AAHOA is committed to promoting awareness of human trafficking by educating hoteliers on how to spot and report any suspicious activity. We have partnered with Polaris to offer FREE Human Trafficking Awareness Training exclusively for AAHOA members and their staffs. Those who complete the training will earn a certificate, which may satisfy state and/or local training requirements. Click here to learn more and enroll.

This afternoon, AAHOA members who are attending the Choice Hotels Annual Conference in Las Vegas will meet with AAHOA Officers and Choice Hotels brand executives. Attendees will hear the latest brand updates and learn more about AAHOA's partnership with Choice Hotels.

The 2018 AAHOA Southwest Charity Golf Tournament will take place in Albuquerque, NM on May 31, 2018. This year, proceeds will benefit the Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation and the Roadrunner Food Bank of New Mexico. Click here to register as a player or as a sponsor.

Yesterday, AAHOA Chairman Hitesh (HP) Patel participated in a roundtable discussion at the Department of Homeland Security about raising awareness of and preventing human trafficking. The roundtable, hosted by House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), also included representatives from the Department of Homeland Security’s Blue Campaign and Polaris.

Town halls 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:

May 10 - Northwest Town Hall - Portland, OR
May 15 - Southeast Texas Town Hall - Houston, TX
May 15 - South Carolina Town Hall - Charleston, SC
May 22 - Florida Town Hall - Fort Myers, FL
May 30 - AAHOA and OHLA Joint Spring Seminar and State Fire Marshal Training - Dayton, OH
May 31 - AAHOA and OHLA Joint Spring Seminar and State Fire Marshal Training - Akron, OH

Join us for the regional meeting closest to you for industry-leading education and access to the top vendors in the hospitality industry.

May 22 - North Pacific Regional Meeting - San Jose, CA
May 24 - South Pacific Regional Meeting - Anaheim, CA
May 30 - Southwest-Albuquerque Regional Meeting - Albuquerque, NM
June 12 - Gulf-Little Rock Regional Meeting - Little Rock, AR
June 14 - Gulf-Jackson Regional Meeting - Jackson, MS

Red Roof's annual event will examine the business skills required and tools available to successfully meet today's increasingly competitive and complex business challenges. AAHOA Chairman Hitesh (HP) Patel, Female Director Eastern Division Lina Patel, and Female Director Western Division Nimisha Patel will participate on panels throughout the event. Click here to learn more.

AAHOA Chairman Hitesh (HP) Patel and Vice Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala both spoke at HD Expo today in Las Vegas. Hitesh participated in the Owners' Roundtable–HD Expo's signature event–and shared upcoming developments, company initiatives, and his outlook on the industry. Jagruti spoke on "The Future is Female: When Women Lead" panel, where she and other top female leaders in the industry discussed their career beginnings, their defining work, and how they are mentoring and advising the next generation of industry leaders.

In anticipation of next week's Spring National Advocacy Conference, AAHOA has developed a webinar providing you with everything you need to know for the event, including tips for effective Capitol Hill meetings. The webinar discusses the topics most important to the hospitality industry including labor, predatory lawsuits, and human trafficking prevention. Click here to watch on-demand.

Hoteliers from across the country will gather in Carrollton, TX on May 17 to meet with Motel 6/Studio 6 executives. Attendees will hear from G6 Hospitality on the history of the brand, development, architecture, design and construction, brand management, the future of the company, and more.The event is limited to the first 60 registrants. Click here to learn more and register.

The HTL program is a summer bootcamp in Washington, D.C. with topics in hotel operations, real estate, and legal issues with networking and career opportunities. HTL is now taking registrations for 2018 (June 11 to 22). Paid internships are available for top students. Scholarships are available. Meet leading attorneys from Big Law and in-house counsel, plus executives from Marriott, Hilton, Choice. Plus, participate in a back-of-house tour of the MGM Casino and other events. Click here to register.

Upcoming Webinars – May 2018

May 10 – Tweet All You Want, But Don't Be a Twit: Social Media Risks and Best Practices
May 24 – Effective Sales Questions: The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How
May 30 – Lessons Learned in Valuing, Marketing, and Selling Your Hotel

Check out the AAHOA HOTEL OWNERS ACADEMY^TM to view over a hundred past webinars and other educational resources.

For more info contact Len Edelman at ledelman@pdiconnected.com

The members of AHIA specialize in hospitality industry legal issues, and have a minimum of five years of experience for in-house counsel or 10 years of experience for outside counsel. Access their nationwide directory to find a hospitality industry lawyer near you. For more information, please click here.

Hoteliers have been keeping a close eye on Airbnb. The head of strategy at Fred & Farid shares insights on the simple and obvious solution for competing with Airbnb. (Source: Skift)

Social media sites have become an excellent platform for digital marketing, and Hotels.com highlights some of the most photogenic and instagrammable hotels in the world. (Source: Luxury Launches)