Due to new health and safety guidelines for combatting COVID-19 issued by the Florida Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday, June 20, AAHOA will not be holding its 2020 Convention & Trade Show in person. With Florida now experiencing a significant spike in new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations, the DOH recommends limiting recreational gatherings to fewer than 50 people. Registrations for the in-person event will be refunded, and instead, AAHOA will be hosting its annual convention virtually. Please visit our FAQ to learn more. AAHOA has shown remarkable resilience during these unprecedented times and has continued to provide America's hotel owners with the information and resources necessary to weather this black-swan event. The association has provided members with what they need when they need it, and this virtual convention will be no exception. These past four months have prepared AAHOA to put on a great show, and you won't want to miss it. 

AAHOA President & CEO Cecil P. Staton appeared during an exclusive interview on Fox Business' Cavuto: Coast to Coast on Tuesday. "We're in a very difficult moment, perhaps the worst moment for our industry – the hotel industry – in our lifetime," Staton said. "We're hopeful, though, there may be a bit of a silver lining. If Americans can't really travel, perhaps they'll do a bit more domestically through the rest of the year if we can just build some confidence and get the economy opened up and more people on the road traveling again." Staton also spoke on CMBS loans and AAHOA's advocacy work to get regulatory relief and forbearance that will allow hoteliers to hold on. "This is a huge issue, and if not addressed, is going to lead to some very serious consequences in the months to come with these things continuing to inhibit travel around our country," he said. You can watch the full interview here.

AAHOA Chairman Biran Patel, Vice Chair Vinay Patel, Treasurer Nishant (Neal) Patel, and President & CEO Cecil P. Staton will be among the featured speakers Sept. 21-24 when the 26th annual Lodging Conference kicks off at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, AZ. The event brings together the hotel industry's most influential owners, operators, presidents, CEOs, and dealmakers to strategize about development, finance, franchising, management, construction, design, and operations. The gathering is not just a conference, it's a Think Tank, where everybody in attendance has the opportunity to join in the conversation, discuss issues, and solve problems. This year's conference is expected to sell out as it has the past six years in a row, so register today!

Hoteliers all over the nation are prepping their properties for the welcome return of guests and staffs. To help in that endeavor, AAHOA’s Industry Partners are offering many exclusive discounts, promotions, and resources designed with our members in mind. Check out our Exclusive Deals page to learn more about the members-only deals available from AAHOA’s Industry Partners. We’re sure you’ll find some that are just right for you!

The ALIS Summer Update Series is hitting the road with unique events across the U.S. that you do not want to miss. Each location will feature its own distinctive program and networking reception. There are three events taking place in July – in New York, NY (July 13), Nashville, TN (July 16), and Dallas, TX (July 20) – and topics will cover hotel capital markets, views from the boardroom, and hotel development, respectively. AAHOA Chairman Biran Patel will be a featured speaker at the Nashville and Dallas events, which AAHOA is proud to co-host and collaborate with BHN Group to produce. Act now to secure discounted pricing, as prices go up after July 2.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it's vital for Congress to continue to pass legislation favorable to the hospitality industry, especially hoteliers. But AAHOA needs to have hard data to present when it advocates on your behalf and it can't do that if we don't have a full and complete picture of those facts. That's why AAHOA needs each and every member to fully complete your MyAAHOA.com profile with updated property information. This completely confidential process will help AAHOA wield power and influence with our elected officials. But advocacy efforts aren't the only benefit you gain when you complete your profile. You can control your subscriptions and customize your communications preferences on the things that matter most; register for upcoming events, webinars, and workshops; contribute to the AAHOA PAC; give AAHOA a stronger platform with brands to better advocate on your behalf; have access to more (and better!) deals and savings with vendor partners; and so much more. Complete your profile today!

AAHOA continues to host virtual events 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 20,000 hoteliers to date and feature more than 110 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. 

 

Register Now for These Upcoming Webcasts: 

• Getting Back to Business: Influential Storytelling with an Emphasis on Health, Cleanliness and Safety – Part 2, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT Monday, June 29
• Getting Back to Business: New Contract Conditions and Digital Messaging – Part 3, 11-11:30 a.m. EDT Tuesday, June 30
• Getting Back to Business: Hotel Valuation Outlook as of June 30, 2020, 1-1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, June 30
• Getting Back to Business: Linen Hygiene Best Practices, 11-11:30 a.m. EDT Wednesday, July 1
• Getting Back to Business: Legal Challenges and Updates in the 2020 Pandemic, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 1
• Getting Back to Business: How to Win Revenue and Influence Customers,1-1:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 2
• Getting Back to Business: The Easy Way to Get your PPP Loan Forgiven, 1-1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday, July 7

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey reports, “Economy (-30.3%) was the relatively strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Luxury was the weakest at -79.3%. Upscale (-66.5%) underperformed the industry average; Upper Midscale (-54.4%) outperformed. One week does not make a trend but we are closely watching the sequential performance in states with rising COVID-19 cases (for now we use the Top 25 proxy markets in Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas -- see below for details). While week/week sequential occupancies are rising in some markets, RevPAR percentage declines were worse vs. the week ending 6/13 in Dallas, Houston, and Phoenix. Given the very short booking window today especially on the leisure front, we assume some travelers are weighing discretionary travel decisions in part on virus news.”

 

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!

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!

Better Buildings provides hotel owners with free technology solutions, market expertise, and a network of peers to identify cost-saving efficiency measures. Contact Holly Carr for more information on the Department of Energy's drive to make the nation’s homes, commercial buildings, and industrial plants more energy efficient.

While data show promising results in travel surveys, an industry-wide comeback is proving difficult to predict. Social distancing and travel restrictions impact hotel bookings, but knowing when those lift isn't clear. The good news is it's a matter of "when" and not "if." 

Although travel and hospitality will be affected in the short and long term, a survey by MMGY Global shows travelers are looking forward to getting out again and feel safer doing so. The growth in lodging safety results is correlated with hotels' efforts to promote health and sanitization protocol. 

Hotels are at the forefront on Main Street, providing jobs and small-business opportunities to their local economies. However, these locales are at risk according to a report by Oxford Economics. Tax revenue from local hotel operations is predicted to drop by $16.8 billion in 2020.