Central Midwest Regional Director Hitesh Patel and his Ambassadors hosted their final Regional Conference & Trade Show of the year in Oklahoma City, OK, on Tuesday. More than 100 attendees were on hand as state Rep. Jacob Rosecrants encouraged members to contact their elected officials to voice their concerns about the impact of short-term rentals on the industry. Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala, Treasurer Vinay Patel, and Secretary Nishant (Neal) Patel apprised attendees of the latest happenings at AAHOA.

Registration for the 2020 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show, set for April 13-16 in Orlando, FL, is in full swing, and the early-bird discount is still in effect. Register by Dec. 15, 2019, to be automatically entered to win four FREE nights of hotel accommodations at one of AAHOA’s host hotels.* And that's not all. Lifetime Members, register by Feb. 13, 2020, to receive complimentary registration. If you are not yet an AAHOA Lifetime Member, upgrade today to take advantage of this exclusive offer before you miss out. 

 

 

Head over to Facebook regularly to see our members doing great things around the nation! Upper Midwest Ambassador Mehul “Mike” Patel won the 2019 Corporate Champion of the Year Award from the Wisconsin Hotel and Lodging Directory; Lifetime Member and 2012-13 AAHOA Chairman Alkesh Patel joined Clark College Foundation’s Board of Directors; Northwest Regional Director Hiten Patel and Ambassadors hosted a Town Hall in Salem, OR; Central Midwest Regional Director Hitesh Patel and His Ambassadors hosted their Regional Conference & Trade Show in Oklahoma City, OK.

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. 

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. 

An accurate 2020 Census is vital to hoteliers, as the once-a-decade head count of everyone living in the U.S. provides important data on communities, including trends in the population, growth projections, and demographic information. This information helps hotels and other businesses make better-informed decisions regarding expansions, closures, hiring strategies, and other business practices. Join us for our The 2020 Census and Your Hotel Business webinar to learn more about the importance of the 2020 Census and how correctly completing the form will help ensure an accurate count.

AAHOA's exclusive members-only webinars provide insights on the latest topics and ideas in hotel ownership. Accessible via MyAAHOA.com, sign in today to browse topics, track your professional development goals, and review all of AAHOA's educational offerings. 

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey reports, “Luxury (-1.1%) was the relatively strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Midscale was the weakest at -6.7%. Upscale (-5.0%) and Upper Midscale (-5.9%) also underperformed the industry average. Last week's results were negatively impacted by two holiday calendar shifts. First, Veterans Day moved to a Monday this year from a Sunday last year. Second, Thanksgiving was a week earlier in 2018. We view the calendar shift of Thanksgiving pushing corporate demand into the week before the holiday (the week ending Nov. 17, 2018) -- this shift made for a tough 2019 y/y comp.”

 

AAHOA has partnered with AutoClerk to offer AAHOA*PMS, a property management system designed specifically for AAHOA Members. If you sign up for both Chase Merchant Services and AutoClerk, AAHOA will pay your set-up fee ($99) and the cost of your first month for each property. Visit www.aahoapms.com for more details and to sign up now.

Travel Media Group is a hospitality marketing partner that provides solutions that give AAHOA Members a competitive edge through marketing and business insights. Services include social media, review responses, reputation management, responsive websites, online and print advertising, and more. Travel Media Group offers smarter hotel marketing to help hotels increase revenue. Visit the website, then contact Dana Singer and ask about our all-in-one guest-engagement platform built for hotels!

AAHOA is proud to collaborate with Kennesaw State to establish the Michael Leven and Lee Dushoff AAHOA Scholarship for Compassionate Leadership. This annual scholarship will support students seeking an undergraduate degree in hospitality management. For more on the qualifications and how to apply, please contact Seth Walker or call 470-578-2206. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the scholarship endowment, click here.

The Shepherd Hotel is set to open during the summer of 2021 in Clemson, SC. The hotel founders have been working with ClemsonLIFE, a Clemson University program that works with students who have intellectual disabilities, to provide employment opportunities for those special-needs students. The founders of the hotel have a goal to placing a Shepherd Hotel with 170 colleges.

There has been a focus on how millennials and Gen Z are shaping the hospitality industry, but their predecessors are changing roles, too. Baby Boomers are the grandparents who like to travel a little differently – by bringing along the grandkids for a slightly different kind of family vacation. With many grandparents living far from their family members, a shared vacation represents an exciting way to bridge the gap and inspire closer relationships with the grands.
(Source: Hotel Online, Photo Credit)

Hilton launched Operation: Opportunity with a goal to hire an additional 20,000 veterans, spouses, dependents, and caregivers by 2020. Over the past six years, the company has hired 30,000 people in that category, well beyond the original goal. In addition, the program offers specialized training for veterans, community service projects for military-related initiatives, and military discounts and benefits.
(Source: Fox Business, Photo Credit)