The 2017 AAHOA Convention and Trade Show will feature, for the first time in AAHOA history, an 11-member brand CEO panel dedicated to answering YOUR questions!

We invite you to share your thoughts on all things AAHOA – member benefits, events, our annual convention, our advocacy activities and everything else! Send a 2-4 sentence testimonial and your head shot to Kate@AAHOA.com, and we’ll take care of the rest. We’re excited to get your feedback!

President-Elect Donald Trump has begun making several key nominations to build his Cabinet. Of note, he has announced retired Lt. General Mike Flynn as his national security adviser, and has offered the position of attorney general to Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) and the position of CIA Director to Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS).

Housing starts rose 25.5 percent in October, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. The larger-than-expected gains across all regions indicate that steady improvement in the housing market is likely to continue over the next two years.

AAHOA’s Certified Hotel Owners workshop is coming to Woodbridge, Virginia, on Nov. 28. This is the final full CHO workshop of the year, but don’t worry – we’ll have plenty more opportunities to register in 2017.

There’s no more space at the workshop coming up next week on Nov. 29-30, but we’ve heard you loud and clear, AAHOA, and we’ve got several more dates in the works for 2017. In fact, registration for "How to Develop a Hotel" (March 2-3, 2017) is already open, so register now!

Free for members. Click the title to register!

Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, 3-3:20 p.m. EST: How do guests find and book your hotel? Advanced technology is changing the way guests do business with the hospitality industry, and simple changes can impact your bottom line.

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2016, 2-2:20 p.m. EST: Join us to learn how to cut your tax bill so you aren’t giving up money that belongs in your pocket. Discover top strategies that will maximize your investments and minimize your taxes.

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2016, 3-3:20 p.m. EST: Base impact is the effect of new competition on an existing property, resulting from the addition of hotel rooms that do not share the same brand. 

Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016, 2-2:20 p.m. EST: As you think about your retirement years, have you ever considered using your business to create a pension plan that will pay you a predefined income stream every month?

 ●  No annual fee

 ●  1.5 points per dollar spent on any transaction 

 ●  High-value credit limit 

 ●  Created exclusively for AAHOA members

 ●  Got a question? Email us now!

Airbnb used to let you just book room rentals. Now you can also use Airbnb to reserve dance parties in Havana, historical tours in Cape Town and stargazing outings in Los Angeles. Airbnb said on Thursday that it was expanding beyond its core short-term rental business, which faces pushback from local governments around the world, to become a fuller service travel agency.

There are a lot of "double-edged sword" issues on the minds of hotel operators these days. Hotel occupancy is at record levels, but that is attracting the attention of developers and therefore the threat of new competition. Inflation and interest rates have been low for an extended period of time, so it is natural to assume that both will eventually start to trend upward.

To an outsider, a hotel is a mystery. Most travelers don’t know what it takes to run a hotel, says AAHOA member Vinay Patel, president and CEO of SREE Hotels. "Savvy travelers see what happens front of the house, but I don’t think anyone knows what goes on back of the house," said Vinay. 

It’s tough to be a hotelier nowadays – the competition is fierce. Everyone is trying to figure out how to attract more guests. As a hotel owner, you probably wrack your brain on a daily basis wondering, "How can I stand out? Am I generating enough interest? Should I run more ads? Am I tweeting enough? Should I be snapchatting? What even is Snapchat?"