Congratulations to AAHOA North Pacific Regional Director Suresh "SP" Patel and the North Pacific Regional Ambassadors on a fantastic town hall! Dozens of AAHOA members got together at Lopez Restaurant Y Cantina in Monterey, California, for an evening of networking and industry updates. 

Earlier this month, Anderson Cooper reported on the growing epidemic of drive-by lawsuits filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act. This report is a compelling exposition of what is really happening with these suits – small business owners continue to be taken advantage of by scheming attorneys.

Yesterday, Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL) released an op-ed in which he states: "There may be no regulation that threatens to crush small businesses and working people more than a recent ruling from the National Labor Relations Board relating to the definition of a joint-employer."

Restaurant executive Andrew Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, has been officially chosen to be the Secretary of Labor under President Trump. Puzder has been critical of the current administration’s labor regulations, including the overtime rule and the National Labor Relations Board’s broadened joint employer interpretation. Stay tuned for more presidential transition updates in the coming weeks!

With all the change coming in 2017, it’s imperative for AAHOA members to participate as much as possible in industry events and conversations. Join AAHOA next year at events like the Americas Lodging Investment Summit, the Hunter Hotel Conference and the InnDependent Lodging Executive Summit.

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, 2-2:20 p.m. EST: Retirement planning can be challenging, especially for entrepreneurs and small business owners. As you think about your retirement years, have you ever considered using your business to create a pension plan that will pay you a predefined income stream every month? Learn how to coordinate your business planning and personal planning to invest in your own retirement. 

Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, 3-3:20 p.m. EST: Base impact is the effect of new competition on an existing property, resulting from the addition of hotel rooms that do not share the same brand. Incremental impact is the effect of new competition on an existing property due to the addition of hotel rooms that have the same brand, franchise company or reservation system. Learn what an impact study is and the steps required to complete an impact study.

Using geolocation to push offers to guests is a good idea, in theory, but hotels need to be very mindful they don’t overload or annoy their guests in the process. And given all the data breaches we’ve seen over the past few months alone, they need to be a lot more careful about how they’re using that information, or any information for that matter, collected from their customers.

Airbnb earlier this month dropped its 6-week-old lawsuit against New York state attorney general Eric Schneiderman, New York City and NYC mayor Bill de Blasio, in a move that could serve to constrain business in the largest U.S. market for the peer-to-peer accommodations service.

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 brazed new trails, set new enterprises in motion and , in some cases, changed the way we think about the industry.

In the mid-1950s, when Howard Johnson and Holiday Inn spearheaded the movement toward hotel franchising, few could have predicted that the experimental business model would enjoy such enduring success. Today, franchisees own about half of the hotels in the United States, and industry experts expect the business model to continue to benefit both franchisor and franchisee in the long term.