Nearly 300 hoteliers turned out for last week's Mid South Regional Conference & Trade Show in Nashville, TN, hosted by Regional Director Sunil Patel and his Ambassadors. The member-requested Hotel ROI examined the current local hotel development boom and informed attendees of the pros and cons of investing in the region. Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala, Treasurer Vinay Patel and Secretary Nishant (Neal) Patel delivered the AAHOA update.

AAHOA's rise as a nationally respected hospitality industry expert continued this week at the second annual IMN New Hotel Construction & Development (West) Conference in Santa Monica, CA. Secretary Nishant (Neal) Patel shared his thoughts from a millennial perspective about the future on the "Reimagining Hospitality 10 Years from Now" panel. Young Professional Director Western Division Miraj S. Patel gave his insights on the "Revenue-Driving Trends in Architecture & Design" panel, the main objective of which was to understand if incorporating design into projects is maintaining ROI. 

The newly reimagined HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA is coming up on November 10-11 in New York City, and it will feature a special reception designed for young professionals to network with other like-minded industry pros. There also will be 24 educational sessions curated by AAHOA exclusively for HX, as well as hundreds of top-name exhibitors at the expo. Rates are set to increase on Nov. 2, so register today using promo code AAHOA19 and save!

Registration for the 2020 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show, set for April 13-16 in Orlando, FL, will be opening any day now. In anticipation, AAHOA has proudly launched a new registration experience through MyAAHOA.com. To ensure you’ll be able to quickly and easily register for the convention, not to mention secure the early-bird discount, set up your MyAAHOA.com profile today to expedite the process when we launch.

The fourth Mid-South Lodging Expo is officially in the books, and it was a runaway success. Thanks in part to the support of AAHOA, the expo attracted more than 600 attendees and 40+ vendors to the event, which was held on October 15 in Southaven, MS. The family-friendly 2019 expo, the biggest one held so far, ended on a high note with a gala night of dinner and entertainment. The one-day event is designed to give the region's hoteliers the chance to network with other industry professionals as well as strengthen vendor relationships right in their own backyard. The expo will return in 2021.

Technology and an expected market downturn were two of the biggest takeaways from this week's Hotel ROI Chicago. Experts warned against jumping the gun on implementing new technology, as what works at one hotel may not work at another. They also predicted emerging technology will make employees' jobs easier and therefore more engaging, leading to higher retention rates. Market forecasters said they expect a blip, not a dip, in 2020-21. They also predicted that Chicago rates, which have lagged behind the national average, will catch up once the blip passes. The Hotel ROI series, powered by AAHOA and Hotel Management magazine, features education sessions that deliver relevant, market-specific information to help hoteliers get the most from their assets.

Head over to Facebook regularly to see our members doing great things around the nation! Northeast Regional Director Jayesh Patel and Director at Large Piyush Patel hosted a Town Hall Tour through the Northeast Region last week, where over 100 attendees participated in BEST Inhospitable to Human Trafficking Training sponsored by AAHOA; Regional Director Sunil Patel and his Ambassadors hosted the Mid South Regional Conference & Trade Show in Nashville, TN; Vice Chairman Biran Patel was a guest speaker at Coca-Cola's Diwali celebration; Secretary Nishant (Neal) Patel and Young Professional Director Western Division Miraj S. Patel spoke at the second annual IMN New Hotel Construction & Development (West) Conference in Santa Monica, CA; AAHOA supported the fourth Mid-South Lodging Expo, held in Southaven, MS.

Join us for the Regional Conference & Trade Show closest to you for access to top vendors, incredible networking opportunities and region-specific industry updates you won't see anywhere else. Open to all hoteliers, and AAHOA Lifetime Members receive a free gift for attending. 

Town Halls are a great opportunity to build your professional network and to learn more about AAHOA programs and resources available to help you strengthen every aspect of your business. These events are open to all hotel owners, even if you're not already a member. 

 

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey reports, “Luxury (+2.0%) was the strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Economy was the weakest at -2.6%. Upper Midscale (-0.5%) and Midscale (-2.1%) also underperformed the industry average. Last week's results reflect a clean y/y comparison, RevPAR growth/decline was fairly even across days of the week.”

 

Ecolab, the global industry leader in hotel cleaning and sanitization, offers preferred pricing to AAHOA Members. Save on laundry, housekeeping, kitchen, pool and spa chemical programs, and more! For more information, please contact Michael Pfister or call 952-852-0926 today!

Spectrum Enterprise Solutions builds business-to-business solutions with a people-to-people focus, providing the bandwidth and support AAHOA Members need to accelerate business. Charter’s largest customers enjoy enterprise-grade voice, video, data, network, cloud and managed services via a flexible and secure fiber-based network. For more information, contact David Fitts today!

AAHOA Members get up to 25 percent off ADP payroll and tax compliance services. Companies with fewer than 50 employees get the first month free and no set-up fees! ADP serves 585,000 clients from the smallest to the largest businesses worldwide. Our services can help you manage your risk of tax penalties, improve your cash flow, and take advantage of available tax credits. Contact Thomas Bell or call 973-712-3290 today to obtain a free, no-obligation quote!

Customer experience has always been a key factor for the hotel industry, but efforts in upping the customer experience have often been broad-reaching. Now, hoteliers can use the vast amount of data available to personalize the customer experience. From tailored dining options to in-room voice assistants, the industry now has a way to go above and beyond in a new way.

Bookings for hotels are more competitive than ever. For a customer looking for the best deal, updating hotel room prices is crucial to keeping rooms full. Fortunately, there is now a revenue management system that supports real-time price optimization so that guests see the most recent room prices more frequently.
(Source: Hotel Technology News, Photo Credit)

When it comes to hospitality trends, cellphones have become some of the biggest disruptors. From booking to navigating, guests' phones are with them for every part of their travel journey. That technology can also be used in the guestroom to up the guest-experience factor.
(Source: Hospitality Net, Photo Credit)