With a handful of pivotal states still counting ballots, we may not have results in a number of races, including the presidential contest and numerous ballot initiatives, amendments, and propositions, until Friday or later. We are also awaiting the final tallies in some key U.S. Senate races that are too close to call. Control of the chamber hangs in the balance, although it appears increasingly likely that Republicans will maintain control. Democrats retained control of the U.S. House of Representatives. No matter the outcome of yesterday's vote, one thing remains certain. We must redouble our advocacy efforts in order for our industry to have any hope of surviving the COVID-19 pandemic. In the coming days, you will hear from AAHOA's advocacy team about how you can best engage with your elected officials and advocate for the targeted stimulus measures that help your businesses and your employees. Here is a detailed analysis of races (as we know them) and election implications as well as a series of maps that indicate key stats and dates if you would like to follow along with more information. Information compiled by Gray-Robinson.

In its most recent Wick's Weekly broadcast, AAHOA Club Blue partner UnitedHealth Group's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Ethan Berke and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Richard Migliori sat down to discuss the latest in COVID-19 trends. The two discussed the recent surge in cases, and took a deep dive into vaccine and treatment possibilities, ways to keep safe during the holiday season, and more. "We are in the midst of a growing phase of coronavirus cases in the U.S.," Migliori said. "Over the last week, we've seen a growth of over 20% of cases. ... In fact, last Friday we had the highest number of cases we've had since the beginning of the pandemic, some 83,000 people." The two also examined the latest treatments in great detail, including the promise being shown by the first approved drug exclusively for COVID-19, Remdesirvir. See the full video. During these challenging times, it's more important than ever to take advantage of the discounts on employer-sponsored medical, dental, vision, disability, and other benefit plans that UHG offers AAHOA Members. They also have a FREE Pharmacy Discount Card program that offers savings of up to 75% on all FDA-approved prescriptions. For more info, contact Susana Cintron today!

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. Below are links to webcasts we've held this year that share more about what's going on in the landscape so you can be prepared to join the fight. 

The third installment of AAHOA's 2020 Regional Conferences & Trade Shows took place on Monday with the AAHOA Mid South, North Carolina, and South Carolina Regional. The AAHOA Mid Atlantic, Washington, DC Area and Northeast Regional is happening right now and it's not too late for you to attend! Our Regionals Series, which continues into December, gives attendees the chance to hear from industry leaders and subject-matter experts in your local area as you continue down the road to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. These virtual conferences also offer attendees region-specific industry panels that impart vital information to help your business survive in these unique and challenging times. Attendees and vendors also can avail themsleves of networking opportunities and trade shows. All Regionals are FREE, and you can attend as many as you like! Visit here to learn more about this can't-miss series, then register now to reserve your spot.

 

To spread the light this Diwali season, local hoteliers in Mississippi have pledged to raise $101,000 in the next two weeks to fund the new Kathy and Joe Sanderson Tower Children’s Hospital in Jackson. The goal is to provide an advanced facility with 88 private newborn ICU rooms, 32 private pediatric ICU rooms, and a dedicated imaging area for children. Diwali is the Indian festival of lights, symbolizing the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. AAHOA thanks Jerry Patel and the countless Mississippi hoteliers who have taken on this thoughtful and important initiative! Learn more here.

AAHOA is bringing you a series of COVID-19-related webcasts that will keep you informed and help determine next steps for your business. We have educated more than 33,000 hoteliers to date and feature more than 180 webcasts separated by category in our library. AAHOA is making these webcasts available to the industry, so share with those in your network, whether they're an AAHOA Member or not. 

 

• Getting Back to Business: Property Improvement Plans - Tips and Advice for Hoteliers, 3-3:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, November 10
• Getting Back to Business: UVC and Ionization Solutions for Hotel Disinfection, 1-1:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, November 11
• Getting Back to Business: An Overview on Avendra's Cost Outlook 2021 Forecast Report, 3-3:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, November 11
• Getting Back to Business: Improving Diversity and Encouraging Black Participation in the Hospitality Industry, 1-2 p.m. EST, Tuesday, November 17
• Getting Back to Business: I Want to Win the Ball Game: The Owner/GM as the Hotel’s Chief Culture Officer, 3-3:30 p.m. EST, Tuesday, November 17
• Getting Back to Business: I Want to Win the Ball Game: The Owner/GM as the Hotel’s Chief Strategy Officer, 3-3:30 p.m. EST Wednesday, December 2
• Getting Back to Business: I Want to Win the Ball Game: The Owner/GM as the Hotel’s Chief Financial Officer, 3-3:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, December 8
• Getting Back to Business: I Want to Win the Ball Game: The Owner/GM as the Hotel’s Chief Information Officer, 3-3:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, December 15

Truist Securities (formerly SunTrust Robinson Humphrey) reports, “Economy (-12.8%) was the relatively strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Luxury was the weakest at -73.0%. Upscale (-52.5%) underperformed the industry average; Upper Midscale (-37.1%) outperformed. Last week's results were impacted by the shift of Halloween from Thursday last year to Saturday for 2020. In a normal year, a mid-week Halloween holiday negatively impacts business travel; similarly in 2020 we think the holiday negatively impacted weekend demand. We can support our views with Saturday RevPAR underperformance (-50.2%) and Thursday outperformance (-37.2%) combined with the slightly worse Transient results last week y/y vs. the Running 28 days (-58.8% vs. -56.7%). Group was flat vs. the Running 28 days. We view some group demand less impacted by Halloween.”

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 visit the website, then contact Michael Pfister or call 952-852-0926 today!

MassMutual is a leading mutual life insurance company that is run for the benefit of its members and participating policyowners. MassMutual offers a wide range of financial products and services, including life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, annuities, retirement plans and other employee benefits. For more information, visit www.massmutual.com, then contact Ana Lucia Divins to get started.

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 Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) recently hosted its Collaboratory 2020 webinar series for panelists to chat about the return of business travel. Like most projections, a lot will depend on if there are more surges in COVID-19 cases. For now, ADR is anticipated to hit 2019 pre-COVID-19 levels in 2025. 

Hotels across the U.S. have found creative ways to cater to guests. From opening as early voting locations to setting up package deals for voters, hotels got involved in their communities.

Americans want to travel, but safety is a top concern. With higher-than-usual room vacancies waiting for these guests, the hotel industry has had to get creative. Enter the hotel room office. More people are working from home and also need to get away from home. This is a new pool of guests hoteliers can welcome daily.