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Brian Leaf is now vice president and head of internal sales for Peachtree Hotel Group's broker-dealer affiliate Peachtree PC Investors. Previously, he was vice president for capital markets. Leaf joined Atlanta-based Peachtree in 2017, prior to which he was an internal wholesaler at Inland Securities Corp. in Oak Brook, Illinois. Before then he was a property manager for Colliers International in Atlanta. He has a bachelor's degree in business administration and real estate from the University of Georgia and holds the FINRA Series 7, 24 and 63 securities licenses.

Jay Pricher is the new general counsel for Best Western Hotels & Resorts. He succeeds Larry Cuculic into the role after Cuculic was named Best Western's president and CEO in October. Previously, Pricher was the company's vice president of legal, according to a press release. Prior to joining Best Western, he was vice president and associate general counsel for Financial American Corp., a real estate focused private equity firm. Pricher has a bachelor's degree in legal studies and politics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a juris doctor degree from UC's Hastings College of the Law. He also holds a Master of Business Administration from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, with an emphasis on International Finance. "Jay is a strategic leader who has a deep understanding of our unique organizational structure and the needs of our hoteliers," said Larry Cuculic, President and Chief Executive Officer, Best Western Hotels & Resorts. "He has a proven track record of supporting our members and hoteliers across a variety of legal issues related to international operations, intellectual property matters and business litigation. I have great confidence that Jay will continue to deliver exceptional leadership as he takes on this expanded role."

HILTON RECENTLY DONATED nearly $500,000 to support local relief efforts in response to the wildfires that consumed more than 2,500 acres of land and took the lives of over 100 residents in Maui, Hawaii. The new donation supplements the $325,000 previously pledged by Hilton, the Hilton Global Foundation and members of the broader Hilton community since early August, the company said in a statement. At a recent gathering in Las Vegas, more than 9,000 Hilton hotel sales and operational leaders from Focused Service and All Suites brands across the Americas raised nearly $175,000 for Maui relief efforts, Hilton said. The donations will benefit the Hawaii Community Foundation's Maui Strong Fund and United Way Maui. The company has been operational in Hawaii for more than 60 years, the statement added. "Hilton stands in solidarity with the people of Maui and the Hawaiian community," said Katherine Lugar, executive vice president of corporate affairs at Hilton. "Lahaina holds a special place in our hearts, and we're dedicated to aiding our team members and relief efforts in every possible manner. The collective efforts of our team members, hotel owners, community partners, and guests have been truly inspiring. Our thoughts remain with those in Maui."

Travelling is blissful, the only time of the year when your lungs feel alive and your feet are not tucked beneath the wooden tables or taking the heat of your laptop. The period for which we save for months and dream about even at nap time In all the excitement, we often overlook certain significant details which may cause roadblocks, and delays and hold grumpy long faces. Let's look at some tips that you could prioritize on your travel checklist along with the travel essentials Plan ahead,Explore the tourist places or pick a perfect package, Light Baggage, Handy Meds, Book your travels and hotels online

REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT competition She Has a Deal 2022 SHaDPitch Today's Woman competitor Amina Gilyard James recently acquired the Quality Inn in the Raleigh neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee. James said the competition prepared her company for the acquisition. The 70-room hotel is near downtown Memphis, Beale Street and AutoZone Park, home of the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds and the Memphis International Airport, according to SHaD. Amenities in the property include a business center and indoor heated pool and hot tub. James' firm Duke Ventures plans to invest $500,000 to refresh the property with new paint, FF&E and additional cosmetic improvements. "The SHaDPitch competition and its curriculum provide an invaluable inside look at the hotel industry," James said. "It provided a roadmap and extensive network that gave me foundational knowledge of the hotel acquisition and ownership space. SHaD prepared my company, Duke Ventures LLC, to make the smartest investment possible. We're proud of the deal we made and optimistic about what the future holds for this property and our investors."

NATALIE ROBINSON IS now vice president of people and culture for Peachtree Group. Also, the Atlanta-based company, led by Jatin Desai and Mitul Patel as managing principals, also says it's on the way to a record year for new hotel construction. Good with people Previously, Robinson was the human resource director of title company OS National, according to Peachtree Group. She began her career developing accounting and billing policies and procedures, as well as human resources systems for two Atlanta law firms. She holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia. "It's an exciting time at Peachtree as our organization expands and evolves," said Vivian Clarke, Peachtree's senior vice president of people and culture. "Natalie's strong leadership skills will advance our culture, drive our growth and talent strategy, and strengthen our reputation as an employer of choice. We are proud of Peachtree's high team member engagement, and the company culture built and recognize the opportunity to improve our people processes and discipline as we further scale the business." Peachtree made several changes to its structure and leadership in September.

WITH A ROCK and roll theme, Best Western Hotels & Resorts held its annual conference in Cleveland on Oct. 28 to 30. During the event, which marked the completion of the first year of the company's former general counsel Larry Cuculic as president and CEO, the company launched a new extended-stay brand, Home by BWH. Thousands of Best Western members attended the conference, with the theme "BW Rocks 2022." Cuculic, who took over for long-time president and CEO David Kong last year, gave an update on his first year. "When my journey began in this position last year, I was anxious," Cuculic said in the first general session of the recent conference. "The honor of the position and the responsibilities are absolutely huge. Consider, though, that being anxious is actually a good thing. It's a good thing. It's a reflection of my wanting to do my best for you."

THE AMERICAN HOTEL and Lodging Association is collaborating with information services and event company Questex to produce "The Hospitality Show." It will have sessions from expert speakers, an exhibit hall, personalized business matchmaking as well as a host of other networking opportunities, according to AHLA. AHLA will hold the show from June 27 to 29, 2023, at The Venetian hotel and casino in Las Vegas. All industry stakeholders are expected to attend the three-day event. "As the single entity representing the entire hotel industry, we at AHLA recognize the need to annually bring together our most important voices and respected leaders," said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO. "The Hospitality Show will be a completely new hospitality event experience - a one-stop-shop for the hospitality industry to meet, learn and do business with stakeholders from other businesses that are key to our operations. We intend to make THE SHOW the most important hotel event of the year and are excited to partner with Questex to make this happen."

"UNSTOPPABLE" WAS THE theme for Choice Hotels International's 67th Owner & Franchisee Convention in Las Vegas last week. In keeping with that, the company announced new software tools, a new prototype and more news on the incorporation of more than 600 newly acquired Radisson Hotels Americas properties. Nearly 6,000 hotel owners, general managers and Choice associates attended the three-day event at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, according to the company. It included more than 85 educational and brand sessions as well as 275 vendor exhibits. "At our 67th Annual Convention, we celebrated our shared success with thousands of Choice franchisees, examined key travel industry trends, and revealed our plans to capitalize on them and keep the momentum going," said Pat Pacious, Choice's president and CEO. "We're inspired by the ways these entrepreneurs bet on themselves, and we are committed to being by their side as we continue to disrupt the industry together."

AAHOA LEADERS AND members met with the nation's leaders in Washington, D.C., for the association's 2023 Fall National Advocacy Conference on Oct. 24 to 25. Topics covered included Small Business Administration loan limits, the Credit Card Competition Act and the labor shortage. The AAHOA contingent met with more than 200 offices and 70 members of Congress as part of the conference. Keynote speakers for the event were Reps. Beth Van Duyne, Republican from Texas; Rich McCormick, Republican from Georgia; and Shri Thanedar, Democrat from Michigan. "Advocacy at the state, local, and federal level is a pillar upon which AAHOA stands," said Bharat Patel, AAHOA chairman. "Representing such a large portion of the hotel industry, it is through our voice that we strive to shape and fortify policies that help pave the way to our industry's success."

Alex Cisneros is Red Roof's new senior vice president for revenue generation. Prior to joining Red Roof, he was vice president of revenue generation and distribution for Wyndham Destinations. Cisneros also worked in operations for New Jersey TRANSIT, Delta Services Group and AT&T where he consulted on demand planning, pricing analysis, operations research, customer experience, and consumer analytics. A native of Ecuador, Alex holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Rutgers University and a master's degree in management and hospitality from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

MARCH IS WOMEN'S History Month, a time to focus attention on women's role in business and society. It also is the second month for Wyndham Hotels & Resorts' new "Women Own the Room" program that aims to open the door for more women to achieve hotel ownership. Two of the first participants in the program are Trusha Patel, founder and CEO of Platinum Holdings in Austin, Texas, and Neha Jadhav of Chantilly, Virginia, founder of Luminous Hotel Management. Both women are opening dual-brand La Quinta and Hawthorn Suites hotels with assistance from WOTR assistance. Correcting an imbalance Wyndham launched WOTR in January in an effort to overcome the common barriers women face in developing, opening and running their own hotel. The program provides assistance with financial solutions, personalized operational support and networking and educational opportunities. Programs such as WOTR are needed to counter hospitality industry data that shows women are significantly underrepresented in hotel ownership, real estate, and investment funding roles, Wyndham said in a press release. The company cited the most recent annual report from the Castell Project, a nonprofit focused on promoting women in the industry, that found that while there are more women in the hospitality industry they still lag behind in leadership roles.

BANYAN INVESTMENT GROUP recently sold its Kimpton Goodland Hotel Fort Lauderdale Beach, Florida, to DiamondRock Hospitality Co. for $35.3 million. The sale is expected to bring a substantial return for investors in the Atlanta-based company, led by Andy Chopra as managing partner. The 96-room hotel is near Las Olas and Sebastian Street beach parks, Bonnet House Museum and Gardens, Sea Turtle OP Headquarters and multiple shops and eateries. Hotel amenities include an outdoor, heated pool, fitness center, loaner beach cruisers and beach items including boogie boards to folding chairs. F&B options include food and tiki-themed cocktails at Botanic at the Goodland or poolside drinks and snacks at the Good Bar. Originally the company was planning to hold the deal for a longer period, Chopra said. However, conditions changed to allow a deal that could generate a 49.4 percent internal rate of return for Banyan's investors.

MAYA HOTELS HELD grand opening for its Tru by Hilton Mooresville in Mooresville, North Carolina. Maya Hotels is led by co-founders J.D. Deva and Baldev Thakor. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based company held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 19, though it opened in July. Attendees included Mooresville Mayor Miles Atkins and Leah Mitcham, executive director of the Mooresville Convention & Visitors Bureau. "Today's event was the culmination of many months of hard work and the collaboration with city officials, our construction team, and our Maya Hotels team members to bring this fresh, new Tru by Hilton property to the Mooresville / Lake Norman area," said Parimal Thakor, vice president of Maya Hotels. The 120-room hotel is in the Langtree Lake Norman mixed-use development in Mooresville. It is near to Lake Norman and Langtree Plantation. Amenities include mobile check-in and a fitness center. The hotel is pet friendly.

SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS of the proposed Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2023 say it is needed to protect the rights of workers to organize under labor unions. However, the American Hotel & Lodging Association and others claim the PRO Act puts an undue burden on small businesses, including hotels. The PRO Act would authorize penalties against employers that interfere with employees' efforts to organize, according to Democratic Rep. Robert "Bobby" Scott of Virginia, one of the co-sponsors of the bill. Also, the bill would facilitate collective bargaining agreements, close loopholes that allow employers to misclassify employees as supervisors and independent contractors. Other aspects of the PRO Act include protection for employees that experience retaliation for trying to organize a union, ensures that workers can collect "fair share" fees and authorizes a private right of action for violation of workers' rights. It also prevents employers from interfering in union elections or holding captive audience meetings. "Regrettably, for too long, workers have suffered from anti-union attacks and toothless labor laws that undermined their right to form a union," Scott said. "As a historic number of Americans put their support behind labor unions, Congress has an urgent responsibility to ensure that workers can join a union and negotiate for higher pay, better benefits, and safer workplaces."

In all the excitement, we often overlook certain significant details which may cause roadblocks, and delays and hold grumpy long faces. Let's look at some tips that you could prioritize on your travel checklist along with the travel essentials Plan ahead Explore the tourist places or pick a perfect package Light Baggage Handy Meds Book your hotels online

Peachtree Group has named Jarred Bussert as vice president of information technology. In this newly created role, Bussert will be responsible for the company's IT infrastructure, including all business applications, information security and data integrity, the company said in a statement. "Jarred's experience and achievements demonstrate his commitment to supporting business strategies with technology infrastructure," said Greg Friedman, Peachtree's managing principal and CEO. "As Peachtree continues to grow, I am pleased to attract talented leaders to our best-in-class team. His leadership will be instrumental in building a successful and high-performing organization." Bussert has extensive enterprise-wide technical and IT leadership experience. Before joining Peachtree, he was vice president, information technology for Majors Management, an Atlanta-based retail operator. Bussert started his career with RaceTrac Petroleum holding numerous leadership positions, leaving as director, information systems. He has an MBA and Master of Technology from Georgia Tech and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Georgia.

GEOFF BALLOTTI, PRESIDENT and CEO of Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will be recognized by UJA Federation of New York at its annual Hospitality Division event in June. The event is held in conjunction with the NYU Hospitality Investment Conference and will raise funds to support UJA-Federation's annual campaign, which supports a wide network of nonprofits. UJA Federation will hold the event on June 4, at 4:30 p.m. at the Marriott Marquis in New York City. The federation works with a network of hundreds of nonprofits in New York, Israel and 70 other countries to provide $180 million in grants affecting 4.5 million people annually. "For 15 years, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has supported UJA and the vital work it does caring for those in need while creating and fostering diverse communities where all are welcome," Ballotti said. "Together with my hospitality colleagues, we'll celebrate the extraordinary work of UJA and how it improves lives in communities across the globe."