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CHOICE UNIVERSITY, OPERATED by Choice Hotels International, recently launched the online "School of Business Principles & Financial Management" program to train owners and operators of Choice Hotels-branded properties in hotel management. The program equips owners with the tools and knowledge to make informed decisions, improve operations and increase profitability, Choice said in a statement. "Choice University's schools offer our community of owners targeted learning in key areas of hotel management," said Jeneane Becker, Choice University's dean. "Our new School of Business Principles & Financial Management is designed to help them elevate their hotels' financial performance." The new program includes instruction on benchmarking performance, enabling owners to measure their hotel's results against industry standards and competitors to identify areas for improvement, the statement said. It also covers income statement and balance sheet basics, helping owners understand and analyze financial statements to make informed decisions.

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association philanthropy branch AHLA Foundation has launched a trafficking prevention training program for the hotel industry in collaboration with ECPAT-USA and Marriott International to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons observed on July 29, a statement said. The program titled "Recognize and Respond: Addressing Human Trafficking in the Hospitality Industry" was developed by Marriott by partnering with non-profit organizations and survivor experts. It includes learning paths for associates and managers around increased guidance on responding to potential trafficking situations and interacting with potential victims. It is available to the hotel industry through ECPAT-USA's online learning platform for free, the statement said. The new initiative advances the American Hotel & Lodging Association and AHLA Foundation's "No Room for Trafficking" awareness program which raises awareness about human trafficking. "One of No Room for Trafficking's goals is to train every single hotel employee to identify and respond to a potential human trafficking situation. Through this innovative new training, the industry as a whole will be better equipped to help identify and stop cases of human trafficking," said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. "We are extremely grateful to Marriott International and leading trafficking prevention partners who are offering this free training with support from the AHLA Foundation."

STAYNTOUCH, A CLOUD-BASED hotel property management system provider, recently launched 'Stayntouch Academy 2.0,' an updated online training course. It uses AI and large-language models to deliver eLearning content, streamline lesson plans and reduce production time by 91 percent, with more frequent updates. The PMS features an intuitive interface, allowing staff to complete training in two days or 1.5 hours per module, Stayntouch said in a statement. "Stayntouch Academy 2.0 enhances our training capabilities, offering a more intuitive learning experience for our customers," said Priya Rajamani, Stayntouch's senior vice president of implementations and support. "By leveraging AI, we can update content faster and provide targeted, role-specific lessons, helping hotel staff master the Stayntouch platform more efficiently and focus on guest experiences."

BPR PROPERTIES HAS selected LBA Hospitality to assume full management responsibilities for its complete portfolio of hotels. The company's 16 hotels are already managed by the Alabama-based hospitality management firm, with six properties added in the last three months. BPR is led by Birju Patel as president and CEO Bhupen Patel. "Making the decision to transition to third-party management was not an easy one," said Bhupen Patel. "However, when considering LBA Hospitality's associate-focused culture, commitment to training and their demonstrated development of leaders, the choice to have them assume full management responsibilities for our properties was an easy one. Their well-established partnership with us, continuous focus on associate retention and education, and dedication to delivering exceptional guest experiences align perfectly with our values. This transition will allow our team to shift our focus towards new hotel development and enhancing our existing properties."

HOTEL MANAGEMENT FIRM Revival Hotels is working with Stayntouch to provide its cloud-based property management systems to Revival's independent portfolio. Revival is led by Founder and CEO Saxton Sharad. Revival will receive automated software with flexibility and an interface its team can adopt to improve daily operations, the companies said in a joint statement. "We chose Stayntouch because it's built for the way modern hotels operate-efficiently, intuitively, and designed to work for our teams, not against them," Sharad said. "Having worked with nearly every PMS on the market, we know a system is only as good as how well the team can use it. Stayntouch's ease of use and cloud-based flexibility have allowed us to streamline front desk operations, reduce training times, and improve the guest experience. Seeing our teams thrive with this system confirms we made the right choice."

AAHOA IS OFFERING a free educational webinar, "Essential Training for Hotel Owners: Managing Guest Misconduct and Ensuring Safety," on July 17. The initiative follows the death of an AAHOA member after a confrontation with a guest who was asked to leave the property, AAHOA said in a statement. The association emphasized that hoteliers should assess the risks of handling confrontational situations independently and involve law enforcement when faced with potentially volatile encounters to ensure personal safety. Hemant Mistry, a 59-year-old hotel owner from Oklahoma City, was killed last month at his property.

The Home2 Suites by Hilton-Richmond is open in Richmond, Indiana. It is owned by The Witness Group led by Sachin Patel, Sagar Patel and Aakash Patel as principals and executive leadership team. It is managed by Hotel Equities of Atlanta. The 100-room extended-stay hotel is near Richmond Mall, the Indiana Football Hall of Fame, and Indiana University East. Dayton International Airport. Amenities include an indoor saline pool and electric vehicle charging stations. It is pet friendly. "The hotel staff has prioritized the health and safety of patrons by implementing HE's industry leading HEalth First standards of cleanliness and safety protocol as part of the early operations training," said David Rosenberg HE's vice president of operations. "These protocols, which are above and beyond brand standards, along with the team's delivery of superior customer service will give guests complete confidence during their stay and will position the hotel as a leader in the Richmond market."

HYATT INDIA RECENTLY launched the Vocational Education and Training Swiss Professional Diploma program across its properties, including Hyatt Regency Delhi, Andaz Delhi, Grand Hyatt Gurgaon and Hyatt Regency Lucknow. The company worked with the Confederation of Indian Industry and EHL Hospitality Business School to offer an 18-month program for students who have completed their higher secondary education with at least 50 percent marks in English. The program, divided into foundational, intermediate and advanced levels, will equip students with the skills and knowledge required to succeed in the hospitality industry, according to a joint press statement. "At a time when India is emerging as a global leader in the hospitality industry, there is significant growth potential for the youth of India who choose the VET by EHL program offered by the Confederation of Indian Industry," said Sunjae Sharma, Hyatt Hotels' managing director, India and Southwest Asia. "We are proud to be the first international hotel chain in India to collaborate with CII and EHL for this initiative and to contribute to training a new generation of hoteliers. I am confident that the learning and training imparted at Hyatt will enable these young minds to stand out in this competitive sector and achieve their dreams."

Yogesh Patel, Zeshan Chaudhry, Usha Patel, Dilip Patel and Hemant Shantilal Mistry; all were killed on duty at their own hotels. In response, AAHOA is providing instructions in a webinar on how to protect hoteliers' belongings and lives. The death of Oklahoma City hotelier Mistry on June 23 following an assault by an aggressive guest in his motel parking lot, is the most recent case of Asian American hoteliers being killed in conflicts with guests. The incident sparked an industry debate, emphasizing that hoteliers must now recognize the need to protect themselves, understanding both their rights as entrepreneurs and their duties to society. Some guests believe their payment gives them license to disregard basic etiquette, leading to increased anti-social behavior and vandalism, according to experts participating in AAHOA's webinar, "Essential Training for Hotel Owners: Managing Guest Misconduct and Ensuring Safety," held on July 17. The webinar provided insights on safely handling confrontational issues in daily operations.

ATRIUM HOSPITALITY MARKED the graduation of the inaugural class of WomenRISE, its female hotel general manager development program, which ran from February to October this year. The program helps women advance their careers through mentorship, resources and growth opportunities. Meanwhile, the selection process is underway for the next group of future GMs, set for career development in 2025, Atrium said in a statement. "Atrium's first year to offer our innovative WomenRISE program has been highly successful," said Anneliesse Cooper, Atrium Hospitality's chief human resources officer. "WomenRISE participants, instructors and mentors overwhelmingly agree that the investment in time and resources is hastening the career paths of women in hospitality. Through virtual group classes, individual interviews and 360-degree assessments for identifying strengths and areas for development, Atrium's WomenRISE 2024 class participants received focused training and mentoring to confidently move forward in their hotel career journeys."