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AAHOA'S NEWEST PROJECT aimed at promoting women in hospitality is the "ElevateHER Women's Initiative to Highlight and Support Women Hoteliers and Leaders in the Industry." The initiative, launched Tuesday, will offer networking and educational opportunities for women hoteliers and hospitality industry professionals. As part of ElevateHER, AAHOA is hosting the Women Hoteliers ElevateHER Conference on Oct. 26 to 27 in Cincinnati. The conference will focus on bringing together AAHOA's community of women hoteliers for education, inspiration, and empowerment. "AAHOA has been proud to celebrate the important work women are doing at every level of hospitality, and this initiative further underscores our commitment to the women of AAHOA and elevating their contributions to the industry," said Laura Lee Blake, AAHOA's first full-time female president and CEO appointed in May. "While there's still much work to be done, AAHOA recognizes the significant strides women have made to be seen at industry events, heard in the boardroom, and valued in the workplace. ElevateHER celebrates these accomplishments and will further drive our association's work around elevating and supporting women in the industry."

THREE MAJOR U.S. hospitality firms have donated $1 million to the No Room for Trafficking Survivors Fund by the American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation to support human trafficking prevention and survivors, a statement said. The Hyatt Hotels Foundation donated $500,000 to the fund and the G6 Hospitality and Extended Stay America gave a combined $500,000 to the initiative, AHLA said in a statement. The fund supports economic stability for survivors of human trafficking. It also provides advance training and education to prevent human trafficking within the industry. A representative from the Hyatt Hotels Foundation will serve as co-chair of the No Room for Trafficking Advisory Council. "We recognize the potential of human trafficking to intersect with the hospitality industry and believe that one of the best ways the industry can combat the egregious violation of fundamental human rights is through efforts like the AHLA Foundation's No Room for Trafficking Survivors Fund," said Malaika Myers, the Hyatt foundation's chief human resource officer. "The fight against human trafficking has no finish-line, and as an industry we will continue to provide cutting-edge resources and support to ensure we are doing all we can to prevent and respond to human trafficking," said Rosanna Maietta, president and CEO of AHLA Foundation.

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association and the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International Americas have formed a partnership that will more closely align the two associations to benefit their respective members and advance the hospitality industry, AHLA said in a statement. Also, AHLA and its technology committee, HTNG, announced the inaugural AHLA Technology Acceleration Award, a new program to recognize companies that are advancing innovation in hospitality technology. According to the statement, the partnership will create linkages to the industry's sales, marketing, and revenue optimization professionals for AHLA, while expanding HSMAI's organizational reach by aligning it with America's largest hotel association. Under the new agreement, effective April 25, AHLA will provide HSMAI with opportunities to participate in AHLA's On the Road events, and HSMAI will promote the events to its members and local chapters. AHLA and HSMAI will also promote each other's events, campaigns, and education and certification programs, and have reciprocal participation in distribution-focused committees. As per the agreement, AHLA and HSMAI will further explore opportunities to align the work of both organizations' foundations to address industry-wide initiatives on workforce and promoting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. AHLA and HSMAI leadership will meet regularly to discuss and coordinate key strategic industry issues and shared objectives, the agreement noted. AHLA said the AHLA-HSMAI partnership expands upon a relationship the two organizations started early last year, when HSMAI became a content partner for AHLA's On The Road state hotel conference series, offering innovative and exclusive revenue generation insights at On The Road events.

Joe Palmer is now vice president of risk management for Atlanta-based Peachtree Hospitality Management. Also, Jatin Desai, managing principal and CFO for Peachtree Hotel Group and immediate past chair of the Atlanta Hospitality Alliance welcomed the new president of that organization, Kim Bardoul. Peachtree Hospitality Management is an affiliate of Peachtree Hotel Group. Previously, Palmer, who joined PHM in 2019, provided corporate support for a portfolio of 77 full-service and select-service properties. He also held positions with Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort, South Seas Island Resort and the Inns of Sanibel and Streamsong Resort.

AAHOA's 12 POINTS of Fair Franchising are meant to serve as a template for hotel franchisers to use in how they relate to association members. One of those franchisers, G6 Hospitality, recently responded and let AAHOA leadership know how they're applying the points. G6, parent company of Motel 6 and Studio 6 economy brands, provided an analysis of all the 12 points in which the company provides additional commentary and clarification around the brand's practices related to its franchisees, according to AAHOA. The association released the 12 Points in April as part of educational offerings. Rob Palleschi, CEO of G6 Hospitality, said his company emphasizes open communication and collaboration with its franchisees. "We value our relationship with AAHOA and are committed to open communication and collaboration to support both our owners and our industry," said Rob Palleschi, CEO of G6 Hospitality.

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association and the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals Association announced a 10-year agreement to jointly produce the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry, a statement said. The USALI is the global "standard" for hospitality accounting and HFTP purchased rights to its contents in 2018. AHLA and HFTP have reengaged the joint Global Finance Committee that is responsible for creating content for USALI's 12th edition to be released next year, according to AHLA. For many years, AHLA's Financial Management Committee was responsible for creating content for the USALI. HFTP purchased USALI's intellectual property, publishing and distribution rights from the Hotel Association of New York City. "After our decision to publish on our own, many in the industry contacted both HFTP and AHLA to see if we could find a way to work together," said Frank Wolfe, HFTP's CEO. "Both organizations had the willingness to work together, but like any business deal the decision was in the details. Associations are a bit different animal than corporate enterprises. Today we may work together on one project and tomorrow will be dead on competitors so there were lots of details to refine. The good news is that both organizations worked exceptionally hard to put those competitive differences aside and advance the industry."

EV HOTELS, A new technology-centric hotel brand founded by Ken Patel, is entering the "metaverse" by way of a partnership with "metavestor" club BAPESWORLD. Patel said his will be the first hotel company to play in the still fluidly defined metaverse, essentially a combination of online gaming, virtual reality, cyber meeting spaces and ecommerce. When completed, EV Hotels will include a "crypto trade floor" in partnership with EV Hotel has partnered with cryptocurrency and NFT exchange Chicago Digital Exchange where the crypto trading community can meet in person to share information and expertise. Individual traders and companies will be able to buy membership trading rights through CDX that will include discounted exchange fees and other exchange amenities at the EV Hotel trading floors. Under the new agreement, BAPES will be featured in the "non-fungible tokens" lobby where it will have NFTs for sale for in-person and in the metaverse. "Ventures like this are new to the hospitality and digital world, and that is why I am excited to announce the partnership between EV Hotel and BAPE," Patel said. "This sort of partnership usually does not come to market, and to have metaverse in the same sentence with hospitality is unheard of. The world's first hotel brand to hit the metaverse. What we are doing is to create an experience that brings hospitality back and gives it life again. Innovation is a team sport, and this venture merges the capabilities of our respective teams."

PEACHTREE GROUP RECENTLY introduced new branding, logo and tagline, "Guided by Intuition, Grounded by Expertise." The branding update aims to project the company's integrated investment strategies and service platforms. This change consolidates the company's varied brand portfolio, renaming Stonehill as Peachtree Group Credit and Peachtree Hospitality Management as Peachtree Group Hospitality Management, the company said in a statement. "The new branding has given us a competitive edge in attracting top-tier talent, ensuring a consistent influx of the best minds and skills to navigate an ever-changing business landscape," said Greg Friedman, CEO and managing principal of Peachtree Group. "Moreover, our strategic branding approach, aimed at consolidating our diverse range of businesses, is poised to unleash even greater untapped potential within our investment platform. This platform, already proven in its value in the hospitality sector, has played a pivotal role in our expansion and diversification into other real estate sectors and ventures."

INDUS HOSPITALITY GROUP in Rochester, New York, has opened a new Microtel Hotel by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in Warsaw, New York. The company, led by Jett Mehta, also broke ground on another Microtel in Farmington, New York. The 67-room hotel in Warsaw opened July 21 near Letchworth State Park. It features a meeting room, a fitness center and outside firepit. Rooms are singles, doubles and suites. Mehta and Tammy Murphy, Indus vice president, broke ground on the 60-room Farmington Microtel on July 24. Nearby attractions will include New York state's Finger Lakes region. Amenities will include meeting rooms, a fitness center and business center. "We look forward to welcoming travelers to the area's newest hotel, scheduled to open in June 2021," Murphy said.

Sameer Nair is now senior vice president of acquisitions and development for Atlanta-based hotel investment and management firm Hospitality Ventures Management Group. Prior to joining HVMG, Nair oversaw transactions worth more than $600 million as vice president of investments and capital markets for Delray Beach-based Kolter Hospitality, the company said in a statement. In a career span of 11 years, Nair has sourced and closed deals worth more than $350 million across Hilton-, Hyatt-, IHG-, Marriott-franchised hotels and also negotiated and restructured $1 billion of existing debt. "An industry expert with more than a decade of hospitality real estate experience, Sameer immediately brings a wealth of knowledge and industry relationships he's acquired during his decorative career thus far. His presence immediately augments and broadens our already strong bench strength, and we look forward to Sameer playing an important role in helping HVMG and our owners and investors achieve their growth goals," said Robert Cole, HVMG president and CEO.

IHG HOTELS & RESORTS hopes to draw more young college graduates to the hospitality field, particularly among historically underrepresented groups, through a new partnership with Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College in Atlanta. As part of the tie-up, IHG will provide resources to support students' professional development in the hospitality sector and create employment opportunities. The initiative is part of IHG's early-career recruitment program, according to IHG, which also is based in Atlanta. "Our partnerships with Clark Atlanta University and Morehouse College underscore IHG's commitment to supporting the success of future leaders and increasing ethnically and racially diverse talent within our company," said Elie Maalouf, CEO of IHG Americas. "Our goal is to create meaningful engagements that open more doors of opportunity for underrepresented groups. I recently had the pleasure of meeting a few of our summer interns from both schools and it was inspiring to be among a new generation of up-and-coming talent that we hope will soon come back to IHG."

Recently, Larry Cuculic, president and CEO of BWH Hotel Group, sat down with Asian Hospitality to share his insights into the status of the Best Western Hotel brand and the industry as a whole. A video of the entire interview, the first in Asian Hospitality's "Leadership Series," is now available on the magazine's website. Subjects included the labor crisis, attracting new franchisees and the state of the economy. Below are excerpts from the interview along with additional information on the subjects discussed, including franchise relations, the labor crisis and changes the company has seen since his appointment to the top role. Franchise relations One of the biggest issues Cuculic discusses in the interview is maintaining positive relations with Best Western franchisees. He emphasized the need for openness and transparency. "We disclose all of our contract terms throughout the negotiation. I tell our people, I believe in karma," Cuculic said in the Leadership Series interview. "Karma doesn't forget a name or an address. If you treat someone who's thinking about coming into your brand reasonably fairly, and then when they sign a contract, you drive revenue to them, that's a win-win relationship. That's what we want. If you don't have that win-win relationship, they're going to leave and your reputation is that you don't support your hoteliers or believe in that relationship, which then hinders development." Cuculic said his training at West Point Military Academy and law school at Notre Dame University instilled in him an innate sense of fairness. Also, due to its structure, the company has to involve its members in every decision. "I'm the president, CEO of Best Western, I cannot design a governance change," Cuculic said. "The members vote on all those changes. Our board of directors approves our contracts."

Matthew Hostetler, chief development officer at Red Roof, has been operating outside his wheelhouse for about 18 years now. In this installment of Asian Hospitality's Leadership Series, he explains how he does it all with a smile on his face. Hostetler was at the Hunter Hotel Conference in March in Atlanta when he took time to talk about his history in the hotel business along with the current status of Red Roof. Topics also included AAHOA's 12 Points of Fair Franchising, the company's preparations for possible economic headwinds this year and the success of Red Roof's newest brand. Same job, different industry In 2002, Hostetler was recruited by Cendant Hotel Group, which is now Wyndham Hotel Group, to conduct franchise sales under Phil Hugh, who was at that time senior vice president for franchise sales. That was when he stepped out of his comfort zone. "I said yes to an opportunity that was way, in sales was not outside of my wheelhouse, but outside of my industry," Hostetler said. "I was in transportation for 15 years before that. So yeah, that definitely outside the wheelhouse." In 2014, he joined Red Roof as the senior vice president of development, again working under Hugh. In 2020, when Hugh left the company, Hostetler became chief development officer. Now he's settled into the job. "I love the hotel business. I love hospitality. I love the people in this business, how they are so entrepreneurial," Hostetler said. But there's also so people oriented as well. That's what attracts talent so much right? Hospitality. Everyone has a smile on their face most of the time."

THE U.S. ADDED 428,000 jobs in April, keeping the unemployment rate at 3.6 percent, just above the level two years ago, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. However, the leisure and hospitality sector saw some of the slowest growth in job creation. After spiking to 14.7 percent in April 2020 following business closures across the country due to COVID-19, unemployment has declined steadily and is now just a hair above its 3.5 percent rate before the pandemic, the latest jobs report indicates. The number of unemployed people was at 5.9 million in April, not far from where it was in February 2020, new data showed.

VERAKIN CAPITAL, A real estate investment group, exceeded its $350 million investment milestone in the first quarter of this year. The company has made collective investments in three hotel properties that are currently in various stages of development; the Moxy in downtown Atlanta, Georgia; Hampton Inn/Home 2 in downtown Nashville, Tennessee; and Courtyard by Marriott in Pittsburg, California, the company said in a statement. Verakin, led by partners Rupesh and Bimal Patel and Hiten Suraj, is the lead developer of the Courtyard by Marriott, while the company is co-investing in the other two projects alongside RevPar Development and Emerge Hospitality Group, according to the statement. RevPar Development is a privately-owned hotel development and management company on the East Coast, while Emerge Hospitality Group is a family-owned and -operated hotel ownership, development and management company. "We are developing both on our own behalf and in joint ventures with like-minded investment groups," Rupesh Patel said. "We are seeing that newer hotels and brands are faring better than their older counterparts as travel rebounds in many markets and segments. To help satiate our investment growth appetite, we will continue to seek best-in-class partners, such as RevPar Development and Emerge Hospitality Group, who have proven track records as credible institutional investors, developers and operators." The Moxy hotel in downtown Atlanta, will feature 181 rooms spread across 13 floors and is scheduled to open mid-2026 before the FIFA World Cup. The centrally located hotel will cater to both business and leisure travelers and will offer three food and beverage options, including a roof top bar and lounge with views of the Mercedes Benz Stadium.

THE AHLA FOUNDATION, is re-launching its ForWard program, created to advance women in leadership and ownership within the hotel industry, and plans to integrate the program with the recently acquired Castell Project, an organization focused on promoting women in hospitality leadership. Also, the foundation presented the 2023 Peggy Berg Castell Award to Julienne Smith, IHG Hotels & Resorts' chief development officer for the Americas. The integration of ForWard and the Castell Project will result in a unified platform offering resources, events, professional development, and community-building opportunities, the AHLA Foundation said in a statement. "There is tremendous opportunity for us to do more to celebrate, champion, and create community for women," said Anna Blue, president of AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. "AHLA Foundation is uniquely positioned to collaborate across industry and invest in the women who are advancing hospitality."

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association is set to host the inaugural General Manager Summit at "The Hospitality Show" on June 28 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. The first-of-its kind event will be held annually and bring together hotel GMs from across the country to hear from expert speakers, share best practices and network. The event will also celebrate the industry's best GMs via an awards ceremony, AHLA said in a statement. "General Managers are the backbone of any hotel, and that's precisely why AHLA offers this important group of professionals a host of top-notch professional development, networking and event opportunities," said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. "AHLA's General Manager Summit at The Hospitality Show is the can't-miss event of the year for GMs, and we're excited to see you there this June." AHLA said the event is free for all GMs attending The Hospitality Show, which takes place June 27-29 at The Venetian Las Vegas, but GM summit attendees must register for the event here.

THE DEBUT PROPERTY of Vision Hospitality Group's lifestyle The Tribute Portfolio, the Kinley Cincinnati Downtown, is now open in Cincinnati, Ohio. Two more are planned to follow in Vision Hospitality's hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee, and in Louisville, Kentucky. The 94-room hotel is in the city's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood with nearby attractions including the William Howard Taft National Historic Site, the Cincinnati Art Museum and Cincinnati Music Hall. Vision Hospitality, led by Mitch Patel as CEO, renovated the historic Denton Building, constructed in 1916 by Cincinnati architect Alfred Oscar Elzner, to house the hotel. Kinley Cincinnati Downtown décor features artwork showing local history local art pieces curated in partnership with the Cincinnati Art Underground. It includes the restored mural "Allegro" painted by artist Barron Krody for the 1971 series entitled Urban Walls: Cincinnati.

The Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Tampa Riverview is now open in Riverview, Florida. It is owned by Riverview Hotels & Resorts LLC led by manager Singh Japinder and managed by Naples Hotel Group of Naples, Florida. The 108-room hotel is near James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, Topgolf and Bass Pro Shops. Hotel amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, fitness center and 512 square feet of meeting space to accommodate functions of up to 40 people. "The Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Tampa Riverview is a truly stunning example of the brand's contemporary look and feel, and we are pleased to introduce Fairfield by Marriott hotels in the Riverview area," said Janis Milham, Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader, Classic Select Brands at Marriott International.

FOUR HOTELS RECENTLY joined Hospitality International's hihotels brand, including three Red Carpet Inns along the East Coast and a new-build Scottish Inns outside of Houston, Texas. The company expects more growth in the future. Hihotels includes five brands Scottish Inns, Red Carpet Inn, Master Hosts Inns, Downtowner Inns and Passport Inn. The new properties include. Red Carpet Inn in Elkton, Maryland, 55 rooms, former Days Inn Red Carpet Inn in North Brunswick, New Jersey, 50 rooms, former independent Red Carpet Inn in Edison, New Jersey, 42 rooms, former OYO Hotel Scottish Inns in Richmond, Texas, 35 rooms, new construction While three of the four are conversions, the property in Richmond is the latest new build to join the brand. Two other Scottish Inns construction projects are currently ongoing in Texas in Houston and Forest Hill. Another new build recently opened in Hitchcock, Texas.