AAHOACON21. After so much anticipation, it’s hard to believe it has already come and gone.
It’s the Super Bowl of the hotel industry, and while AAHOA’s annual convention varies from year to year, this year was an extra-special experience. We all know that if you aren’t a people person, this industry is likely not for you. We are all about interaction, and during the past year and a half, we were stripped of the very thing that makes us whole.
This convention is something AAHOA, including its members and industry partners, look forward to all year. But this year, we had an itch. We were all itching to have those face-to-face conversations once again. We were itching to be in a giant convention center together. We were itching for those interconnections that simply make us human – and hoteliers.
The planning required to pull off such a large convention is no easy feat. But AAHOA puts in long hours to ensure you, our members and industry partners, experience only the best.
It’s the time when our Board of Directors passes the baton to those next in line. We have a new Chair, Vinay Patel, whom I’m certain will lead AAHOA to the next level of greatness. Vinay made his mark in each position he held on the Board. I know he will pave the way for those following in his footsteps, and I look forward to working alongside him in the year to come.
In total, we welcomed 12 new Board members for the 2021-2022 year. I want to personally welcome the new slate of Directors to help lead the organization into the future.
AAHOACON might be over for 2021, but we are just getting started. AAHOA’s regionals season is now in full swing, running though December of this year. And we have events like the Lodging Conference this month and HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA in New York City coming up in November.
With a change in leadership and some exciting things planned for the months ahead, I’m looking forward to seeing how that change leads to more accomplishments and growth, as we are always striving for that.
AAHOA’s mission remains the same: to advance and protect the business interests of hotel owners through advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, member benefits, and community engagement.
But our goals are always evolving. We are committed to working even harder until we bounce back from the pandemic. By then, I’m sure we’ll have another list of new goals we want to accomplish.
Now that AAHOACON has allowed us to scratch that itch – having those face-to-face conversations, networking together under one roof, and re-establishing and building upon our interpersonal relationships – we have made up for lost time.
The road to recovery continues to run through AAHOA. We are Team AAHOA, and with our new Board leadership and Vinay at the helm, we will continue to accomplish so much more together.
