January is National Slavery & Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and Monday, January 11, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. To show our commitment to ending human trafficking, AAHOA is wearing blue in honor of #WearBlueDay, and we're inviting you to join us. And to help raise awareness, we are asking that you take photos of yourself and your team wearing blue and share them on AAHOA’s social media – Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – as well as your personal channels using the #WearBlueDay hashtag. Also, if you’re able to take your photo in advance of January 11, send it to pr@aahoa.com to be highlighted in AAHOA’s campaign. If you're an AAHOA member and haven't already done so, get yourself and your staff trained to recognize the signs of trafficking through our Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) Inhospitable to Human Trafficking Training Sponsored by AAHOA FREE online program. 

Late Wednesday night, the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Treasury Department released the following rules as they pertain to the second round of PPP. AAHOA will be analyzing what this means for America's hoteliers and releasing more educational information in the following days.   

For more information and updates, visit SBA.gov or Treasury. gov/CARES.

AAHOA's 2021-2023 Strategic Plan, "Three Years, One Vision: AAHOA's Strategic Vision for the Future,” takes effect this month. The new plan will drive the direction of AAHOA for the next three years and will focus on our association serving as the foremost source for hotel industry education and information, advancing hoteliers’ business interests through advocacy, being the primary resource for connecting the industry, and attracting, retaining, and developing top talent to the association. Stay tuned for more details and coverage in the weeks to come. 

AAHOA Vice Chair Vinay Patel was a featured guest on CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" video series over the holidays that addressed a staggering statistic brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic: Nearly one billion hotel rooms will have gone unfilled by Christmas Day. Patel, CEO of Fairbrook Hotel, said he's not only dealing with empty rooms but also a lack of pricing power. "If I had a hotel down in Charlottesville, we've got an average rate of $150 and, all of a sudden, the rate goes down to $99 or $100. So, you're talking one-third of revenue just displaced right there." Patel said he doesn't see demand returning to pre-COVID-19 levels for another year or so.

AAHOA Club Blue Member UnitedHealth Group has launched the Healthy You, Healthy Business initiative. HealthiestYou by Teladoc is a mobile virtual care app providing convenient access to high-quality everyday health care services via phone or video. Telemedicine gives you and your employees unlimited access to virtual visits to a doctor, dermatologist, or behavioral health provider from wherever you are. All employees are eligible and no insurance is necessary. The cost is only $7 per employee per month, which includes unlimited visits with no co-pay for employees and their families. Check out the FAQ and sign up today!

AAHOA takes seriously our commitment to giving back to the communities our members serve. What better way to honor that commitment than with a fun-filled day of golf and networking, all in the support of worthwhile causes? AAHOA has released its 2021 Charity Golf Tournament shedule and registration will be open soon, so save the dates and join us on the greens as we tee off for charity.

In a recent Morning Consult survey, a whopping 72 percent of respondents said concerns about cleanliness and sanitization affect their decision on whether to stay in a hotel. AAHOA has partnered with P&G Professional to create the AAHOA/P&G Professional’s Training in Hotel Sanitization and Cleanliness. This all-digital program covers what hoteliers need to know as it relates to the effective sanitization of your property. This program is completely FREE and is available to the entire hospitality industry. Download our infographic to learn more and sign up for this valuable training today!

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 50,000 hoteliers to date and feature more than 200 webcasts separated by category in our library. AAHOA makes these webcasts available to the industry, so share with those in your network, whether they're an AAHOA Member or not. 

• How Will the New Stimulus Package Impact SBA Loan Programs?, 3-3:30 p.m. EST Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2021
• Strategies to Boost Topline Revenue at Your Property and Generate Your Way Back, 11-11:30 a.m. EST, Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021
• Getting Back to Business: Understanding the Intricacies of Hotel Valuation, 1-1:30 p.m. EST, Jan. 21, 2021
• What Employers Can Expect from the New Administration, 11-11:30 a.m. EST, Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021
• Understanding Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation, 3-4 p.m. EST Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021

Truist Securities (formerly SunTrust Robinson Humphrey) reports, “Economy (-6.1%) was the relatively strongest chain scale for branded hotels; Luxury/Upper Upscale were the weakest at -52.7%. Upscale (-34.8%) and Upper Midscale (-23.0%) outperformed the industry average. Last week’s results were quite noisy beyond the headline, led by the calendar shift of New Year’s (NYE on a Thursday night in 2020 vs. Tuesday night in 2019). Ceteris paribus, a Friday New Year’s Day combined with a Christmas Friday makes for a stronger leisure week than a midweek holiday. Even in a pandemic-impacted demand environment, those that were staying in hotels (the comparative week was predominately leisure focused in 2019 as well) would in theory be more likely to extend a vacation or leisure trip given the timing of the 2020 holidays and WFH continuing for many.”

Independent public adjusters are invaluable members of your insurance claim settlement team for help in dealing with commercial or residential catastrophic loss. Negotiating a claim after a devastating event such as a fire, flood, earthquake, hurricane, or any natural disaster is a monumental task. The insurance company will use their team to attempt to minimize your loss. That’s where we come in. WorldClaim Global Claims Management is a 33-year-old international firm of public insurance adjusters advocating on behalf of commercial, institutional and individual policyholders. We provide the highest level of claims management services to clients around the globe. For more information, visit our website, then contact Russell Heath today.

With the best technology in the industry, DISH Business delivers a premium entertainment experience for properties of all sizes. EVOLVE by DISH lets your guests cast personal content, watch live TV and access the apps they love – all on your in-room TV. Get DISH to give your guests the entertainment they want at prices you’ll love. Visit the website, then contact Tyler Floyd to start saving today!

AAHOA is proud to collaborate with Kennesaw State University to establish the Michael Leven and Lee Dushoff AAHOA Scholarship for Compassionate Leadership. This annual scholarship will support students seeking an undergraduate degree in hospitality management. For more on the qualifications and how to apply, please contact Seth Walker or call 470-578-2206. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the scholarship endowment, please click here. 

As cities in the U.S. are issuing strict COVID-19 regulations again, the hospitality industry is still grappling with the effects of the pandemic. Grim numbers, such as profit margin at -5.7 percent are bleak, but news of vaccinations keep the industry hopeful for continued recovery into 2021.

Hoteliers had to analyze their strategies to cope with COVID-19 with a fine-tooth comb. Throughout the year, COVID-19 proved it would have long-term effects on the hotel industry. After an entire year of managing the unprecedented, hoteliers have new insight on how to remain flexible and keep doors open.

Prior to COVID-19, there was increasing guest interest in contactless payments, digital messaging, and self-service check-in, among other technological advances in the hotel industry. After COVID-19 hit, many of these new options became necessities. According to new data, that trend will continue well after the age of COVID-19.

*Disclosure: AAHOA receives compensation from Chase.