Regional Director Mayur (Mike) Patel and the Regional Ambassadors hosted the North Texas Regional Conference & Trade Show in Irving on Tuesday. Scott Joslove, president and CEO of the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association, was the featured speaker, while Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala, Vice Chairman Biran Patel, and Secretary Nishant (Neal) Patel were on hand to deliver the AAHOA update. Hotel ROI, held in conjunction with the event, focused on the options the Opportunity Zones created by the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 make available for Texas hotel owners. Attendees also had the opportunity to learn about the latest products and services from more than 100 exhibitors at the trade show and connect with new and existing vendors.

Regional Director Akshat Patel and the Regional Ambassadors hosted the North Carolina Regional Conference & Trade Show in Raleigh on Thursday. Speaker of the House Tim Moore and Lynn Minges of the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association were the featured speakers, while Chairwoman Jagruti Panwala, Treasurer Vinay Patel, and Secretary Nishant (Neal) Patel gave the AAHOA update during the business meeting. The trade show offered attendees the chance to browse the latest products and services and also to build and strengthen new and existing relationships.

AAHOA, the world’s largest hotel owners association, and Extended Stay America, Inc. (ESA), a Charlotte, NC based company with over 600 branded hotels in the United States, announced a new partnership that will facilitate relationships between the brand and AAHOA’s 18,500+ members. Read full release here.

AAHOA Members are teeing off for charity this month. On August 19, Northwest Regional Director Hiten Patel will host the 16th annual Northwest Region Charity Golf Tournament in Camas, WA. The event, to be held at the Camas Meadows Golf Club, will raise much-needed funds for Make A Wish Oregon, BEST, and the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital Foundation. Register as a player or sponsor by August 10 and receive a special discount on the cost of registration. On August 24-25, North Carolina Regional Director Akshat Patel and local hosts Jay (Trini) Patel, Rashmikant (Haji) Patel, and Vimal Hardev will host a fun day of competitive golf at the Charlotte Charity Golf Tournament at The Golf Club at Ballantyne. Held at one of North Carolina's premier courses, the two-day event will feature a lunch, awards ceremony, and raffle to raise money for 11 charities, including the USO of NC and Samaritan's Feet. Register today as a player or sponsor and help us make an impact.

Due to the recent Legionnaires’ disease outbreak, AAHOA Members should be highly aware of how to best prepare and prevent waterborne diseases. In recent months, AAHOA provided two educational webinars and a fact sheet to help protect members and their guests. The two webinars – Preventing Outbreaks of Legionnaires’ and Other Waterborne Diseases and Managing Outbreaks of Legionnaires’ and Other Waterborne Diseases – explain how to develop and implement a simple water management plan that can help prevent disease outbreaks; how to move quickly, decisively, and effectively to manage it should one occur; and describe actions owner/operators should not take when responding to reports of an outbreak.

We want to serve you better and learn more about your preferences. Help us by taking just a few minutes to answer a series of questions in our lifestyle survey. The insights we will gain from this survey will help us better understand you, our audience, and keep our advertisements and sponsorships relevant and timely. The survey should take only about five minutes to complete, is 100-percent confidential, and could make you a winner! If you elect to provide your contact information at the end of the survey, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of three $100 Visa gift cards. Don't wait; take the survey today!

What have you missed? Regional Director Mayur (Mike) Patel and the Regional Ambassadors held the North Texas Regional Conference & Trade Show in Irving, Regional Director Akshat Patel and the Regional Ambassadors hosted the North Carolina Regional Conference & Trade Show in Raleigh, Gulf Regional Director Nick Zaver and the Regional Ambassadors hosted three Town Halls – in Baton Rouge, Monroe, and Lafayette – where members were able to take our Human Trafficking Awareness Training, and so much more! Visit the AAHOA Facebook page to catch up!

Join us for the Regional Conference & Trade Show closest to you for access to top vendors, incredible networking opportunities, and region-specific industry updates you won't see anywhere else. These events are open to all hotel owners, even if you're not yet a member. Plus, Lifetime Members receive a free golf shirt for attending.

 

 

 

Town Halls are a great opportunity to build your professional network and to learn more about 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:

 

 

August 22 - Alabama Town Hall Meeting - Montgomery, AL 

 

 

 

Two great offers for AAHOA Members! Get simplified pricing for credit card processing and a dedicated AAHOA-specific customer service team, with no long-term agreement and no obligation. Members also can enjoy great terms and benefits with the Chase Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card. Watch this video to learn more about the AAHOA and Chase partnership, then click here for a free account review, and here to apply for the card.

From critically acclaimed original series like “Homeland,” “Billions,” and “Shameless” to star-studded movies, action-packed sports, laugh-out-loud comedy specials, groundbreaking documentaries, and more, SHOWTIME^® has it all! Plus, SHOWTIME^® pays huge incentives! To learn more about programming and incentives exclusively for AAHOA Members, contact Doug Markott or visit www.sho.com/aahoa today!

Better Buildings provides hotel owners with free technology solutions, market expertise, and a network of peers to identify cost-saving efficiency measures. Contact Holly Carr for more information on the Department of Energy's mission to make the nation’s homes, commercial buildings, and industrial plants more energy efficient.

The hotel industry's main competitor is home-sharing apps, but it's important for hoteliers to be aware of competition within the industry, too. Keep in mind your accommodation type, your category, your proximity to local attractions, as well as the quality of your customer service. All of these items are factors in finding your main competitors and how you can effectively compete.

While industries are known to grow and decline, the costs of construction continue to increase. In order to keep up with rising costs, hoteliers and developers have to get creative to find places to save money. Some of these cost-saving measures include outsourcing products to other countries and considering modular construction.

Restaurants and hotels began cutting out the use of plastic straws due to environmental concerns. Now, it seems that miniature shampoo and conditoner bottles could be next to go. IHG has announced that it will replace the miniature bottles with refillable dispensers.