In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, and in an effort to highlight leaders in the travel and tourism industry, U.S. Travel Association interviewed our newly appointed Chairman Neal Patel to hear about his plans to elevate hotel owners across the country.

 

"I want to focus on innovative solutions for the issues that face the hospitality industry. My top priorities as Chairman include collaborating with brands to ensure contracts are fair and that AAHOA Members have a seat at the table as true business leaders as well as executing new revenue streams to protect the association for future generations. Furthermore, I want to start re-assessing the roles Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) have in hospitality and partnering with organizations like the National Association of Black Hotel Owners to find practical solutions and make adjustments. It’s imperative that I help AAHOA create a library of resources and tools that truly help hoteliers advance their business, and of course, I want to remain a fierce advocate for small business owners and hoteliers everywhere."

Yesterday, we kicked off our series of Charity Golf Tournaments with the North Central Charity Golf Tournament at the Glenview Golf Course in Cincinnati, Ohio. AAHOA is proud to say that we had more than 60 players and raised more than $60,000 for charity.

 

We had great weather and enjoyed a beautiful day of golf on the greens where we raised money for Make-A-Wish Southern Ohio and the Dayton Hindu Temple. AAHOA Chairman Neal Patel and Bhavesh N. Patel, North Central Regional Director, were both in attendance along with the North Central Ambassadors. It was a great way to kick off our series of charity golf events, and we appreciate everyone who came out to show their support, including our Elite Sponsor Radisson! 

 

These events have always been a critical component of advancing our mission through community engagement. We have four more opportunities to participate in one of the golf tournaments this year, so make sure you register as soon as you can!
Learn More

On Monday, June 6, AAHOA President and CEO Laura Lee Blake will be one of the panelists speaking on the Policy Updates panel during the General Sessions at the 44th Annual NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference. Blake is a featured speaker alongside Brian Crawford, EVP of Government Affairs, AHLA; Andy Ingraham, President, Founder, and CEO, NABHOOD; and Lynette Montoya, CEO, Latino Hotel Association. The conference is being hosted by the Jonathan M. Tisch Center for Hospitality and will be at the New York Marriott Marquis June 5-7, 2022.

June is going to be a busy month for AAHOA! Check out our lineup of events coming your way. Make plans to join us by registering today. (All times are local.)

Truist Securities reports, “Last week’s RevPAR was up against a +140.0% comparable result in 2021 vs. +164.5% in the prior week. On a 3-year run-rate (vs. 2019), RevPAR was +9.5% vs. +4.1% in the prior week’s 3-year run-rate. As Memorial Day falls a week later this year vs. the comparable week in 2019, we observe group business being helped by this timing shift. Specifically, group business last week was up 6.4% vs. 2019, whereas it was down 9.2% in the prior week’s results. As we have often noted, when there is a sizable week-over-week change in the results for group business, this typically is due to a holiday shift and we believe this to be the case with last week’s results. Upscale RevPAR: +55.9% y/y and +3.1% over 3 years; Upper Midscale RevPAR: +32.8% y/y and +8.3% over 3 years.”

 

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 www.ecolab.com, then contact Michael Pfister (Michael.pfister@ecolab.com) or call 952-852-0926 today!

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 (alexis.hummel@marcusmillichap.com) or visit the website www.marcusmillichap.com today.

AAHOA Members get a 25% discount on the STAR report (during the 1st year of enrollment), 15% discount on Pipeline reports, and a 10% discount on the School Break Report. Click here to view additional benefits, then contact STR at (615) 824-8664, ext. 3504 or info@str.com to get started.

From blockbuster movies to water-cooler conversations, the term "metaverse" is everywhere these days, and it likely could have a major impact on the hospitality industry. Are you ready?

With many hoteliers continuing to deal with staffing shortages, existing team members face the very real prospect of burnout. Are you taking the necessary precautions to keep your employees happy and healthy?

People older than 50 make up less than a fifth of all hotel employees. Will eliminating biases toward hiring older workers help solve the existing labor crisis?