Cover Story
On the Hill
AAHOA’s National Leadership & Advocacy Conference brought hospitality’s priorities to Washigton By Jodi Scott In September, AAHOA Members put the hospitality industry’s priorities directly in front of policymakers, holding hundreds of meetings with members of Congress and their staff during AAHOA’s 2026 National Leadership & Advocacy Conference. The conference, held September 15–16, brought hotel owners from across the country to Washington to advocate for policies affecting their businesses. For hotel owners, federal policies can directly affect the cost of doing business and their ability to…
Featured
Beyond the Ballot Box
What’s at stake for hotel owners in the 2026 midterm elections By AAHOA Staff As the 2026 midterm elections approach, hotel owners and operators are watching a policy landscape that reaches far beyond the ballot box. Access to capital, labor costs, regulations, taxes, joint-employer liability, and tourism promotion all stand to shape the industry’s bottom line depending…
A Roadmap to the Future
AAHOA’s new strategic plan sets the course for the next five years By Cathleen Draper In August, the AAHOA Board of Directors voted to approve a new Strategic Plan, a five-year roadmap that focuses on strengthening AAHOA’s advocacy efforts, expanding education for hotel owners, operators, and their staff, and delivering greater value to the members the association…
Your Vote Is Your Voice
How to make sure yours is heard in this year’s elections By Cathleen Draper Advocacy takes many forms. It can take shape as calls, emails, or letters to your representatives, or petitions and public demonstrations. It looks like going door to door on behalf of a political candidate, scheduling meetings with elected officials, or donating to a…
Columns
Are You Prepared to Vote?
The resources you need to exercise your civic duty By Cathleen Draper There is no shortage of decisions to make during election season and increasingly, no shortage of logistics to work through. For the upcoming midterm elections on November 3, there are registration deadlines to track, polling places to confirm, and candidates and ballot measures…
Your Vote Is a Business Decision
Independent hoteliers cannot afford to sit out the 2026 elections By Aaryan Patel Independent hotel owners make decisions every day that directly affect the future of their businesses. We evaluate expenses, negotiate contracts, manage employees, review insurance costs, monitor taxes, and determine where to invest our capital. Yet, one of the decisions with potentially the…
Who’s Advocating for Your Energy Bill?
For most hotel owners, energy costs run on autopilot, and that’s exactly the problem By Dave Hennekes Hotel owners negotiate for almost everything: Commission rates with OTAs, terms with linen and laundry vendors, pricing with F&B suppliers, renewal terms on PMS and POS systems. Many work with a broker for property insurance and a franchise…