General Session starts Day 2 with a bang

Real success is found in the people we empower and inspire, said AAHOACON22 keynote speaker Ray Lewis. A former Baltimore Ravens linebacker, two-time Super Bowl champion, Defensive Player of the Year, and Super Bowl MVP during his 17-year career, Lewis told the audience at Wednesday's General Session that the impact he or anyone else can have on a person's life in just a second is bigger than anything he ever did on the football field.

Lewis said in the lockerroom, it was never just about one person, but what special qualities everyone brought to the team. It's the same for our communities, and so we need to focus on how we can win together, achieve together, and lift each other up.

Before Lewis' keynote, AAHOA attendees learned from a range of speakers on topics all of particular interest to hotel and hospitality professionals. Isabella Casillas Guzman, the current administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration under President Joe Biden, shared what the White House has done and continues to do to support small businesses as the economy recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the SBA is committed to providing access to capital, resources to promote revenue growth, and networking opportunties for entreprenuers. With applications for new businesses up 30%, Guzman sees hope amid the resiliency of small business owners.

Another special guest, George Taylor, is an entrepreneur and founder of TRU Colors Brewing, a for-profit brewery with a social mission of stopping violence through economic opportunity. When violence became a reality in Taylor's neighborhood, he was determined to see if the skills that helped him solve problems as an entrepreneur could unite rival gangs in his community. He started Disrupt-U, an eight-week onboarding program that teaches core life and job skills. Taylor said those skills help individuals build belief in themselves, which leads to growth, prosperity, and peace.

Finally, Tyler Morse, Chairman & CEO of MCR Hotels, the fourth-largest owner-operator in the United States with 150 hotels in 37 states, told General Session attendees to run a profits-based business. While revenue is nice, he said, profits are better, and not all revenue is created equal. He emboldened attendees to increase rates – and to increase them with confidence.