 
|
The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) offered input about how transportation infrastructure can create a solid foundation for promoting and sustaining long-distance travel and tourism, in response to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Request for Comment on the National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan (NTTISP).
The DOT solicited comments to aid it in updating its Strategic Plan, which was developed in response to a mandate in 2015 Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act) that it assess the condition and performance of the national transportation network, identifies issues that create congestion and barriers to travel and tourism, and develop strategies for improving vital travel infrastructure.
| |  |
AAHOA Chairman Bharat Patel and Mid Atlantic Regional Director Mahendra (MZ) Patel collaborated on an insightful op-ed, where they discuss how New Jersey can set an example for the nation when it comes to fair franchising.
In May, the New Jersey State Assembly passed Assembly Bill 1958. This legislation is now before the state Senate with the support of many small business hotel owners.
New Jersey hotel owners navigating industry changes wrought by the pandemic face no dearth of challenges: the decline in business travel, competition from home rental apps, and ongoing labor shortages are just a few.
Yet too often, hotel owners are figuring out how to adapt to this new hospitality landscape with added complications from the brands that should be their partners. Franchising is supposed to be a two-way system where aspiring entrepreneurs open a business under a known brand name in exchange for part of the revenue.
That is why we must create a more equitable relationship between franchisors and franchisees. And New Jersey can lead the way on this issue.
Esteemed speaker Allen Thomas, Small Business Administration SE Regional Administrator, shared the latest Small Business Administration initiatives, including a new update that’ll be available in August to support entrepreneurs and small businesses.
The SBA was critical in sustaining hotels during the pandemic through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs). Make sure you bookmark the SBA website to stay in the know about the announcements coming in August that could impact your hotel business.
AAHOA is closely monitoring the upcoming updates from the SBA and will announce changes once they’re implemented next month.
Additionally, Dr. Andy Ingraham, NABHOOD President & CEO, spoke on the countless ways AAHOA and NABHOOD work together, sharing during the meeting that "When you talk to AAHOA, you’re talking to NABHOOD. We are the same people.”
Bharat Patel, Chairman of AAHOA, expressed pride in the collaboration with NABHOOD, stating, "AAHOA and NABHOOD’s long-time partnership has helped drive progress across the industry and inspired the future generation of hospitality professionals.”
Over the last three decades, AAHOA has played an active role in helping minority entrepreneurs and small business owners succeed. Through this joint Town Hall meeting, AAHOA and NABHOOD brought valuable insights and resources directly to the hands of hotel owners. This Town Hall meeting took place during the annual NABHOOD Summit, where Chairman Patel moderated two panel discussions.
AAHOA has been hard at work to bring you an upgraded member experience, and last week, the new MyAAHOA.com officially launched!
Rooted in bringing members increased access to AAHOA and the tools and resources you need to manage and make the most of your membership, the new MyAAHOA.com is streamlined, modern, secure, robust, customized to AAHOA, and user-friendly.
Check out the following resources to ensure a smooth transition and make the most of your AAHOA experience:
|
|
As hotels continue to struggle with workforce shortages, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) endorsed the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act, which would establish a market-driven visa system to help employers find workers for hard-to-fill positions while still prioritizing U.S. Workers.
AAHOA Members employ more than 1 million people who collectively earn $47 billion a year. AAHOA, which represents 60% of U.S. hotel owners, met this morning with members of the Critical Labor Coalition and the office of the lead sponsor of the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act, Representative Lloyd Smucker of Pennsylvania.
| |
AAHOA recently joined the Merchants Payments Coalition in fighting for a competitive market for credit card “swipe” fees.
“With the vast majority of hotel rooms paid for with credit cards, our members see the impact of high swipe fees every day,” AAHOA President and CEO Laura Lee Blake said. “As hotels tend to have higher transaction values compared to many other businesses such as retail or restaurants, the percentage-based fee structure can result in substantial fees for each transaction. This can significantly impact the overall costs for hotels and guests, especially for high-value bookings. Card networks and banks need to compete over swipe fees the same way hotels compete for business every day.”
The addition of AAHOA comes as Congress is considering the Credit Card Competition Act, which was reintroduced last month by Senators Richard Durbin, D-Ill.; Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; Peter Welch, D-Vt., and J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, and by Representatives Lance Gooden, R-Texas; Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif.; Thomas Tiffany, R-Wis., and Jefferson Van Drew, R-N.J.
|
On Monday, July 24, AAHOA Secretary Rahul Patel participated in a closed roundtable discussion at the Gulf Coast Builders Exchange with Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-16).
The purpose of this discussion was to convey to Congressman Buchanan - through a personal anecdote - that employer-provided coverage is valuable to employers, workers, and the broader healthcare ecosystem. Employers may have stories to share about how offering healthcare helps to attract and retain workers, or have a story about how an employee or family member benefitted from employer-provided coverage.
AAHOA Secretary Rahul Patel was joined by two other AAHOA Members in this discussion, AAHOA Member Meghna Patel and AAHOA Member Vraj Patel. They were also joined by a pharmacist, Vik Rao, in the discussion.
We are very grateful to have AAHOA Officers who are dedicated to representing this association at all levels of government. The work truly never stops.
|
LendingCon was founded for one purpose: To help real estate owners increase profits and grow their portfolios.
The Third Annual LendingCon event will be held on August 23-24 at the DoubleTree Hotel SeaWorld in Orlando, FL. The theme of this year's LendingCon is "Your Platform for Financial Growth and PropTech Success" and will be centered around growing revenue, creating strategic financial resources, and using information technology (IT) to help individuals and companies buy, sell, and manage real estate.
AAHOA is proud to be a Platinum Sponsor of LendingCon. Other AAHOA Members will be attending, so if you'd like to be one of them, make sure to register today!
The excitement continues this summer! We have the travel numbers to prove it and the phenomenal AAHOA events to back it up. Many AAHOA Members have already been traveling from coast to coast to our Regional Conferences & Trade Shows. In this newly released video, members, industry partners, and elected officials share why they’re going cross country with AAHOA. Take a look at some of the notable quotes featured in the video below:
“You never know who you're going to meet,” AAHOA Member Deep Shah said.
“Coming to events like this, and just meeting other Lifetime Members has been a really good resource, especially because you have this similar background, a similar journey,” AAHOA Lifetime Member Preet Patel said. “It's easier to connect and network because you share the same values."
“You’re meeting different people but also understanding different needs in the different markets. Because every market has its own need,” AAHOA Member Karim Chandani said.
"I always advise other female professionals to look for companies where women are already in place in high-level positions and for companies that offer internal mentoring programs and diversity. It is helpful to be a part of professional associations and groups that show initiative and provides ambitious women with training and support, as well as networking and mentoring opportunities. Taking leaps and breaking barriers is the way we will break ceilings in the work force. Being more assertive when negotiating pay and promotions.
Understanding their self-value and not selling themselves short on their skill and will for the job. It is not easy but to earn your name in the industry you have to work hard and prove yourself and others. You do need to be willing to go where the opportunities are and be flexible. Take on challenges and new opportunities and trust in yourself. You can do it!"
-Trusha Patel, in response to the question, "What advice would you give the next generation of women hoteliers?"
|
|
"I feel like it's a great mentorship program where I can see all these people and I can look at them as a mentor, or as an idol to follow or look up to, when they do their speeches, or when they ask questions. I feel like it really helps me figure out how I want to be in my career."
-Mira Patel, AAHOACON23 Attendee
|
AAHOA Members, get 5 percent off all your everyday purchases when you use the Lowe’s LAR business credit card. There’s no annual fee, and you can make purchases by phone, fax, or at LowesForPros.com. You’ll also be able to take advantage of exclusive cardholder promotions and receive discounted delivery on your purchases! Click here for more details, then contact Anthony Ruiz ( Anthony.ruiz@lowes.com) to get started.
INFINITI HR is a Master Aggregator, The Professional Employer Organization for Hospitality Management© throughout all 50 states. INFINITI HR is recognized for the exceptional ability to support employer standards, mitigate employer risk and liability, while providing superior economies of scale and purchasing power for world-class, mid-range, and economy hotel properties of all sizes. For more information, visit our website, then contact Daniel Mormino ( daniel.mormino@infinitihr.com) today 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 schedule an appointment to review your life insurance options, please visit www.calendly.com/aahoa.
WIth more travelers choosing to combine business-related trips with vacations, hoteliers are implementing amenities that cater to the work-from-anywhere crowd.
(Source: Business Travel News)
With AI and GPT (generative pre-trained transformer) capabilities continuing to dominate headlines and reshape modern life, customer-facing industries are scrambling to understand and harness the power of this new technology.
(Source: HospitalityNet)
With California-based workers often leading the charge with regards to industry-wide pay increases, all eyes are on Santa Monica as the local union representing hotel workers is pushing for drastic increase in hourly pay.
(Source: Santa Monica Daily Press)
|
 |
JULY ISSUE
The July 2023 issue of Today's Hotelier magazine is out now! This month, we're exploring a handful of topics, with a special focus on staying ahead of design trends, including budgeting for current and upcoming hotel design trends, getting back to basics, and much more.
Featured Content
Join thousands of AAHOA Members, brand CEOs, and industry professionals by subscribing to our magazine. Receive every digital issue of Today’s Hotelier as soon as it’s released to the public. Click here to subscribe.
|
Truist Securities reports, “Overall U.S. RevPAR was +2.0% y/y for the week ending 7/22/2023, per STR, slightly above the prior week's result of +1.6%, and slightly above the trailing 10-week average of +1.8%. Versus 2019, RevPAR was +11.6%, above the prior week’s result of +8.1%, and similar to the trailing 10-week average of +11.9%. Last week was a clean comp on both y/y and 2019 comparisons, which we view as helpful for analysis on a leisure-led week. We maintain our view of domestic hotel leisure trends as overall lethargic with MSD-HSD occupancy declines versus 2019. On y/y, we see MSD improvement in higher-rated urban occupancy and LSD/MSD declines in resorts/Economy. Upscale RevPAR: +4.5% y/y and +8.1% versus 2019; Upper Midscale RevPAR: +3.0% y/y and +11.5% versus 2019.” For more, read the full report here, and read the China/Europe report here.
|
AAHOA Arkansas Regional Conference & Trade Show - Little Rock, AR
