On Wednesday, the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) held its 17th Annual Lodging Industry Legislative Action Summit (LAS) in Sacramento. The summit provides an opportunity for local hoteliers and other industry professionals to gain a better understanding of how the legislative process works, hear about and discuss critical legislative issues facing the industry, and learn ways to influence legislative proposals. They also get a chance to meet with and talk to California's political leaders on the issues that matter most to the lodging industry. AAHOA President & CEO Chip Rogers provided an update on AAHOA’s most recent legislative activity for the CH&LA board and summit attendees.

Hospitality industry executives and experts met Tuesday at AAHOA headquarters in Atlanta, Ga., for the newest segment of the Hotel Business Roundtable Series. The editorial discussion centered on ways economy and midscale properties can build on establish frameworks, strengthen relationships with franchisors and accommodate today’s economy traveler. AAHOA Vice Chairman HP Patel, who participated in the discussion, said it was a great opportunity to unpack some of the ways economy and midscale hotel owners can advance their businesses, and learn best practices from one another. RLH Corporation sponsored the event.

If you are interested in getting your Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics at the 2018 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show, you will need to register very soon. Registration closes March 9 and seating is limited. If you're not able to attend this session, the CHIA will be offered a few more times this year. Check the AAHOA events calendar for details. As a reminder, core content areas include: hotel industry analytical foundations, hotel math fundamentals, property level benchmarking and hotel industry performance reports.

Stay Current on Issues in Your Local Area 
Town hall meetings are a great opportunity to build your professional network and to learn more about the AAHOA programs and resources available to help you strengthen every aspect of your business. Coming up soon:

• March 12- Georgia Town Hall - Cartersville, Ga.
  
• March 12 - North Pacific Town Hall - Scotts Valley, Calif.
  
• March 14 - Georgia Town Hall - Atlanta, Ga.
  
• March 14 - North Carolina Town Hall - Wilson, N.C.
• March 15 - South Carolina Town Hall - Aiken, S.C.
• March 15 - North Carolina Town Hall - Raleigh, N.C.

AAHOA members are encouraged to register for the legislative action days and other events hosted in partnership between AAHOA and state lodging and travel associations in their local area. Consider signing up to help educate legislators about your business.

• April 11 - Arizona State Lobby Day
  
• April 18 - South Carolina Hospitality Day
• May 8-9 - Spring National Advocacy Conference
• May 10 - New Jersey State Lobby Day
  
• June 5 - Pennsylvania Legislative Day
  
• June 6 - North Carolina State Lobby Day
  

Upcoming Webinars – March & April 2018

• March 12 – Wyndham-Sabre SynXis PM Best Practices and Frequently Asked Questions
  
• March 13 – Meeting the Challenge: Mitigating Risk in the Hospitality Sector Today
  
• March 14 – Keeping Kids Safe in the Workplace: Child Labor Rules for Employers
• March 15 – Hotel Negotiations Made Easy from a Sales Perspective
• March 15 – Wyndham-Sabre SynXis PM Best Practices and Frequently Asked Questions
• March 20 – Data Breaches – Understanding the Risks
• April 11 – State of the U.S. Lodging Industry
  
• April 17 – Estate Planning Done Right: Know Your Options and Reduce Risks
  
• April 19 – Modular Construction: Is it Right for You?
  

Check out the AAHOA Resource Library to view over a hundred past webinars and other educational resources.  

• March 27 – AAHOA Certified Hotel Owners (CHO) Program (last onsite class for 2018)
• March 27 – Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics  (registration closes March 9)
• March 27 – Human Trafficking Awareness Training (open to non-convention attendees too)

Overall U.S. RevPAR was up 4.1 percent compared to last year for the week ending 3/3/2018, per STR.
Independent hotels were up 4.3 percent, and midscale, up 4.8 percent, was the strongest chain scale for branded hotels.
Economy, up 4 percent, performed similarly to the overall U.S. hotel industry average. For more, read the full report. Also, be sure to check out the  Corporate Rate Negotiations report and the January 2017 RevPar report.

For more information, contact Ed Travis, 800-325-4500,  etravis@courtesyproducts.com.

Discounted printer products Free Shipping Print a free recycling label For more information, contact Kyle Kurtz at 800-231-4553 or kkurtz@coastcoast.com.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, the Minnetonka, Minn.-based hotel company, officially changed its name to Radisson Hotel Group  during the International Hotel Investment Forum. CEO John Kidd said it will help unlock better value with customers and owners. (Source: Hotel Management)

Six months after Hurricane Maria, almost 10,000 Puerto Ricans are still being housed in hotels across 37 states, with temporary housing assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (Source: The Washington Post)

The battle over Airbnb in New York City is heating up this week. The hotel industry is set to launch a campaign in support of a bill to require anyone advertising apartment units in New York City on home-sharing sites to include full location details to city enforcement agencies. (Source: NY Daily News)