AAHOA Members and AAHOA staff came together for #WearBlueDay, a day to raise awareness for human trafficking.

 

Why wear blue? Blue is the international color for human trafficking awareness, and #WearBlueDay is part of the Department of Homeland Security's Blue Campaign. This campaign educates the public, law enforcement, and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how the public can respond to possible cases appropriately.

 

Dozens of AAHOA Members sent in photos of their family, friends, and hotel staff wearing blue to show their support for the #WearBlueDay campaign. AAHOA is proud to lead the charge in fighting human trafficking - check out AAHOA's new Human Trafficking Prevention landing page that contains human trafficking webinars, fact sheets, and resources to help save lives and protect your businesses.

 

Hoteliers are in a prime position to lead the fight against sex and labor trafficking, and AAHOA is committed to educating hoteliers and their employees on how to spot and report suspected instances of human trafficking. Sign up for BEST Inhospitable to Human Trafficking Training, Sponsored by AAHOA, a completely FREE digital certificate for all AAHOA Members and their employees. You can earn your certificate in less than an hour, it's available in English and Spanish, and satisfies many state mandated training requirements. Earn your certificate today.

 

To further underscore the importance of human trafficking awareness, AAHOA has recently released a new video, now available to watch on YouTube, in honor of January being Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

 

Although Human Trafficking Prevention Month may only be one month out of the year, AAHOA's mission to be at the forefront of hospitality's battle against human trafficking is never-ending.

Every year, AAHOA recognizes leaders for their contributions to the industry. Winners are chosen by an independent awards review committee, and recipients are acknowledged and celebrated on stage during the AAHOA Convention & Trade Show.

 

Do you know a hotelier who has gone above and beyond in their efforts? Are YOU that hotelier? Now is the time to nominate him or her for one of seven awards to be bestowed at AAHOACON23, April 11-14, in Los Angeles, CA. The deadline to submit nominations is February 10, 2023, and you do not need to be an AAHOA Member to submit a nomination, but you must be an AAHOA Member to receive an award.

 

See the list of awards below:

AAHOA is proud to recognize Lifetime Member and Education Committee Chair Raman (R.P.) Rama for being selected to serve on the Central Florida Hotel & Lodging Association Board and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission Board.

 

AAHOA closed out the year by releasing Point 6 of the 12 Points Webinar Series. It's hard to believe we are already halfway through, but there's much more content on the horizon!
 
Point 6 promotes full Franchisor disclosure and greater accountability concerning marketing expenditure, loyalty rewards program, and reservation fees collected from Franchisees. AAHOA President & CEO Laura Lee Blake sheds light on nine questions that can help Franchisees facilitate conversations with their Franchisors on various topics, including loyalty programs.

 

Remember to download the AAHOA 12 Points Educational Primer for extensive details on each of the 12 Points of Fair Franchising. We also invite you to review the webinars for Points 1-5 on the 12 Points Webinar Series Landing Page. That way, we can continue to promote fairness in the franchise industry in 2023.

 

 

 

The Tri-State Regional Conference & Trade Show will kick off the Regional Conference & Trade Shows of 2023 and will be held on Thursday, February 9, 2023, at the Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center Olive Branch - Memphis in Olive Branch, MS.
 
The first Regional event of the year will provide a unique place for three regions to come together to showcase the best of the industry and hear from political leaders who support America’s hotel owners. Arkansas Regional Director Danny (Chintu) Patel, Gulf Regional Director Vimal Patel, and Mid South Regional Director Harikrishna (HK) Patel have been working hard behind the scenes to make this event possible, and AAHOA is looking forward to bringing hoteliers together at the first Regional of 2023 for a full day of education, networking, and exploring what our amazing vendors have to offer.
 
Don’t delay! Register for this event today! You can also watch this video and see why AAHOA Members, vendor partners, industry leaders, and elected officials join AAHOA at one or more Regional events.

The 2023 AAHOA Florida Hotel Owers Advocacy Summit, taking place on Wednesday, February 8, in Tallahassee, FL, presents the perfect opportunity for hoteliers to have a personal conversation with elected officials. Lawmakers respond best to strength in numbers, so that's why we need you to RSVP to attend and let your voices be heard where they will count most - at your state capitol.

 

If you have any questions, contact Florida Regional Director Rahul Patel (rahul.aahoa@gmail.com). The deadline to register is Friday, January 20. If you need to make changes, please email advocacy@aahoa.com.

 

Fill out the registration form here.

 

Human trafficking not only destroys the lives of its victims, but it also poses a huge threat to your hotel and reputation. Hoteliers face potential risks of fines, litigation, and even losing their property. You can lead your own fight against this scourge; human trafficking awareness training for you and your staff is the first step. Please join us for a special LIVE panel discussion on ways you can protect your business. Mar Brettmann, CEO and Executive Director of Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking (BEST), leads the discussion with a trafficking survivor, a law enforcement officer, a hotelier, and an attorney to provide first-hand insight into the true cost of this human tragedy and what you can do to help end it. Q&A is available at the end of the presentation for any questions you may have for the experts.

 

Truist Securities reports, “Overall U.S. RevPAR was +21.8% y/y for the week ending 1/7/2023, per STR, up from the prior week's result of +4.2% y/y. We note that the +4.2% y/y result may have adjusted somewhat due to new STR methodology. Upscale RevPAR: +16.2% y/y; Upper Midscale RevPAR: +7.4% y/y. There was an easy y/y Omicron comp for overall demand but especially Group (CES in Las Vegas as one example). Additionally, as we have noted in past research, the timing of the school holiday calendar (later end of the December school period) reduced the number of December vacation days but is a help to January versus 2022.”

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

As North America’s leading hospitality procurement services provider, Avendra offers AAHOA Members competitive pricing from its 800+ supplier contracts. Earn huge savings on engineering, rooms operations, administrative, replacement FF&E, and more! Check out the website or call 866-AVENDRA and start saving today!

Champion PTAC manufactures full lines of proprietary PTAC solution systems for the hotel, condominium, apartment, and residential markets. With more than 25 years’ experience in the commercial construction industry, Champion-PTAC brings to the commercial and residential markets for the first time leak-free PTAC systems with its patented and proprietary Champion-PTAC Wall Sleeve Design and Condensate Pellet Delivery System. Champion-PTAC’s delivery systems are backed by their 100% leak-free guarantee. Visit the website for more information to get started!

Group whole life insurance issued by MassMutual offer for AAHOA Members with special underwriting! Elect up to $250,000 with only a few health questions to determine insurability; no medical exam required! (Must be enrolled through BeneChoice.) Also available to AAHOA Members through BeneChoice – additional benefits for your employees that are made available at no direct cost to you/the owner! To learn more, Click Here. To schedule an appointment to review your life insurance options, please visit www.calendly.com/aahoa.

While many hoteliers are vigilant in ensuring their properties maintain ADA compliance, it can be easy to overlook the importance of establishing that same compliance with their websites.

After a period of drastic upheaval and a slow return to industry normalcy, the future holds exciting promise for an industry that has proven it can embrace significant change.

Regardless of the market segment in which a hotelier operates, it's clear the key to future success must include a heavy reliance on new and emerging technologies to remain competitive.