On March 5, AAHOA Vice Chairman Hitesh (HP) Patel will share thoughts and insight with industry peers and other experts in an editorial discussion hosted by Hotel Business magazine and sponsored by RLH Corporation. The roundtable will focus on what economy and midscale properties can do to build upon established framework, strengthen relationships with franchisors and accommodate today’s new economy traveler. Excerpts from the discussion will appear in the April issue of the magazine.

Emails promoting the sale or distribution of attendee lists for the 2018 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show or other AAHOA events are not affiliated with AAHOA in any way. No company is authorized to distribute or sell any lists for any AAHOA event. Statements from any company claiming to have lists of AAHOA members or the attendees of AAHOA events are fraudulent. Please do not engage with, acquire, or purchase any list from any company claiming to have use of AAHOA's database, lists of AAHOA event attendees, or AAHOA member contact information. Contact AAHOA at 404-816-5759 or info@aahoa.com if you receive any solicitations.

Stay Current on Issues in Your Local Area 
Town hall meetings are a great opportunity to build your professional network and to learn more about the AAHOA programs and resources available to help you strengthen every aspect of your business. Coming up soon:

• March 1 - Florida Town Hall - Tampa, Fla.
• March 6 - North Texas Town Hall - Irving, Texas
  
• March 7 - North Pacific Town Hall - West Sacramento, Calif.
  
• March 8 - Alabama Panhandle Town Hall - Dothan, Ala.
  
• March 12 - North Pacific Town Hall - Scotts Valley, Calif.
  
• March 14 - North Carolina Town Hall - Wilson, NC
• March 14 - South Pacific Evening Educational Town Hall - Artesia, Calif.
  
• March 15 - South Carolina Town Hall - Aiken, SC
• March 15 - North Carolina Town Hall - Raleigh, NC

AAHOA members are encouraged to register for the legislative action days and other events hosted in partnership between AAHOA and state lodging and travel associations in their local area. Consider signing up to help educate legislators about your business.

• Feb. 27 - Tennessee Hospitality and Tourism Day on the Hill
• March 7 - California Hotel and Lodging Association Legislative Action Summit
• April 11 – Arizona State Lobby Day
  
• April 18 - South Carolina Hospitality Day
  

Upcoming Webinars – February and March 2018

• Feb. 27 – Your Business Structure: Now More Important Than Ever
• Feb. 28 – White Collar Exemptions for Hotel Owners
• March 1 – Groups and Meetings: Digital Processes to Increase Revenue
  
• March 6 – Ensuring Safety in the #MeToo Era: Creating a No Tolerance Workplace
• March 7 – OSHA Compliance - Hazard Communication, Safety Programs & OSHA Recording/Reporting
  
• March 8 – How to Close the Equity Gap and Green Your Hotel with PACE Financing
• March 14 – Keeping Kids Safe in the Workplace: Child Labor Rules for Employers
• March 15 – Hotel Negotiations Made Easy from a Sales Perspective
• March 20 – Data Breaches – Understanding the Risks

Check out the AAHOA Resource Library to view over a hundred past webinars and other educational resources.  

• March 27 – AAHOA Certified Hotel Owners (CHO) Program (last onsite class for 2018)
• March 27 – Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics  (seats are going fast)
• March 27 – Human Trafficking Awareness Training (open to non-convention attendees too)

Overall U.S. RevPAR was up 4.4 percent for the week ending 2/17/2018 compared to the prior week's result of 2.6 percent. Independent hotels were up 6.5 percent compared to last year. Midscale came in at 3.7 percent, but underperformed compared to the overall U.S. hotel industry average; economy at 5.8 percent outperformed. For more, read the full report. Also, be sure to check out the newly released Corporate Rate Negotiations report and the January 2017 RevPar report.

Contact Raj Pannu at 972-979-2296 or Raj.Pannu@firstdata.com for more information.

Dell has partnered with AAHOA to bring members savings (up to 30% - 40% off the everyday price) on their systems and Dell branded electronics and accessories. Visit www.dell.com/AAHOA to shop or call 1.800.757.8442. Make sure to mention that you are an AAHOA member and use Member ID: 530002735094.   For more information, contact Mobolaji Sokunbi at mobolaji_sokunbi@dell.com.

Company executives' review of fourth-quarter and full-year 2017 earnings indicate Choice’s acquisition of WoodSpring Suites—combined with the success of MainStay Suites—will create opportunities for the company in the extended-stay segment in 2018 and beyond. (Source: Hotel News Now)

A hotel’s brand can’t survive without a quality website that will build awareness and drive conversion. However, sometimes it’s not enough to rely on the site a big brand provides. Unique properties require unique websites. (Source: Hotel Management)

The supply of new hotel rooms entering the U.S. lodging markets will peak in 2018. Based on the recently released March 2018 edition of Hotel Horizons®, CBRE Hotels' Americas Research is forecasting the net addition of approximately 101,000 rooms to the U.S. lodging inventory during 2018, an increase of 2.0 percent over 2017 average annual daily supply. This is the largest number of new rooms to enter the market since the 130,000 rooms that came on line in 2009. (Source: Hospitality.net)