840 miles away in Boise. The structure will be a modular hotel, made of blocks that were created over the course of six months on the factory floor of the Boise-based Guerdon Enterprises, LLC, and then trucked to L.A. to be assembled on the site. It’s a mode of construction that is becoming more common as hotel builders look for ways to save time and money.

Marriott’s M Beta at Charlotte Marriott City Center in North Carolina, an innovation lab that functions as the world’s first hotel in live beta, is on the leading edge of testing new ideas in the hotel experience and requesting guest feedback to further its innovative brand transformation. "The Marriott Hotels brand has been on a transformation journey, and innovation is in our DNA," says Mike Dearing, managing director of Marriott Hotels. "M Beta is a great opportunity to signal to all stakeholders that we are very much focused on bringing an innovative approach to the Marriott brand and worldwide."

President Donald Trump has been very clear that he wants a dramatic tax cut in 2017. What are the tax cuts that he has endorsed, what will they mean for hotel owners and how likely are they to be enacted this year? There are actually two large collections of tax cuts. The first is found in the legislation that passed the House of Representatives to repeal Obamacare and reform health care. Obamacare imposed a collection of 20 different taxes that total $1 trillion over a decade. So what many view as health care repeal and reform legislation is also a significant tax cut.

There is only one aspect of your property that you absolutely cannot change – your physical address. Renovate, replace staff, add new operations, re-flag or re-brand, it makes no difference; you are where you are! Your location is uniquely yours, so why not make the most of it? When a guest arrives – especially for the first time – they rarely have the in-depth knowledge of your neighborhood to go about on their own without any guidance. While nowadays there are numerous online resources that can give visitors a broad overview, your guests will nevertheless want your help in discovering what truly makes your area special.