AAHOA on a roll, empowers members, fortifies its presence in corridors of power

Hosts Congressional Day and Capitol Hill Reception, Women's Leadership and Ambassadors conferences

AAHOA members at the Capitol Hill

The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), one of the leading forces in the hospitality industry, under the able leadership of chairman Alkesh Patel hosted its annual Congressional Day & Capitol Hill Reception on September 12, 2012. The AAHOA delegation to Washington, D.C., which included more than 175 AAHOA leaders from throughout the United States, met with 135 Congressional offices to promote AAHOA legislative initiatives.

Attendees of AAHOA's Women in Hotel Leadership (WIHL) Conference

The first legislative priority that the AAHOA delegates presented to members of Congress involved reauthorizing and modernizing SBA loan programs, including reauthorizing the temporary SBA 504 refinancing and FMLP programs that are set to expire September 27, 2012. Second, the delegates promoted the "Jobs Originated through the Launching of Travel" (JOLT) Act. This program, among other things, would reform visa processing standards and expand the Visa Waiver Program to increase international tourism to the United States. Finally, the delegates supported the proposed "Pool Safety and Accessibility for Everyone" (Pool SAFE) Act. This legislation currently has versions proposed in both the House and Senate that would help hotel owners reasonably comply with mandates arising from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for swimming pool lifts.

The Capitol Hill Reception held later that evening at the United Way Worldwide facility in Alexandria, Va., included keynote speaker Roger Dow, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association; special guest speakers U.S. Representative Mick Mulvaney (R-SC), U.S. Representative Joe Wilson (R-SC), Jim Bridenstine, a Republican candidate for Congress from Oklahoma, and Tulsi Gabbard, a Democratic candidate from Hawaii running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives who has been reported by some to be a virtual lock to win; as well as guest speakers Sherrie Brach, Executive Vice President of Investor Relations for United Way Worldwide, Diane Farrell, senior director and executive vice president, US India Business Council (USIBC), and Roma Bose, Director of Organizational Development for United Way Worldwide.

"As the voice of hotel owners in this country, our members each have a unique story to tell when it comes to informing members of Congress about how certain legislation affects our industry and small business owners in general," said AAHOA Chairman Alkesh Patel. "When we arrive on the Hill with such a strong showing of AAHOA leaders, our message is clearly heard, and we create long-lasting relationships with elected officials that will benefit the industry for years to come." "Organizations with the size and reach of AAHOA have a responsibility to speak up for the thousands of businesses across the country that will be affected by issues addressed by our legislative priorities," said AAHOA President Fred Schwartz. "Our leaders and members stepped up and presented a unified front that will impact policymakers on Capitol Hill."

The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) is THE voice of owners in the hospitality industry. Founded in 1989, AAHOA is now one of the fastest-growing organizations in the industry, with more than 11,000 members owning more than 20,000 hotels that total $128 billion in property value. AAHOA members employ 578,600 full- and part-time workers with a $9.4 billion payroll. AAHOA Officers include Chairman Alkesh R. Patel, CHO; Vice Chairman Mehul B. "Mike" Patel, CHA, CHO; Treasurer Pratik R. Patel, CHA, CHO; Secretary Jay R. "Jimmy" Patel, CHO; and President Fred Schwartz, each of whom works closely with a 33-member Board of Directors to provide direction for the association.

On September 11, 150 AAHOA Ambassadors from throughout the country gathered for one-of-a-kind conference at the Best Western Plus Hotel & Conference Center, Baltimore for training, networking and much more.

AAHOA Ambassadors have a very important role in serving as a bridge between the association and the local communities within their regions where the members face the same tough everyday issues that the AAHOA Board and staff work very hard to address. "Specifically, the mission of the Ambassador program is to promote and nurture the association-member relationship through regional representation, networking, communication, membership growth and leadership development. This conference is critical because it offers training on what their roles will be and answers any questions or concerns they may have encountered since they began their terms as Ambassadors," said chairman Alkesh Patel. AAHOA also hosted its Women in Hotel Leadership (WIHL) Conference on September 11. With women gaining a larger leadership role in AAHOA and the hospitality industry each day, the WIHL Conference was designed to offer networking, leadership training and valuable education resources to help them in today's market.

AAHOA empowers its female members to be leaders within the association, the hospitality industry and their local communities at large. To promote the growth of women's roles, AAHOA holds various WIHL events throughout the year in a number of cities across the country. With segments of this event ranging from exciting guest speakers including motivational speaker Greg Blake, who is Chief "Encouragement" Officer for PepWorks International, to education sessions regarding the most important issues facing women today.

[ BY LAVANYA GARIKINA ]