We’re thrilled to announce registration for the 2022 AAHOA ElevateHER Women Hoteliers Conference & Retreat is now open!

 

Join hundreds of women hoteliers for two days packed with incredible insights into hospitality, entrepreneurship, and leadership development. Attendees will also get a chance to hear from inspiring female speakers who are shattering the glass ceiling in the industry and are ready to empower YOU to do the same.

 

The event will be held October 26-27, 2022, in Cincinnati, OH, and is free to attend. Help spread the word by inviting fellow women hoteliers to join you! 

Earlier this month, the Los Angeles City Council voted to let Angelenos decide the fate of the Hotel Land Use and Replacement Housing Requirements Ordinance at the next primary election on March 5, 2024. If passed, this ordinance would require hotels to allocate vacant rooms to city residents experiencing homelessness. While AAHOA has tremendous compassion for unsheltered individuals, this ordinance doesn’t solve the City’s homelessness problem and, instead, increases safety concerns for hotel guests and staff. 

 

During an interview with Fox Business’ Kelly O'Grady, AAHOA President & CEO Laura Lee Blake discussed the concern that Los Angeles hoteliers and the industry at large have if voters pass this controversial measure next year.

 

"What does this mean for the front desk clerk? What does this mean for the housekeepers, for the entire staff at the hotel, where now suddenly they have to be trained to monitor this?” President & CEO Laura Lee Blake said. “There's nothing in the ordinance that talks about what would happen if there was damage to the rooms.”

 

Samuel Levine, director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Protection Bureau, recently published a blog post on the FTC website, giving guidance on a possible private right of action available to consumers (franchisees) who have been harmed by alleged franchisor violations of the FTC Franchise Rule.

 

In the post, while stating that neither the FTC Act nor the Franchise Rule creates a private right of action allowing consumers to sue a franchisor under those laws, nothing in the FTC Act or Franchise Rule precludes franchisees from exercising their legal rights under state law.

 

“Simply put, the FTC Act and the Franchise Rule impose no roadblock to consumers seeking justice under state law.” Depending on state law, this guidance from the FTC may open the door for franchisees to take action against unscrupulous franchisors.

The Employee Retention Credit has been one of the most beneficial tax credits available to hotels that have been financially impacted by COVID-19. Due to various updates and changes to the legislation, there remain many misconceptions about business eligibility, which has resulted in an underutilization of this tax credit.

 

If you think you don't qualify, it's time to take a second look. You can claim up to $26k per employee.

 

Text Vivek Arora to find out how much you may be eligible for: 781-985-2784.

Ready to hop on a call? Schedule here.

AAHOA’s Charity Golf Tournament Series has raised more than $200,000 since it kicked off earlier this summer.

 

We have two more charity golf tournaments – one on Tuesday, August 23, at the Cowboys Golf Club in Grapevine, TX, and another on Friday, September 9, at the Château Élan Golf Club in Braselton, GA. 

 

These golf tournaments are a wonderful way to connect with fellow hoteliers, mingle with vendors, enjoy a beautiful day of competitive golf, and raise money for great causes. Please plan on joining us for one of our remaining two golf tournaments - these tournaments have always been, and continue to be, an integral part of AAHOA's community engagement.

 

We hope to see you out on the greens before the summer is over!

The month of August is full of Regionals, Town Halls, and even a Charity Golf Tournament! 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 +77.8% comparable result in 2021 vs. +87.9% in the prior week. On a 3-year run-rate (vs. 2019), RevPAR was +10.5% vs. +8.5% in the prior week’s 3-year run-rate. Upscale RevPAR: +18.1% y/y and +3.6% over 3 years; Upper Midscale RevPAR: +8.7% y/y and +10.7% over 3 years. We are now in peak leisure before schools fully reopen. We continue to see higher-end hotels vs. 2019 (ex-resorts) down 10-20% in occupancy in the midweek and rates up MSD. The real strength continues to be leisure and weekends where rates are +20-35%, balancing a weaker midweek. While we have one more week of clean comps, we want to highlight that the 2019 comp becomes very noisy in two weeks given the massively-sized Category 5 Hurricane Dorian was a near hit to the Florida coastline over Labor Day weekend.”

For more, read the full report here, and read the China/Europe report here.

HCareers is a real-time, tech-first solution for both employers and professionals in North America's hospitality industry and has placed more than one million professionals in progressive roles within the industry since 2001. They feature more than 25,000 job listings daily and support more than 4,000 registered employers. Hcareers has revolutionized job matching. Use our score to find the BEST opportunities based on YOUR personal profile. Check out the website and get started today.

Atlanta-based Focus Brands® is a leading developer of global, multi-channel food service brands. Focus Brands, through its affiliate brands, is the franchisor and operator of more than 6,300 restaurants, cafes, ice cream shoppes and bakeries in the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and more than 60 foreign countries. This curated collection of iconic brands is united under one powerhouse company that’s leading the industry through product innovation, cutting-edge business practices, and an expansive media presence. Check out the website to learn more.

AAHOA has joined with the University of Houston Conrad Hilton College of Hotel & Restaurant Management to create a AAHOA Scholarship. AAHOA will contribute a total of $125,000 to UH over five years, beginning in 2016. The contributions will be matched by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, creating a $250,000 fund to be named the AAHOA Student Assistantship & Scholarship Endowment. To find out more about the qualifications or how to apply, please click here.

With a combined goal of streamlining the guest experience while reducing staffing headcount, some hoteliers are banking on a continuing wave of consumer preferences for technology-based offerings.

According to recent data, the hospitality industry is close to matching pre-pandemic numbers in several key areas, including bookings, room supply growth, and market growth.

WIth several market factors continuing to make economic headwinds, hoteliers are getting more creative with programs, solutions, amenities, and marketing efforts to woo would-be guests.