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 serves. It will be implemented from 2027 through 2031.
The plan was created by the AAHOA Strategic Planning Sub-Committee (ASPC), a group of members and current and former AAHOA leaders. Formed in 2025, the ASPC set out to determine AAHOA’s strategic direction and established the priorities that will guide the association’s programs, services, and industry engagement through the next five years.
“AAHOA was built by hotel owners who believed that together they could create opportunities and address challenges facing our industry,” AAHOA Chairman Rahul Patel said. “That spirit continues to guide us today. This plan is about staying focused on the issues that matter most to our members and ensuring AAHOA continues to deliver the resources, education, and representation they need to succeed.”
A Steadfast Path Forward
If there’s one thing AAHOA Members know well, it’s that the industry has changed rapidly over the past few years, and it continues to do so.
“Our members are facing new challenges and opportunities,” said Dhiren Masters, AAHOA Secretary. “AAHOA has reached a point where we need to think beyond a single leadership year or a single initiative at a time.”
AAHOA recognized that the only path forward was to create a clear, achievable framework that offers consistency, focuses on what matters most to members, and that allows future leaders to build upon the foundation established by the generations of hoteliers before them.
And with some 20,000 members, AAHOA is a large, complex organization with an elected leadership that changes year after year – a strategic plan is a necessity to facilitate its operation.
“I often compare it to steering an aircraft carrier without a clear destination,” said Ramesh Gokal, Charter Member and chair of the Strategic Planning Ad Hoc Committee. “Because AAHOA’s Board and Officers change each year, a long-term plan and vision are essential to maintaining continuity, consistency, and focus.”
When AAHOA began the process of developing the plan in 2025, the association asked one simple question, according to Rahul: “What does AAHOA need to do to provide even greater value to hotel owners over the next five years?”
The committee’s goal was to develop a structure that gives AAHOA a common direction and a shared standard of accountability – a framework that doesn’t change with each new Board, but instead reflects consistent, measurable priorities over time.
“The goal is straightforward: Build a stronger AAHOA that delivers greater value to hotel owners,” said Pinal S. Patel, AAHOA Vice Chairman. “We want to focus our time, resources, and energy on the priorities that matter most to our members and make sure we are measuring whether those efforts are producing results.”
That meant identifying what AAHOA does and what it should be accountable for. The outcome is 10 key results areas, each paired with key performance indicators (KPIs) that the Board and staff will track over the life of the plan.
“The KPIs were selected to give us a balanced view of organizational performance, not simply activity, but results,” said Vimal (Ricky) Patel, AAHOA Treasurer. “They provide the Board and leadership with a way to track progress, identify areas that need attention, and make adjustments when necessary.”
The result is a plan that concentrates AAHOA’s efforts on the areas where the association can make the biggest difference for members, as well as the future of the industry.
“This plan provides a clear direction for the next five years while keeping our focus where it belongs – serving and protecting the business interests of our members,” said AAHOA President & CEO Laura Lee Blake.
A Living Framework
At the center of the plan is AAHOA’s mission: To serve and protect the business interests of its members, delivered through profit-driven member benefits and services, effective advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, and impactful community engagement.
In its pursuit of that mission, AAHOA will be guided by five core values:
- Integrity. “We are united in our commitment to making decisions based on universal respect and honesty.”
- Member-Centric Activities. “Our members are the heart of our organization, who deserve the highest quality in all our initiatives.”
- Accountability. “We take ownership of results and outcomes guided by ethics, transparency, fairness, collaboration, strong leadership, financial stability, and responsibility.”
- Professionalism. “We strive for excellence in our people and are dedicated to the pursuit of the American Dream.”
- Innovation. “We are driven by technology, factual data, flexibility, and sustainability.”
Unlike a traditional five-year plan with a fixed endpoint, AAHOA’s strategy is designed to renew itself annually. Each year, the Strategic Planning Committee will review the previous year’s results, recommend adjustments, and extend the plan by another year. AAHOA will, in effect, always be operating under a fiveyear outlook.
Built By Members, For Members
The ASPC worked from a central question: In which areas must AAHOA excel to achieve its vision for the next five years? That vision is to serve as the world’s pre-eminent hotel owners’ association by setting the standard in the hospitality industry through universal trust and a focus on members’ success.
The vision was determined by “looking at the outcomes we want to achieve, not just the activities we want to undertake,” Pinal said. “We then identified the measures that will tell us whether we are moving toward those outcomes. The 10 KPIs give us a manageable set of priorities to monitor over the next five years and help keep the organization accountable.”
The 10 areas AAHOA will prioritize through 2031 span accounting and finance, communications, events, industry leadership, membership growth, advocacy, education, governance, legal services, and member services.
Member input played a pivotal role in developing the plan. The ASPC began surveying members around AAHOACON26, hoping to learn what is working for them, where they need more support, and where they see opportunities for AAHOA to have a greater impact on their businesses and in the industry. The ASPC also conducted interviews with AAHOA Staff and drew on insights from members across the country.
“Member feedback helped ground the strategic plan in the real-world experiences and needs of hotel owners,” Vimal said. “That input helped ensure that the strategic plan was not developed in isolation, but reflected the priorities and experiences of the people AAHOA serves.”
From that process, Gokal said four foundational agreements emerged: That AAHOA’s power should always remain with its membership; that AAHOA is strong but has the potential to be stronger; that AAHOA must operate with a clear strategic focus; and that AAHOA must strengthen its governance.
Several themes also stood out to the ASPC. Members want AAHOA to continue being a strong voice on the issues that affect their businesses. They also asked for AAHOA to provide more tools, education, and resources to be used in their operations, as well as clear communication, improved engagement, a focus on technology, and support as they navigate an industry that seems to change by the day.
“We also heard the importance of engaging the next generation and making sure AAHOA continues to evolve without losing the culture and foundation that made the association successful,” Masters said.
What’s To Come
With the plan approved, the next step is execution.
By staying focused on member value, advocacy, education, connection, and organizational strength, AAHOA will continue to grow in influence and remain a leading voice for hotel owners.
“Because AAHOA Members own a majority of U.S. hotels, the association is well positioned to help lead the industry’s future and shape operational standards,” Gokal said. “The strategic plan, supported by an ongoing planning process, will help AAHOA preserve and strengthen its influence while using its collective power more effectively.”
With a common direction ahead and a renewed level of accountability, members can expect AAHOA to operate with greater consistency, no matter the changes the association and its members must weather.
“We can continue to build on our history and the work of previous leaders as we prepare for what is next,” Masters said. “If we execute this plan well, AAHOA will be better positioned to anticipate the needs of hotel owners, deliver practical resources, and strengthen our voice across the industry.”
At a Glance
In the next five years, AAHOA will concentrate its work and measure its progress in these 10 key results areas.
- Accounting & Finance. Revenue growth, department structuring, budget discipline, accountability, and sustainability will be the center of AAHOA’s finance strategy.
- Advocacy. Through an enhanced advocacy infrastructure, strategic alliances, an elevated national presence, continuity, and a grassroots political activation network, AAHOA will strengthen its advocacy efforts.
- Communications. New technology, programming, and content will improve member communication and solidify AAHOA’s reputation.
- Education. AAHOA will build a best-in-class education platform, AAHOA University, which will be the industry standard for in-person, hybrid, and online learning.
- Events. AAHOA’s events will operate on an annual budget, provide value for vendor partners, and be reviewed annually for effectiveness.
- Governance. The Strategic Plan will improve the efficacy of the AAHOA Board, Committees, Staff, and the association’s operations.
- Industry Leadership. AAHOA will play its rightful role as an industry leader while building the next generation of leaders, focusing on profitability, furthering technology adoption, creating a culture of community impact, and leveraging its collective economic power, among other initiatives.
- Legal Services. AAHOA’s legal department will protect AAHOA’s assets, manage contracts, and ensure compliance. AAHOA will also provide a legal referral program for members.
- Membership Growth. AAHOA will review its current membership structure and consider expansion options to engage more members.
- Member Services. Benefits and services will be relevant, tailored, engaging, and provide value for all members, from independent owners to young professionals.
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