Earlier this week, AAHOA Chair Vinay Patel, Vice Chairman Nishant (Neal) Patel, and Secretary Miraj S. Patel attended the G6 Hospitality Convention in Dallas. In addition to hosting a Brand Alliance Meeting, Vinay took the main stage during Wednesday's General Session to present an AAHOA update, including significant findings from the Oxford Study, AAHOA's latest initiatives, federal, state, and local advocacy priorities, and much more. Also, to honor Women's History Month, Female Director Eastern Division Lina Patel and Female Director Western Division Tejal N. Patel hosted a Women's Reception that was attended by more than 140 women.

AAHOA’s franchise relations efforts and communications continue to remain a top priority for the association. A critical part of this work includes frequent discussions with executive leadership at major hotel brands in the industry. Recently, the AAHOA Officers were joined by members of our Executive Leadership Team at a meeting with Red Roof executives, including President George Limbert, CDO Matthew Hostetler, and SVP Franchise Operations Fouad Malouf. Among the issues discussed were labor shortages, increasing profits for owners, OTAs, amenities creep, and much more. Learn more.

There are no shortcuts to a great culture on your team. Leaders have a responsibility to demonstrate the beliefs of their company and reinforce behaviors that reflect those values. They create culture through transparency, authenticity, credibility, and character. It’s hard work, but it’s worth it. Tune in to Episode 6 as Jeff Shuman, Chief Human Resources Officer (retired), Quest Diagnostics, discusses these concepts in more detail and shares tips on how you can make your company fit the bill.

Own a property in Texas? If your hotel offers in-house dry cleaning services, you do NOT have to pay sales tax on several items associated with the service. Internal and external wrapping, packing, and packaging supplies are exempt from sales tax if these activities occur in the regular course of business. Book a meeting to discover other areas where you may be overpaying sales tax.

Once the 2022 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show is in the books, we will plunge full speed ahead into our 2022 Charity Golf Tournaments and Regional Conference & Trade Show schedules. Our Charity Golf Tournaments serve as an important component of advancing our mission through community engagement. They provide a great opportunity for vendors and members to network, enjoy the outdoors, and come together for great causes. Our Regional Conferences & Trade Shows are the best way for you to network and connect with local hoteliers, industry professionals, and vendors from the hospitality industry, and we have an exciting new lineup for 2022! Save the dates and join us at one or more of these events!

AAHOA will soon be releasing its full 2022 events schedule. In the meantime, check the lineup below for an event in your area. (All times are local.)

We've added three new webcasts to our lineup! The first, scheduled for 1 p.m. EST Thursday, March 17, takes a look at the O’Connor Approach, which is changing the way hotels are being taxed. Join us as O’Connor & Associates’ Andrew Choy, Director of National Hotel Tax, and Abraham Tiehl, Director of National Commercial Property give insight into the new revolutionary approach that is proving to reduce hotel property taxes more than ever before. Register now.

 

• Leyton’s Ladies: Personal and Professional Journeys of Success, 11-11:30 a.m. EST Wednesday, March 23
• Tourism Improvement Districts: A Stable Funding Source for Hotel Driven and Managed Destination Marketing, 11-11:30 a.m. EST Wednesday, March 30

Truist Securities reports, “Last week’s RevPAR was up against a -44.5% comparable result in 2021 vs. -40.6% in the prior week. On a 3-year run-rate (vs. 2019), RevPAR was +7.7% vs. -0.8% in the prior week’s 3-year run-rate. The headline results look appealing. As discussed in last week's note, President's Day weekend demand was very strong to many hotels that benefit from leisure demand. However, comps are noisy given holiday calendar shifts. March comps should offer cleaner comparisons. Upscale RevPAR: +89.6% y/y and -4.9% over 3 years; Upper Midscale RevPAR: +66.0% y/y and +5.3% over 3 years.”

 

HBO, the oldest and most award-winning premium channel in the U.S., is offering AAHOA Members the chance to earn money back. Members get a rebate of $9 per room (5-year contract) or $7 per room (3-or 4-year contract) when they add or renew HBO at their properties. Click here today to complete the rebate form and get started. 

 

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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.

With many companies continuing to evolve their work-from-home offerings, some hotels are seeing many travelers extend their stays since they can work from most anywhere.

As a partnership between Forbes and the Fritz Knoebel School of Hospitality Management, 2022 graduates offered their thoughts on where they see the industry heading, and the key issues they see that need to be addressed.

Thanks to new CDC guidance, the hospitality and travel industries are pushing the Biden administration to drastically scale back, or lift, travel restrictions, giving a much-needed boost to a recovering economy.