Joe's Tales from the Road

It’s All on Paper
March 26, 2010

After three weeks of nonstop travel, it was a treat to have a quiet week in the office.  And there was much to catch up on.  As you probably know, the healthcare reform bill was signed by President Obama on Monday, and you may also know that AH&LA actively opposed this legislation.  But now it’s our priority to make sure our members understand how this policy will impact their businesses and what needs to happen moving forward.  We sent out an eBlast on Monday and will continue to keep our members abreast of new developments.

I played catch-up and follow-up through Wednesday, including having several media interviews.  While I’ve gotten used to seeing my name in print, it was still exciting to be quoted in Thursday’s Wall Street Journal.  If you’re interested to hear my thoughts on the Elysian Hotel’s no tipping policy, you can read about it in the Personal Journal section on page D2!

Thursday we hosted a delegation from the US Department of Commerce Special American Business Internship Training (SABIT) hotel management program.  This is the fourth year they’ve paid us a visit, and this time they used our conference room for a hotel marketing presentation by Professor David Troy, Boston University.  The delegates are senior-level executives from the Eurasian hotel industry who are seeking to improve the management and operations of their hotels and the hospitality sector in their countries.   On April 8, they’ll make their way to EI for an in depth look at their educational programs, and on April 13 they will meet in Austin with Scott Joslove, president and CEO of the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association.

While they were getting briefed, our green consultant, Pat Maher, and I had lunch with Michael Finley, president, Turner Foundation, and Reid Detchon, executive director, Energy Future Coalition, to discuss ways to move forward with AH&LA’s anticipated green recognition program.

Back on the legislative front, a letter was sent to the President signed by AH&LA – along with more than three dozen other associations – expressing our concern for his expected recess appointment of Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board.  We feel there are other stronger candidates to fill this position and hope the President will listen to our collective voices and respect the decision of the Senate.

Of course there’s never just one issue – we’re also paying close attention to the OTA’s every move.  And Thursday we sent a memo to industry CEOs updating them on the recent activities over the past week so that everyone is on the same page with this controversial issue.

Today I am taking a little holiday and looking forward to some time away from the office.  It should be a very relaxing weekend, and I hope you enjoy yours as well.

Congressmen, Lend Me Your Ears
March 19, 2010

My week began on Sunday with a full agenda.  As a prelude to AH&LA’s Legislative Action Summit (LAS) the following day, our Governmental Affairs Committee met to discuss issues of focus for the rest of the year and to attend a reception to support senatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), sponsored by AH&LA and the Marriott PAC.  Bill Marriott has a particular penchant for New Hampshire, as he has owned a house on Lake Winnipesaukee for the past 60 years.

Monday morning marked the official start of LAS, kicking off with CEO panel featuring Jim Abrahamson, IHG; Steve Joyce, Choice Hotels International; David Kong, Best Western; and Chris Nassetta, Hilton Hotels Worldwide.  After they provided their take on Capitol Hill issues at hand, we heard panels on the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), the 2010 labor agenda, and online travel occupancy tax – which is quickly becoming a hot button issue.  I was also able to catch up with colleagues and friends at the HotelPAC Reception and Live Auction, and then had dinner with AH&LA Chair David Kong and his wife, AH&LA Vice Chair John Campbell and his wife, and my lovely wife, Ruth, at the Occidental.

Bright and early Tuesday morning, LAS resumed with an address by Congressman Delahunt (D-MA).  One of the original authors of the Travel Promotion Act (TPA), he spoke at length about the importance of travel – particularly, international travel – on the U.S. economy.  By then, attendees where well-versed in industry issues and broke off into state delegations to lobby representatives on EFCA, online travel occupancy tax, and healthcare.  I, on the other hand, had several speeches to work on and instead returned to the quiet office to get a few things done.

But I did not miss the true highlight of the conference – Senator John McCain (R-AZ) spoke for nearly half an hour over lunch and delighted us with his strong support for our industry initiatives.  It was quite the sight to see CEOs and other high powered hoteliers star struck and snapping pictures with their camera phones.  We were also honored to have Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) address our group and also share her support for our long-term goals.

Congressional appointments continued through the afternoon, and several representatives and staffers joined our reception that evening on the Hill.  A second reception occurred back at LAS headquarters, the J.W. Marriott; this one was part of the AH&LEF Dinner Tribute honoring Stewart Bainum, founder of Choice Hotels International.    Over 250 friends, family, and colleagues gathered to salute this living legend, and it was truly inspiring to learn about his humble beginnings and the empire he created.

Wednesday I was happy to get some catch up time at the office and continue working on my upcoming speeches.  I also accompanied members of our governmental affairs team, Marlene Colucci, Lisa Costello, and Shawn McBurney, to the Department of Commerce to meet with Helen Marano, director of travel and tourism industries, as well as two deputy assistant secretaries and senior staff members, to discuss the passage of TPA and our expectations around it.

 

My Cross-Country Tour
March 12, 2010

Since my last blog entry, I’ve been to Chicago, Philadelphia, Delaware, New York, Michigan, and back home to D.C. It all began last Friday evening when I attended the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association (IH&LA) Annual Hospitality Dinner Gala, where more than 700 guests also helped honor AH&LA’s 100-year anniversary.  It was a privilege to be able to celebrate AH&LA’s milestone with so many hoteliers, and IHLA once again did an excellent job putting on this event.

The following morning I was up before the sun, arriving at the ABC Channel 7 station at 5:30 a.m. – giving me plenty of time to prepare for my 6:50 a.m. live interview.  It was a great opportunity to promote our centennial celebration and provide insight on the state of the industry.  From there I headed to breakfast with a new allied member to learn more about their inexpensive solution for covering peepholes in guestrooms to protect guests’ privacy.

I set business aside a few hours to play with my grandchildren, although I was disappointed to miss my granddaughter’s birthday party later that afternoon.  But I had a plane to Philly to catch, so I could drive to the University of Delaware campus to serve as the Career Day keynote speaker on Sunday, along with NRA Chair Michael Gibbons.  I was also able to spend some time walking through their career fair before driving to New York.

In New York, I not only got to visit my other grandchildren, I also got to eat at my favorite restaurant, Gino’s.  And, the next morning I was exactly where I needed to be to attend the Venture Board meeting, where we continued our planning for November’s International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show.

Late Monday afternoon I made it back to the office and was able to catch up on a few things.  Tuesday I met with Michael Scheevel from MultiView in our office, but Wednesday I was back on the road.  This time I was headed to Lansing, Michigan, to meet with the EI staff and bring them up to date on AH&LA’s activities, and let them know what a positive impact they were making.

I spent the night in Lansing and then headed west to Grand Rapids to attend the Michigan Lodging & Tourism Association board meeting.  I was very impressed by all their initiatives, and it was great to be able to update them on AH&LA, AH&LEF, and EI.  However, my so-far delightful trip ended with a delay on both legs of my flight back to D.C., getting me home around 2 a.m.

Despite my late arrival, I had early doctor’s appointment this morning, and then attended the LAS pre-conference meeting.  Now I’m getting ready for three full days of meetings, panel discussions, lobbying appointments, and networking events. 

Enjoy your weekend and I look forward to seeing those of you attending LAS.

 

North and South, East and Midwest
March 5, 2010

This past weekend was truly special, as my daughter gave birth to her third child on Thursday, and I was able to spend time with our growing family in New York.  But I had to leave my babysitting duties on Sunday to head to Atlanta, where a breakfast to raise money for HotelPAC was being held.  It was well-attended, hosted at the InterContinental hotel, courtesy of Jim Abrahamson, president, the Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group, and featuring Senator Isakson (R-GA), who provided an inside look on matters from Capitol Hill.

I left Atlanta that afternoon and returned to the office early evening to get a few things done, and spent Tuesday morning doing the same before heading to New York for the second time this week.  This time it was to introduce the honorees for the Fred Tibbitts & Associates (FTA) Hospitality Awards for Excellence, who will be presented with their awards at the FTA NYC Fall Dinner.  The awardees are:

North America Operator: Paul Daly, vice president of food & beverage, North American Operations, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts

Asia Pacific Operator: Martin Rinck, president – Asia Pacific, Hilton Hotels

Lifetime Excellence: Horst Schulze, chairman and CEO, The West Paces Hotel Group

Literary: New Western Cuisine Magazine (China), accepted by Richard Xu, editor-in-chief

IT Innovator: VISA USA, accepted by Desmond Docherty, vice president, cross product services

Humanitarian: Rudolf Muller, executive chef, Hong Kong Disneyland; and Otto Weibel, director of kitchens, Fairmont Singapore & Swissotel The Stamford

Wednesday morning I continued my venture up North and landed in Boston, where I had lunch with Boston University Dean of the School of Hospitality Administration, Jim Stamos, and Professor Dave Troy.  I then spoke to Dave’s students about the direction of our industry and showed them our 100-year anniversary video, which was very well received.  I also reminded them that my alma mater, Boston College, won the Beanpot Hockey Tournament – I couldn’t resist the bragging rights.

I was back in the office Thursday and started the day with a conference call with our green consultant, Pat Maher, and Kathryn Potter, senior vice president of marketing & communications.  We discussed our plans to move forward with a green recognition program, and I will have a further discussion with our officers when they are in town for LAS later this month.  Following the call, I had lunch with my mentee, Erin Parnell, a recent graduate of the University of Delaware, who is the assistant front office manager at the Washington Plaza Hotel.  

But the biggest news of the day was from President Obama – the long awaited Travel Promotion Act (TPA) was signed into law.  This achievement will create a public-private partnership to develop a $100 million dollar international advertising and educational campaign to better explain the ever evolving, U.S. security policies and promote U.S. travel to attract millions of additional overseas visitors.  It was a long climb to get this legislation passed, and our whole industry has reason to celebrate.

Today I am headed to Chicago for the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association’s Annual Hospitality Dinner Gala, where we’ll also celebrate AH&LA’s 100-year anniversary in its birthplace.  I’m sure it will be a late evening, but I will be up bright and early for a 6:00 a.m. live interview Saturday morning on the local ABC affiliate discussing our centennial and providing an outlook for the future of our industry.

But the best part of my Chicago trip is that I will get to spend time with my grandchildren, albeit short lived – I head to the University of Delaware that evening, as on Sunday I will be the keynote speaker, along with Michael Gibson, chair of the National Restaurant Association, at the university’s career day.  It won’t be a relaxing weekend per se, but there’s much to look forward to.  I hope you have a most enjoyable weekend as well.