A look back at this magazine’s first decade
By Cathleen Draper
A little over 10 years ago, AAHOA was at an inflection point. The association had grown from a community connected by its shared heritage into something much larger and more ambitious – an industry-leading organization comprised of entrepreneurs, innovators, and industry leaders. AAHOA leadership felt compelled to create a publication that embodied the same spirit of progress.
“The vision was simple: Create something worthy of the modern AAHOA Member,” recalled Past AAHOA Chairman Bharat (Bruce) Patel (2016-17). “Not just a trade publication, but a platform that spoke to hotel owners of 2016 and beyond – men and women who understood the industry deeply and were committed to keeping it thriving. It was also a symbol of AAHOA’s evolution – a new outlook, not just a new look.”
At the time, AAHOA published Lodging Business, its first iteration of a monthly magazine. This brand-new product would be more than an update to that publication, but instead a full rebrand with thoughtful design, targeted content, and a modern strategy. It would be a trusted platform for storytelling, connection, and communication.
Launching a new publication and brand identity at that scale required alignment and commitment, and the AAHOA leadership team believed strongly in its purpose. In 2016, the first issue of Today’s Hotelier hit the press, and this year, it celebrates a decade of impactful and inspiring content. Since its launch, it has become a valuable resource and a consistent touchpoint for members and industry professionals alike.
“Today’s Hotelier has been important for our members because it shares real stories from hotel owners and our vendor partners,” said AAHOA Chairman Rahul Patel. “People get ideas they can actually use in their business. It helps members stay connected and learn from each other, and that makes our community stronger.”
What’s In a Name?
Launching a new magazine was no small feat. The tiniest details required the same level of care and thought as the big-picture goals.
Choosing a new name was the start. The team behind the magazine’s rebrand took to the internet, researching other industry publications to determine which names weren’t available in the hospitality media landscape. After whittling away, Today’s Hotelier won – a memorable moniker rife with opportunities for AAHOA to play off of it. (Around the same time the new magazine launched, AAHOA developed the Hotelier Weekly newsletter to augment the publication.) Most importantly, that title reflected who the magazine is truly for.
“Hotelier was chosen specifically because it clearly articulated who the audience is, and that this is for hoteliers and not necessarily for everybody in the business of hotels,” reflected Heather Carnes, former AAHOA EVP of Communications and Chief Strategy Officer, now director and founder of the Carnes Agency. Carnes served as the editor of Today’s Hotelier from the start before officially joining AAHOA’s staff.
The rebrand process began in the final two months of 2015 with the goal of debuting the inaugural issue at AAHOACON 2016. The quick turnaround put the idea of what Today’s Hotelier would become into hyperdrive. Carnes knew the team behind it only got one chance for a first impression, so they had to get it right in a tight timeframe.
It was her first AAHOACON, and her most memorable. “Seeing this massive picture of the cover on stage was probably one of the proudest moments of my career,” Carnes said. “You put so much work into it, and then to see it come to life and see the industry accept it and celebrate it was really exciting.”
The Early Days and Evolution
Immediately after its rebrand, the magazine’s content shifted in subject and tone. The content was also slated to change in order to highlight the transition as well as focus on modern changes that were necessary to meets today’s owners’ needs,” said Past AAHOA Chairman Jay (Jimmy) Patel, CHO (2015-16).
To bring the vision for the magazine to life required a close connection to AAHOA Members. AAHOA and the editorial team surveyed members, prioritized authentic storytelling, and focused on topics that mattered most to hotel owners and operators.
In its early days, Today’s Hotelier published high-level articles on leadership and entrepreneurship, and as time went on, the editorial team distilled it, delving into the nitty-gritty realities of hotel ownership in today’s climate. AAHOA recognized that if members were spending the time reading the magazine and absorbing its information, the goal of Today’s Hotelier should be to ensure each reader walks away with action-oriented guidance to apply to their business versus a long list of generalities.
“That’s something that we were really intentional about after we got up and running,” Carnes said. “How do we constantly improve? How do we constantly make it better?”
At the start, Today’s Hotelier was an industry publication, intended to discuss best practices in hospitality management, operations, and ownership across the industry.
“The beautiful thing about it is through the course of change and evolution … AAHOA acknowledged the idea that it should be member-first, and that if it serves members, it will still be an industry magazine,” Carnes said.
Thus, Today’s Hotelier evolved into a vehicle to communicate member benefits, showcase AAHOA’s work, highlight members’ successes and their contributions, and deliver content that is uniquely useful to them. There are plenty of resources where hoteliers can learn ownership best practices and operational how-tos – and Today’s Hotelier remains one of them – but there is just one magazine where they can hear stories about fellow members, what they’ve overcome, and their triumphs in the industry. It’s right here, in these pages.
Hand in Hand with AAHOA
This magazine exists for many reasons, one of which is to be a consistent, tangible touch point to tell member stories and to champion AAHOA and its work. And like AAHOA, Today’s Hotelier connects the different facets of the industry together.
Carnes provided an example. The advertisers who are a part of the fabric of the magazine – many of which have been in these pages from the very beginning – support the work of both the publication and AAHOA. One of AAHOA’s core member benefits is its vendor partner program, which connects members to the resources they need to run their businesses, some with member-exclusive deals and discounts. Today’s Hotelier is a tool for the program, featuring industry partners as expert sources month after month.
Many of [these partners] operate in specific disciplines and have a deep bench of knowledge related to their specific field, so the magazine has been a way to offer invitations for these partners to be able to share their information with AAHOA and with the industry,” Carnes said.
As the times have changed, so too have AAHOA and Today’s Hotelier. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, AAHOA temporarily ceased its in-person events, and its communication strategies became the first line of defense in helping members understand what was happening in the U.S. and how it was affecting the hospitality industry.
More than ever, digital communication became the way associations spoke to their members. What AAHOA realized is that Today’s Hotelier could break through the noise, physically reaching members every single month in their mailboxes. That perspective continued the magazine’s evolution and shapes its strategy today as we collectively spend more and more time online.
Today’s Hotelier continues to be a vessel for AAHOA’s mission – to provide member benefits and services, to advocate and lead, to offer professional development and community engagement. The magazine does just that: It highlights AAHOA’s partnerships and what it offers to members. It showcases the association’s political advocacy efforts on behalf of hotel owners and its wins. It provides educational content that helps hotel owners effectively run their businesses.
And above all, it connects members to each other and to the association that holds their best interests at heart.
Looking to the Next Decade
In its ninth year, Today’s Hotelier went through a redesign to become what it is today. But though its packaging looks a bit different, it remains true to the vision that AAHOA leadership implemented a decade ago.
“As we mark 10 years of Today’s Hotelier, we’re celebrating the strength and spirit of the AAHOA community,” AAHOA President & CEO Laura Lee Blake remarked. “This publication captures the voices, experiences, and resilience of our members and highlights what makes our association so powerful – our ability to come together, support one another, and grow as leaders in this industry.”
In a digital-first world dominated by AI, print publications like this one will become more important than ever. As a monthly magazine, Today’s Hotelier has endless opportunities to share new stories, find new angles, and bring to light relevant issues impacting today’s hoteliers. Over the next decade, we hope to find new and exciting ways to tell those stories. Times are changing, but one thing remains the same: Today’s Hotelier will continue to feature authentic stories of AAHOA and its members and provide content that helps them to navigate ownership. We will look to the past decade of the magazine to help inform this next one.
“What I’m most proud of is that Today’s Hotelier became a genuine reflection of our community’s voice,” Bruce said. “Over the past decade, it has helped tell the story of who AAHOA Members really are – not just hotel owners, but pillars of their communities and contributors to the American economy.
“It gave our industry a professional platform to share ideas, highlight leadership, and amplify the issues that matter most to members. I believe it has played a real role in strengthening the sense of pride and shared purpose that defines this association.”
Accolades and Awards
Over the years, Today’s Hotelier has won a number of awards, recognizing the magazine’s design and content.
Communicator Awards
Award of Distinction, 2024
MarCom Awards
Gold Award, Feature Article, 2023
Gold Award, Web Content, 2023
Gold Award, Magazine Cover, 2023
Platinum Award, Association Magazine, 2023
Platinum Award, Feature Article, 2022
Platinum Award, Magazine Interior (Design), 2022
Platinum Award, Association Magazine, 2022
Platinum Award, Association Magazine, 2021
Gold Award, Association Magazine, 2019
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