The 2020 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show, set for April 13-16 in Orlando, FL, will offer unparalleled networking opportunities with hoteliers, industry pros, and vendors alike, so you don't want to miss it. Register by Dec. 15, 2019, to be automatically entered to win four FREE nights of hotel accommodations at one of AAHOA’s host hotels.* 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. 

AAHOA membership puts endless resources and opportunities right at your fingertips. Beginning Jan. 1, 2020, annual member dues will increase to $199, but you can secure yours at the current rate of $159 by joining or renewing no later than Dec. 31, 2019. Don't put it off. Start the new decade off on the right foot and lock in your AAHOA membership today. 

At the 2019 RLH Corporation Conference, set for December 9-11 at the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala will address all attendees during the general session about the great things we're accomplishing at AAHOA and encouraging RLH owners to take advantage of their complimentary AAHOA membership. Vice Chairman Biran Patel, COO & VP of Franchise Relations Rachel Humphrey, and Female Directors Lina Patel and Nimisha Patel will also contribute their insights during Q&As and panel discussions related to AAHOA and leadership.

As the season of giving continues, consider contributing to the Kennesaw State University Michael Leven and Lee Dushoff AAHOA Scholarship for Compassionate Leadership. The scholarship, which honors the legacy of two leaders instrumental to AAHOA's founding, provides financial assistance to exceptional students in the hospitality program. Your donation is fully tax-deductible, so give today. Visit community.kennesaw.edu/aahoa, or contact Seth Walker to make your contribution.

Head over to Facebook regularly to see our members doing great things around the nation!

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. Watch the webinar, The 2020 Census and Your Hotel Business, to learn more about the importance of the 2020 Census.

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, “Economy (-1.7%) was the relatively strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Upper Upscale was the weakest at -32.9%. Upscale (-29.0%) and Upper Midscale (-18.3%) underperformed the industry average. Where the prior week's data (ending November 23) presented very strong results given the comparison vs. a Thanksgiving holiday in 2018, last week's results incorporated the holiday shifting into 2019. We are not surprised that RevPAR was largely negative. The severity of the negative results was relatively mild given last week's -17.5% RevPAR went against a +30.4% in the prior week. While we do assume some noise in the results from the various winter weather that led to considerable flight delays and cancellations (50 million Americans in the path of storms), it is virtually impossible to parse out this weather impact given the noisy data with the holiday shift.”

 

As North America’s leading hospitality procurement services provider, Avendra offers AAHOA Members competitive pricing from its 800+ supplier contracts. Earn huge savings on engineering, rooms operations, administrative, replacement FF&E, and more! Visit www.avendra.com or call 866-AVENDRA and start saving today!

AAHOA Members, when you choose Rinnai, you’re choosing a commitment to excellence. It’s time to give your buildings a more efficient and reliable source of hot water. Rinnai® Tankless and Demand Duo™ Hybrid Commercial Water Heating Systems supply commercial buildings with an endless supply of hot water while you save thousands in operational and life-cycle costs. Contact Dipesh Parekh, call 800-621-9419, or visit the Rinnai website to see what rebates are available.

AAHOA has joined with the University of Houston Conrad Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management to create an AAHOA Scholarship. AAHOA will contribute a total of $125,000 to UH over five years, beginning in 2016. The contributions will be matched by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, creating a $250,000 fund to be named the AAHOA Student Assistantship & Scholarship Endowment. To find out more about the qualifications or how to apply, please click here.

The 5-Star Promise is a commitment by hospitality professionals to provide training, resources, and enhanced safety policies for their employees. Hotel companies across the U.S. have provided their employees with safety devices to alert nearby personnel when they might be in danger, among other initiatives to keep employees safe at all times.

Housekeeping is often the hardest job for hoteliers to fill, but there are ways to streamline the back-of-house so the labor shortage doesn't begin to impact the guest experience. Some properties may offer guests discounts for re-using linens and towels while other properties are beginning to introduce technology that allows staff to communicate more quicky and efficiently.

The wellness movement seemed to be a trend, but according to a white paper by Accor, it could be a trend that's going to stay. The study, "It's a Wellness World: The Global Shift Shaking up Our Business," found 77 percent of consumers "take steps in their daily lives to stay healthy, make informed food choices, stay active, and manage stress."
^{(Source: Hotel News Resource, Photo Credit)}