Registration for the 2020 AAHOA Virtual Convention & Trade Show, set for August 11-13, is officially open. Because we understand how difficult times have been for the hospitality industry at large and hoteliers in particular, registration is FREE for all AAHOA Hotelier Members. AAHOA has been here for you, our members, throughout this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, and that means providing industry-leading resources, including AAHOACON20, to help you on the path to recovery. The cost for non-members to attend the convention is $199, however, they can join AAHOA and the registration fee will be waived. This event will feature all the great educational, networking, and sharing opportunities the industry has come to expect from AAHOA events, so you don’t want miss it. Register today.

Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, these are unprecedented times. In response, AAHOA will conduct its election for the 2020-2021 Board of Directors via remote voting. It is critically important that every voter has logged into their MyAAHOA account to check voter eligibility and ensure it includes their mobile number and a unique email address. Both are required to receive a ballot. Please prepare for our 2020 election on August 11 and log into MyAAHOA today!

AAHOA Vice Chair Vinay Patel will be among the featured guests on HotelREBOOT's July 22 “Podference” session. Vinay will share his insights on the new rules of hotel investment for buying, selling, and building and what hoteliers must know to get the best deal possible during Panel 3: Refinance & Reinvest. Chairman Biran Patel offered his expertise on Panel 2: Reinvent: Hotel Ownership & Management during the July 8 session. Attendees learned best practices regarding how hoteliers are rethinking what it means to run a hotel, as well as changes that increase efficiencies, save money, and exceed customer expectations. The “Podference” sessions are designed to help hoteliers meet the challenges of the pandemic-ravaged marketplace. Register today.

AAHOA Chairman Biran Patel will be a featured panelist in both Nashville (July 16) and Dallas (July 20) as the ALIS Summer Update Series. In addition, AAHOA President & CEO Cecil P. Staton will moderate the Nashville event. To participate, you will have to register for each webinar individually. Registration for the ALIS Summer Update virtual series is free, so register for as many programs as you would like. 

As the economy continues to move toward reopening fully, now is a great time to take advantage of AAHOA's all-encompassing Certificate in Hotel Ownership^TM (CHO). This reimagined CHO is a fully customizable all-digital platform that offers an in-depth look into 12 learning tracks: Investment & Development, Front Office, Financing, Hotel Ownership, Human Resources, Accounting, Major Support Departments, Leadership, Legal & Compliance, Revenue Management, Sales & Marketing, and Technology. If you sign up by 11:59 p.m. ET on August 9 using promo code WELCOME20, you can earn your certificate for as little as $149, so don't wait! Learn more here.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage businesses and communities in so many ways. One of its most insidious and harmful effects is that it also makes communities even more vulnerable to human trafficking. While the many effects of COVID-19 on communities are unavoidable, preventing human trafficking is not. To help members join the fight to eradicate this scourge, AAHOA offers Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) Inhospitable to Human Trafficking Training Sponsored by AAHOA. This on-demand, fully digital training is completely FREE to all AAHOA Members and their employees. As the industry continues to navigate through this pandemic, there has never been a better time to complete this brief yet highly impactful training. The training is completely digital and free. Use this time of continued social distancing to earn your certificate.

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 25,000 hoteliers to date and feature more than 140 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: Success Strategies, Part 1 – Service Through High Tech & Low Touch, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 16
• Getting Back to Business: Economic & Market Update, 1-1:30 p.m. EDT Friday, July 17
• Getting Back to Business: CA Hotels - Property Tax Disaster Relief, Prop 13, and Reassessment, 3-4 p.m. EDT Monday, July 20
• Getting Back to Business: Hotel Marketing to Rebuild Demand and Win Guests Back, 1-1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday July, 21
• Getting Back to Business: Using LinkedIn to Grow Your Hotel’s Presence and Stay Profitable, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday July, 21
• Getting Back to Business: Tangible, Tactical Business Generation Ideas for Hotels, 1-2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, July 22
• Getting Back to Business: Effective Marketing to Manage Customer Pitfalls and Boost Loyalty, 11-11:45 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 23
• Getting Back to Business: Property Tax Valuations - Strategies to Mitigate Your Tax Expenses, 1-1:45 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 23
• Getting Back to Business: Success Strategies, Part 2 – Increase Productivity with Cross Functionality, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 23
• Getting Back to Business: Navigating Insurance Claims in a Post-COVID World, 1-1:30 p.m. EDT Tuesday July, 28
• Getting Back to Business: 5 Key Ways to Grow Your Hotel’s Reputation Fast, 1-1:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, July 30
• Getting Back to Business: 4 Pillars of Online Reputation Management, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, August 3
• Getting Back to Business: Success Strategies, Part 3 – Building and Revising Budgets in an Evolving Market, 3-3:30 p.m. EDT Thursday, August 6

SunTrust Robinson Humphrey reports, “Economy (-24.8%) was the relatively strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Upper Upscale was the weakest at -75.7%. Upscale (-61.4%) underperformed the industry average; Upper Midscale (-48.8%) outperformed. Similar to the week ending 7/4, last week's STR data incorporates the impact of Independence Day. The shift of the holiday to a Saturday in 2020 from a Thursday in 2019 (for both years, the holiday was in the prior week's results) adds considerable noise to the y/y comparison. However, we were not surprised to see week-over-week sequential RevPAR softer than the prior week given the holiday shift.”

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.

Marcus & Millichap is a leading commercial real estate brokerage firm focusing exclusively on investment sales, financing, research, and advisory services. The firm has perfected a powerful property marketing system that integrates broker specialization by property type and market area, has relationships with the largest pool of qualified investors, and uses state-of-the-art technology to match buyers and sellers. Contact them by email or visit the website today.

HotStats is a unique profit-and-loss benchmarking service for hoteliers, enabling AAHOA Members to find out monthly how your hotel stacks up against the competition. The platform provides in excess of 500 key performance indicators across multiple areas of hotel revenue, cost, and profit in a database that currently totals close to two million hotel rooms worldwide. Contact David Eisen, director of Hotel Intelligence and Customer Solutions, or visit the HotStats website today.

The hotel industry has survived crisis after crisis. The hotels that adapt often emerge stronger and more profitable. In the wake of COVID-19, the industry is reckoning with changing brand standards to adapt to the new normal.

After weeks of rising occupancy, the hotel industry is seeing another decline. As states began reopening, cases of COVID-19 seemed to spike. In response, governments slowed reopening attempts, once again leading to limited travel opportunities.

Hoteliers navigating COVID-19 have had to adjust every single aspect of their businesses. As such, the rules around optimizing revenue are no exception. From catering to travelers health concerns to managing staff, each aspect affects your revenue strategy.