To continue to spread awareness this January during National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, AAHOA is teaming with Vision Hospitality Group today to offer free human trafficking awareness training to the general public in Chattanooga, TN. AAHOA Lifetime Member Mitch Patel, President & CEO of Vision Hospitality Group, will give the keynote address at Hilton Garden Inn at Hamilton Place, and will be joined by AAHOA Mid South Regional Director Sunil Patel along with additonal guest speakers. For more information, click here.

AAHOA Treasurer Vinay Patel, President & CEO Cecil Staton, and COO & VP of Franchise Relations Rachel Humphrey will represent AAHOA as featured speakers at the American Lodging and Investment Summit, January 27-29, in Los Angeles. Cecil will address the general session and also moderate a panel showcasing the outlook for development in 2020. Vinay and Rachel will focus on current legal matters of interest to hotel owners and operators at ALIS Law, which concentrates on the legal issues owners and operators face after closing the deal on a property. In addition, Rachel will join other women executives for thought leadership and networking at AHLA’s ForWard at ALIS: Women's Leadership Forum.

We have great news! Register for the 2020 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show by February 13, and you could be the lucky winner of four free nights of hotel accommodations at one of AAHOA’s host hotels* during Convention, April 13-16 in Orlando, FL. And that's not all. Lifetime Members**, if you register by Feb. 13, you'll qualify for complimentary registration. If you are not yet an AAHOA Lifetime Member, upgrade today to take advantage of this exclusive offer.

AAHOA reaches its fullest potential through the hard work of our volunteers. Committee Members are vital to helping advance the business interests of hotel owners through advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, and so much more. Help AAHOA thrive in 2020 and beyond. Apply to serve on one of these committees today. Applications are due by April 16.:

AAHOA is currently accepting nominations for all open positions on the Board of Directors, including the newly created Greater Los Angeles Area Regional Director. Nominations are due by February 16. Nominees must comply with each of the qualifications set out in AAHOA Bylaws Art. V (2), the Board Member & Officer Nominations Policy, and the Board Member & Officers Elections Policy, all available in full here.

Do you know a hotelier who has gone above and beyond? Help us recognize industry leaders and stars at the 2020 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show, April 13-16, in Orlando, FL. You do not need to be an AAHOA Member to submit a nomination, but nominees must be AAHOA Members. Join us at the convention, where the following awards will be presented: 

The deadline to submit nominations is February 3. You do not need to be an AAHOA Member to submit a nomination.

Town Halls are a great opportunity to build your professional network and 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 yet a member. 

Dual- and tri-brand projects are increasingly transforming the hotel pipeline. Combining multiple lodging choices under one roof caters to a wider customer base and offers more flexibility for travelers, while the shared amenities and dining venues provide added value for hotel guests. For hoteliers, multi-brand properties provide a unique opportunity to increase revenue and streamline operations. Register today  for a workshop on March 4 in New Orleans to learn everything you need to know about building a successful multi-brand property.

Did you know the new overtime rule went into effect January 1? To learn more about the rule and how it might impact your business, tune in to our past webinar "USDOL Overtime Rule 2.0: What You Need to Know" presented by John Mavros, a partner at Fisher Phillips. Learn what the new USDOL OT rule means for you and your business and how you can ensure you are in compliance.

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 (+18.5%) was the strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Midscale was the weakest at -1.5%. Upscale (+3.9%) and Upper Midscale (+1.8%) underperformed the industry average. Last week was in part a recovery from the prior week's challenged results. The 2020 college football championship shifted into last week from the prior week in 2019 (tailwind to New Orleans with RevPAR +32.0%); additionally, a major conference in San Francisco also shifted into last week's results (RevPAR was +124.0% vs. -69.4% last week). Also, there was strong group results in a number of other major markets (Chicago Group RevPAR was +116.6%; Houston was +61.8%).”

 

Dell empowers business owners to use technology to realize their dreams. Now, the computer technology giant has partnered with AAHOA to bring members savings of 30 percent to 40 percent off the everyday price on their systems and Dell-branded electronics and accessories! Visit www.dell.com/AAHOA to shop or call 800-757-8442 today. Please mention you are an AAHOA Member and use Member ID 530002735094.

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!

The members of AHIA specialize in hospitality industry legal issues and have a minimum of five years' experience for in-house counsel and 10 years' experience for outside counsel. All AHIA members are committed to promoting professionalism, continuing education, and improved communication, which creates a network of competent experienced attorneys committed to improving legal services throughout the hospitality industry. Access their nationwide directory to find a hospitality industry lawyer near you.

Mobile apps for hotels focus on the customer-facing benefits of the software, but there also are benefits of using apps to support your back of house and other operations. Most people are comfortable using a smartphone, so the learning curve for employees is relatively low. For example, with AAHOA*PMS, hoteliers can perform certain functions remotely and boost staff efficiency.

Hoteliers are always concerned with the bottom line, so the focus is often on revenue strategy. However, in order to get the best results, hoteliers need to zoom out and look at overall hotel performance. David Eisen, director of hotel intelligence and customer solutions for HotStats, has a 5-part approach that includes everything from operational data to a strategic hiring plan.

In 2019, all of Maine's restaurant and lodging associations merged to form HospitalityME. Last year, Steve Hewins became the director and immediately began addressing the labor shortage. Challenges have continued to arise, but so have HospitalityME's efforts from an apprenticeship program to its Education Foundation.