Cover Story
The Business of Independence
How One Hotelier Converted Two Franchise Properties Into Profitable Independent Hotels By Nicole Needles In the bustling hospitality landscape, Prativ Patel stands out as a beacon of entrepreneurial success. Having initially franchised both a Super 8 and a Howard Johnson by Wyndham, Patel boldly transitioned to independence when his franchising contracts expired. Through astute management and a keen eye for profitability, he transformed these properties into two thriving independent hotels near San Francisco’s airport: Hotel Aura, which he converted in 2016, and Hotel Skye, which…
Featured
Silos Out, Synergy In
How Collaborative Sales and Marketing Strategies Are Shaping Hotel Profitability By Christine Preusler While working as a revenue manager early in his career, Calvin Tilokee encountered a property with a storied past – a converted hat factory once home to pioneering women in the 1920s. Yet the hotel’s marketing was disappointingly generic, relying on bland visuals that…
Every Dollar Counts
Embrace Technology to Find Operational and Workforce Efficiencies By Nick Fortuna The protracted labor shortage affecting the hospitality industry shows no signs of abating, so hoteliers should embrace new technologies to boost workers’ job satisfaction and productivity. That’s a message from Dr. Suzanne Bagnera, a former hotel general manager who now leads the executive education program at…
Hyping Up Hospitality’s Rising Stars
AAHOA’s Second-Annual HYPE Conference Empowers the Next Generation of Hospitality Leaders By AAHOA Staff On February 6 and 7, young professionals from across the hospitality industry flocked to Mexico City for AAHOA’s Helping Young Professionals Evolve (HYPE) Conference. The milestone event – AAHOA’s first international conference – was designed to both inspire and connect the next generation…
Empowering Hoteliers with Innovative Accounting Solutions
A closer look at AAHOA and M3’s strategic partnership By Elsbeth Russell Looking back at innovations throughout history, some are simple – like the wheel – and some are complex – like DNA testing and sequencing. What successful innovations have typically had in common, though, is the fact that they occurred at the intersection of an unmet…
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Columns
The Heart and Soul of Alma San Juan
“Alma” means soul in Spanish. At Alma San Juan, Ankita Jain crafted a hospitality experience inspired by the soul of Puerto Rico – showcasing its history, its culture, and its people. By Amy Drew Thompson Ankita Jain was a seasoned traveler by the time she was 7, which was when her family relocated from Mumbai…
There’s Strength in Numbers
Leveraging AAHOA’s vendor relationships By Nick Fortuna When it comes to securing the best deals for members, size matters, and among industry associations, AAHOA is recognized as a power player. With a membership of almost 20,000 hoteliers representing more than half of all U.S. hotels, AAHOA gives members access to trusted vendors and pools their…
Boosting Workplace Morale
The power of celebrating small wins By Lisa Ryan, CSP Let’s dive into a topic that might surprise you a bit: celebrating at work. You might think, “Work is for, well, work, right?” But here’s a fun fact: throwing in a little celebration here and there can make the work we do even better. It’s…
What Does Work-Life Balance Really Mean?
By Janet Frank, Ph.D., A-CFHC, NBC-HWC, PFACBoard Certified Health and Wellness Coach Here’s the truth: “Work-life balance” is a myth. If balance meant equal time for everything, we’d spend eight hours working, eight hours sleeping, and eight hours doing everything else. But that’s not how life works, especially not for business owners like you. In…