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HUNDREDS OF RED Roof franchisees gathered for the company's 2021 regional meeting in Dallas. It was part of a "Look & Listen" tour for Red Roof's newly appointed President George Limbert, and it provided a snapshot of the company's future. Limbert and other company executives addressed the crowd of hotel owners during the conference at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center. Topics included updates on the company's new HomeTowne Studios prototype, launched in August during the 2021 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show, that the company said is more cost-effective to develop with improved operational efficiency. For Limbert, who was appointed in August, it was another opportunity to meet the people he serves in order to chart Red Roof's course in the post pandemic hospitality marketplace. Look & Listen Limbert said he went to 11 properties during a visit to Atlanta for the Red Roof regional meeting there the week before the Dallas event. He planned to visit 12 more during his time in Texas. "I'm a people person. I love people. I love learning their stories. I love hearing their origins stories, I love hearing about franchisees," Limbert said. "We've got such resilient franchisees. We started outperforming 2019 numbers in April of 2021. So, our recovery wasn't now, it wasn't the summer, it was in April, so our brand is resilient, our brand is doing great."

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THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC may be waning, but other factors are leading many people to stay home this holiday season, according to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and conducted by Morning Consult. High gas prices are a major reason given for opting out of Thanksgiving and Christmas journeys. AHLA's survey found that only 29 percent of Americans are likely to travel for Thanksgiving and 33 percent are likely to travel for Christmas. That is still a 21 percent and 24 percent increase respectively from 2020. The survey questioned 2,200 adults between Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. "While vaccines have helped travelers feel more comfortable, rising gas prices and continued concerns about the pandemic are making many Americans hesitant to travel during the holidays," said Chip Rogers, AHLA's president and CEO. "Despite a slight expected uptick in holiday travel this year, hotels will continue to face economic fallout from the pandemic, underscoring the need for targeted federal relief, such as the Save Hotel Jobs Act, to support the industry and its workforce until travel fully returns." Most of those who do plan to travel, 68 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and 64 percent of Christmas travelers, will be driving, the survey found. For Thanksgiving,11 percent plan to fly while 14 percent will take to the skyways for Christmas.

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."

WITH THE TENNESSEE River winding through downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, as a backdrop, Mitch Patel, president and CEO of Vision Hospitality Group, welcomed nearly 300 guests to a formal gala recognizing his company's 25th anniversary on Thursday. Among the guests were local officials, brand leaders, some of Patel's fellow hoteliers and the VHG employees who he said made it all possible. "I know many of you are tired and have early flights tomorrow, so I'll do my best to keep this short but I have a lot of people to thank, I'm sorry," Patel said in his speech near the end of the gala, following many presentations and a full dinner on the terrace at the Hunter Museum of American Art. The museum is next door to The Edwin Hotel, one of VHG's several boutique hotels in Chattanooga alone. Some guests for the gala also enjoyed complimentary housing at The Edwin for the special anniversary event, which was announced in March.

ON MONDAY THE Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals association politely declined an offer by the American Hotel and Lodging Association to merge the two organizations. Instead, HFTP's board of directors offered to enter into a memorandum of understanding with AHLA similar to agreements it has with other associations, such as AAHOA. HFTP said in a statement that, as a global organization "with members from the entire hospitality spectrum" it would not benefit those members to merge with a localized association such as AHLA. Instead, it suggested the MOU in keeping with HFTP's agreements with AAHOA, Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association, Hotel Asset Managers Association - Middle East, Hotel Controllers and Accountants Association of Hong Kong, National Club Association and the Association of Private Club Directors. "As a former director of AHLA, I know they do good work for the industry and their recent takeovers of HTNG and HAMA will definitely help these smaller associations," said Frank Wolfe, HFTP's CEO. "But HFTP is a global association with global brands: HITEC, PineappleSearch.com, the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry and global certifications/certificates, not to mention our members from non-hotel segments. Our mission is education not advocacy."

TARAN PATEL, MANAGING principal of A-1 Hospitality Group and AAHOA Northwest regional director, has received the 2023 Lodging Operator of the Year award by the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association for his outstanding contributions to both the hospitality industry and communities. "Oregon's hospitality industry is filled with remarkable, passionate people who go above and beyond on a daily basis because they love what they do," said Jason Brandt, ORLA president and CEO. "These recipients represent not only some of our industry's most dedicated leaders and advocates, but also the exemplary service that sets the high standard for the entire industry to achieve." Following the completion of his MBA in 2015, Taran began working in operations and development, contributing to the company culture established by his parents. Under his leadership, A-1 Hospitality Group's hotels not only offered crucial assistance to their communities during the pandemic but also stayed operational, safeguarding job stability for their team members and enabling them to provide for their families during challenging times.

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."

HOTELS ARE THE top lodging choice for holiday travelers who are certain to take trips in the next three months, according to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. AHLA also announced a new system for indexing bookings. The new national Hotel Booking Index Survey, conducted by Morning Consult for AHLA, revealed that 31 percent of Thanksgiving travelers plan to stay in a hotel during their trip, compared to 22 percent who planned to do so last year. The survey of 4,000 adults, conducted between Oct. 14 to 16, said that 28 percent of Christmas travelers plan to stay in a hotel during their trip, compared to 23 percent in 2021. As many as 54 percent of those who are certain to travel for leisure in the next three months plan to stay in a hotel.

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."

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."

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."

NEARLY 80 PERCENT of travelers said that the latest COVID-19 variant, BA5, is unlikely to make them cancel or postpone international travel this year, according to a survey from travel risk assessment firm Global Rescue. At the same time, Global Rescue said relaxed COVID-19 recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could encourage travelers' confidence. The floodgates are opening The Summer 2022 Global Rescue Traveler Safety and Sentiment Survey found that 68 percent of respondents have already traveled internationally since the pandemic. Another 16 percent expects to travel abroad by the end of the year and 9 percent plan to do so in the first quarter of 2023. "Whether it's revenge travel or responsible travel following vaccination, or a combination of both, 7-out-of-10 travelers are much less concerned about travel compared to the beginning of the pandemic," said Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce. "They feel safe enough to plan trips and vacations because they're vaccinated, borders are open, and they have confidence they'll be able to get home if the worst happens." The U.S. ending its requirement for a negative COVID test to enter the country in June also went far in increasing confidence and encouraging visits from international travelers, Richards said. Nearly half of travelers, 49 percent, said that they are more likely to travel internationally in the next 12 months as COVID related restrictions are relaxed.

THE AMERICAN FRANCHISE business model is in trouble, according to a recent survey commissioned by AAHOA. The survey was inspired by a webinar AAHOA co-sponsored to gather public comment on the state of franchising for the Federal Trade Commission. The survey found that only 5 percent of the franchisee respondents are satisfied that their current franchise agreements provide fair terms representing a balanced relationship between themselves and their franchiser. Also, 72.6 percent of respondents would "possibly" or "probably" terminate their current franchised business within the next year if they could do so without penalty. "Franchising is in dire straits unless changes are made," said Laura Lee Blake, AAHOA president and CEO. "Franchising is still a powerful tool for economic mobility for America's small-business owners, including AAHOA Members. But franchising only works when both franchisors and franchisees are committed to its success, which requires transparency, fairness, and sustainable business practices. As this survey shows, there is much room for improvement when it comes to relationships that allow our small-business owners to thrive." Blake recently wrote an editorial supporting AAHOA's 12 Points of Fair Franchising and its promotion of a proposed New Jersey law that would reform that state's franchising regulations in ways similar to the 12 points. Several large hotel companies, including Choice Hotels International and Marriott International, protested AAHOA's recent annual convention in protest to its position on franchise reform The survey was conducted among owners of hotels, restaurants, retail stores and other small businesses that had participated in the FTC webinar. It was co-sponsored by the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers, and the Coalition of Franchisee Associations, conducted the survey after a recent webinar with FTC Chair Lina Khan. The FTC is soliciting comments through June 8 about issues that affect franc

HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS are welcoming two laws, one proposed on a federal level and another passed by the state of Tennessee. The federal law is long-awaited clarification of the definition joint employers and the Tennessee law limits regulations by local governments in the state that would affect small businesses, including hotels. A clear definition Versions of the Save Local Business Act recently was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. Sponsors of the bill say it will provide clarity on Department of Labor's proposed new joint employer rules that have undergone multiple changes lately, leading to legal confusion. "You can't focus on running a business if the federal government keeps changing the rules. The Save Local Business Act provides long-overdue clarity and consistency that will protect our nation's small businesses," said one of the bill's sponsors, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall. "The Biden Administration's Labor Department has relied on complicated court rulings to handle joint employers instead of providing clear guidance to the business community. In a time of economic hardship, we should be doing all that we can to help our nation's small businesses, not let the heavy hand of government regulations run amok."

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.

HYATT HOTELS CORPORATION has signed franchise agreements with 3H Group and Presidio Hotel Development to open Hyatt Studios in two states. Led by founder Hiren Desai, 3H Group will introduce the studios in Mobile, Alabama, while Guneet Bajwa heads the effort for Presidio Hotel Development in Marysville, California, and both are expected to open by late 2024 to 2025. Following its April launch, Hyatt has garnered letters of interest for more than 100 Hyatt Studios, marking its inaugural upper-midscale extended-stay brand in the Americas, the company said in a statement. "Hyatt's expansion into these new markets through Hyatt Studios hotels underscores our dedication to developers, guests, and World of Hyatt members," said Dan Hansen, global head of Hyatt Studios. "We've learned that when Hyatt guests stay with a competing brand, they appear to do so for one of two reasons: the absence of a Hyatt hotel within five miles or the choice to stay at a lower chain scale. By offering Hyatt options in these fresh markets, we foster brand loyalty without internal competition and present developers with untapped opportunities."

WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE producer Unifocus recently marked its 25th anniversary of doing business. The company recently acquired operations management platform Knowcross and celebrated several other milestones it has met since its founding in 1998. Unifocus was founded in the same year Google started up, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was released and the first WiFi standards were set. The company's labor management system, the first of its kind according to Unifocus, includes scheduling automation and, with the Knowcross acquisition, real-time data for forecasting, scheduling, task execution and tracking of guest and employee satisfaction. "Twenty-five years of serving the hospitality industry and counting," says Moneesh Arora, Unifocus chief executive. "We're filled with gratitude for our clients who've been part of this journey, as well as our incredibly dedicated team that makes our vision a reality. Our success stems from our commitment to truly understanding the needs of hoteliers, which continually inspires us to enhance and innovate our hotel operations technology."

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