Nearly 300 hoteliers from across the country converged in D.C. this week for the AAHOA Spring National Advocacy Conference, where they met with more than 200 senators and representatives to share their stories about how tax reform, ADA lawsuits, joint employer standards and more impact their businesses.

Earlier this week, AAHOA Vice Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala testified before the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access. In her remarks, Panwala focused on the impact of the travel and tourism industry on the American economy. She also highlighted the contributions of hotels and discussed the challenges the industry faces.

The AAHOA Young Professionals Brand Development Day with RLH Corporation took place this past week in Washington, D.C. This marks the first of ten brand development days AAHOA is holding throughout the year. Seats for these events fill quickly, so reserve your seats now to participate in future development days.

Town halls 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. These events are open to all hotel owners, even if you're not already a member. Coming up soon:

May 15 - Southeast Texas Town Hall - Houston, TX
May 15 - South Carolina Town Hall - Charleston, SC
May 21 South Central Texas Town Hall - McAllen, TX
May 21 Gulf & Mid South Joint Town Hall - West Memphis, AR
May 22 - Florida Town Hall - Fort Myers, FL
May 22 - South Central Texas Town Hall - Cotulla, TX
May 22 - Gulf Town Hall - Springdale, AR
May 23 - North Texas Town Hall - Lubbock, TX
May 24 - North Texas Town Hall - Amarillo, TX
May 30 - AAHOA and OHLA Joint Spring Seminar and State Fire Marshal Training - Dayton, OH
May 31 - AAHOA and OHLA Joint Spring Seminar and State Fire Marshal Training - Akron, OH

Join us for the regional meeting closest to you for industry-leading education and access to the top vendors in the hospitality industry.

May 22 - North Pacific Regional Meeting - San Jose, CA
May 24 - South Pacific Regional Meeting - Anaheim, CA
May 30 - Southwest-Albuquerque Regional Meeting - Albuquerque, NM
June 12 - Gulf-Little Rock Regional Meeting - Little Rock, AR
June 14 - Gulf-Jackson Regional Meeting - Jackson, MS

Last week, AAHOA Chairman Hitesh (HP) Patel and Vice Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala spoke at the HD Expo in Las Vegas. Hitesh (HP) Patel spoke on HD Expo's signature event - the Owners' Roundtable - and Jagruti Panwala shared her insights on "The Future is Female: When Women Lead" Panel.

AAHOA Immediate Past Chairman Bhavesh Patel spoke at the Red Roof Regional Meeting in Chicago this past week, where he shared AAHOA and industry updates with Red Roof Inns owners.

Upcoming Webinars – May 2018

May 23 – Green Roofs: A Beautiful, Sustainable and Profitable Addition to Your Hotel
May 24 – Effective Sales Questions: The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How
May 30 – Lessons Learned in Valuing, Marketing, and Selling Your Hotel
May 31 – Ditch the Drops: Pool Testing Made Easy

Check out the AAHOA HOTEL OWNERS ACADEMY^TM to view over a hundred past webinars and other educational resources.

The following courses will be offered this year:

July 31- August 1 – Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (Dallas, Texas)
August 8- 9 – Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (Detroit, Mich.)
October 10-11 – Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (Oklahoma City, Ok.)

For more info contact Josh Turner at josh@satellitesystems.tv

No booking fee in 2018 for AAHOA members HotelBids is an Online/App to fill last-minute empty rooms Lowest booking fee of 7 percent and it will never increase No parity issues - we do not publish hotel rates Hotels control their rates and room inventory We donate one sleeping bag to the homeless for every booking done on Hotelbids Contact Inder Sharma at inder.sharma@hotelbids.com

Online hotel bookings are increasing dramatically, however search engines are finding the volume on travel-related keywords is decreasing. The starting point for online bookings is no longer search engines, but rather a metasearch engine. (Source: tnooz)

Mark your calendars because four years from now you will be able to visit the world's first luxury space hotel. "Our goal is to make space accessible to all," says Frank Bunger the CEO and founder of Orion Span. (Source: CNN)