AAHOA Government Affairs Committee Member Danny Gaekwad represented America’s hotel owners on Wednesday in a roundtable discussion in Florida with Vice President Mike Pence, Labor Secretary Eugene Scalia, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Joined by other hospitality leaders, including Roger Dow, the President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, Danny spoke on how hoteliers across the country have been affected by COVID-19, and he voiced his strong support for DeSantis and the Trump administration for their leadership and the lifeline they’ve extended throughout this pandemic. After Gaekwad asked for an extension on PPP loans, Pence mentioned that something is in the works. Click here to watch the entire discussion, and read AAHOA’s press release on the event.

The AAHOA Board of Directors has appointed Vikesh (Vik) Zaver and Chintu (Danny) Patel as Regional Directors. Zaver will serve as the Georgia Regional Director, while Patel will fill the same role in Arkansas. The two will serve in their respective regions until the next regularly scheduled election. Regional Directors and their Ambassadors play a vital role in bringing the many benefits of AAHOA membership to their regions through Regional Conferences & Trade Shows, Town Halls, Virtual Events, and in-person and online education.

President & CEO Cecil P. Staton and AAHOA's Government Affairs team hosted a webinar, "Hotel Owners & Conquering COVID: AAHOA Legislative Update," on Wednesday to share AAHOA's recent advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels. Watch on-demand to gain updates on the CARES Act and insight on how AAHOA is proactively protecting your interests by fighting for property tax abatement, legislative changes and further funding of PPP and EIDL, indemnification from COVID-19 related lawsuits, and much more. 

Check Facebook regularly to see our members exemplifying what it means to be #AAHOASTRONG! Lifetime Member and Gulf Region Ambassador Villas Patel of Columbus, MS, created care packages for drive-by and pick-up through her non-profit Parole2Pride, which was created by Villas and her husband, Jayesh, to help nonviolent offenders get back into the workforce. ... Lifetime Members Dimple Patel and Jigisha Patel of Northern Kentucky enlisted their kiddos and together they created 51 care packages for a homeless shelter in Cincinnati, OH. ... AAHOA applauds and thanks Villas, Dimple, and Jigisha for truly embodying what it means to be #AAHOASTRONG!

In the coming weeks, AAHOA is hosting a number of virtual events targeted at regions around the country. The virtual event series is designed to help hotel owners remain connected with AAHOA Officers, board members, staff, and each other during the COVID-19 pandemic. Make plans to join us for this and other upcoming virtual events. You also can visit the virtual events archive to view past recordings in their entirety.

In the wake of the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry, AAHOA is bringing you a series of webcasts that will keep you informed and help determine next steps for your business. We have educated more than 12,000 hoteliers to date and feature more than 90 webcasts separated by category in our library. AAHOA is making these webcasts available to the industry, so be sure to share with those in your network, whether they're an AAHOA Member or not. 

 

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey reports, “Economy (-36.3%) was the relatively strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Luxury was the weakest at -89.7%. Upscale (-78.2%) underperformed the industry average; Upper Midscale (-69.8%) outperformed. Regardless if RevPAR percentage growth continues to rise into the negative 50s/60s, the cumulative revenue/profit damage remains given: low national occupancy, fear or inability to travel (for all major customer segments), virus testing limitations and rising positive virus cases in some areas, varied state and local lockdown policies, limited international inbound travel, and for now high unemployment. As we have said before, the first hit to the industry is the demand shock, the second hit is macroeconomic.“

 

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.

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 Members can receive monthly reports that track and compare the valuation levels, trading levels, and credit profile of each of the U.S. publicly traded Hotel C-Corps and Hotel Real Estate Investment Trusts. It includes pro forma adjustments for any announced acquisitions, dispositions, financings, and other corporate actions. All data is based on publicly available information, including equity research analyst estimates. Contact Jonathan Falik for more info.

The conversation around COVID-19 is steering toward recovery, but the question is how? There are many ways hotels can recover from this crisis. Suggestions range from the obvious, such as looking for alternative revenue streams with hotel restaurants, to the not so obvious, such as making sure you have correct information about the virus to avoid being scammed.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continued to grow, it became clear we would need to adjust to what a "new normal" would look like after COVID-19. The hotel industry can expect to see many changes, but there are a few that stick out, such as needing to find new ways to generate revenue and a strong push toward sustainability.

Though travel has halted significantly, hotels that have been able to keep doors open are offering alternative kinds of bookings. Health care and other essential workers have taken residence in rooms across the U.S., but rooms have also been donated to the homeless or have been booked for workers who need flexible work spaces as they jump into working remotely.