Joe's Tales from the Road

On the Road Again
Friday, July 30

Narrowly missing the hottest weekend in DC all year, I arrived in New Orleans last Friday for the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) conference.  Saturday I was able to experience Bourbon Street in style, by dining at New Orleans’s oldest restaurant, Galitoire’s, accompanied by Mary Pat and Don Landry, former CEO of Choice Hotels, whose nephew, Brian, is the executive chef.

I spoke at a general session on Sunday at the CHART conference, and it was great to see how well-attended the event was.  That evening Brenda Moons, MHS, vice president, lodging sales, and Monique Donahue, CHT, MHS, vice president of research & development, with the Educational Institute (EI) hosted a 25-person dinner for the hotel trainers, which was a lovely event and is going to become a tradition.

Finishing my time in New Orleans, I met with Louisiana Hotel & Lodging Association President Bill Langkopp for breakfast.  He filled me in on the state’s recovery from the BP oil spill, and we discussed issues and opportunities as a result of the incident, and later I had a Fox interview on the subject. I ended up having a second breakfast Monday morning with longtime friend Mary West, who hosts Real New Orleans on the local ABC affiliate.

Having been properly fed, I headed to the Travel & Tourism Advisory Committee meeting, presented by the Department of Commerce.  The session was chaired by Nevada CVB President and CEO Rossi Ralenkotter and drew in a noteworthy crowd.  Chuck Floyd, chief operating officer – North America, Hyatt; David Kong, president & CEO Best Western, and AH&LA Chair; and Nancy Johnson, executive vice president and chief development officer for Carlson Hotels, and secretary/treasurer of AH&LA (who was filling in for Carlson President and CEO Hubert Joly), were all there to represent the hotel industry, as well as our good friend Doug Shifflet, chairman, DK. Shifflet and Associates.  And I was fortunate to have several conversations with Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke, both at the meeting and on our shared flight back to D.C.

But before I headed back, I had an opportunity to talk with New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, who we had helped post-Katrina.  It was nice to see how well the city is doing with him as the mayor, and he’s truly been doing a great job since his election earlier this year.

Tuesday I had a quick trip to New York with Kimberly Miles, AH&LA SVP of industry relations, for the Venture Board meeting.  November’s International Hotel, Motel + Restaurant Show is coming up fast, so we were finalizing programming.

By Wednesday morning I was on a plane to Puerto Rico for the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Industry Educators (CHRIE) annual conference.  But before it began, I joined EI SVP of Marketing Brenda Vazquez to meet with Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño, who is a friend of AH&LA EVP of Public Policy Marlene Colucci.  We discussed the travel and tourism industry and the particular advantage Puerto Rico has over other Caribbean destinations in that a passport for U.S. citizens is not necessary.  He was also interested in learning about the EI products that could assist in increasing customer service throughout the country. 

Thursday I gave a keynote speech at the conference, and was happy to finally be able to deliver good news.  Attendees were certainly happy to hear the economic recovery is upon us and that plenty of opportunities lie before the industry. I enjoyed the conference as well, as I saw many old friends and made many new ones.  And EI’s booth had prime placement right by the entrance to the exhibit floor, and it became a meeting place for everyone.

Shortly after my speech I was on a plane to Michigan and met Ruth at the Grand Rapids airport.  We were supposed to head on to Saugatack for a family reunion, but since her flight was four hours late, we ended up spending the night at the Hampton Inn.  Today we made it to our destination, and now I’m watching boats sailing down the Kalamazoo River and looking forward to catching up with my brothers, sisters, their children, and their children’s children.

Back in the office, AH&LA, in partnership with Seyfarth Shaw law firm, hosted a record-breaking Webinar on the new Department of Labor regulatory changes, with 457 attendees.  Additional changes to ADA regulations were also enacted on July 26, so we sent members information on what to expect.  For detailed information, see this memo.

I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend on Lake Michigan catching up with my extended family, and I hope you have lot to look forward to this weekend as well.

Fine Dining
July 23, 2010

Finishing a fun weekend with family in Brooklyn, I made it back to DC on Sunday, sinking in to the calm before the storm.  Monday and Tuesday were low-key, just finishing reports and speaking points for the Strategic Planning meeting, which began on Thursday, and preparing budgets for 2011.  We also finalized a proposal for the Turner Foundation, requesting funding for our green programs.

Wednesday morning I had the pleasure of having breakfast with Senator Scott Brown (R-MA), along with his communications consultant, Laura Rizzo, and AH&LA EVP of Public Policy Marlene Colucci and VP of Governmental Affairs Lisa Costello.  It was the perfect, intimate setting to get to know the new senator and hear what it’s like being the first Republican senator in Massachusetts in more than 30 years.   He’s quickly becoming a rising star and was even nice enough to take a picture with me and Marlene.

My Congressional dining continued over lunch, when Lisa and I met with Senator Klobuchar (D-MN).  She’s a true friend of travel and tourism, having been dedicated to ensuring the passage of the Travel Promotion Act and a strong ally on the OTC tax issue.  I was pleased to have gotten so much face time with her and look forward to working with her in the future.

That evening AH&LA senior staff welcomed the members of the AH&LA Strategic Planning Committee to DC.  We gathered at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza for dinner and had fun catching up before the meeting began bright and early the next day at the hotel.

Even though many of us were at the meeting on Thursday, we made sure to send out a press release expressing our disappointment in Unite Here organizing a Civil Disobedience Day, targeting employees in 10 different cities.  This staged walkout is only going to hurt the very businesses that employ them, and we believe a more beneficial strategy for everyone involved is sitting down at the bargaining table.

Instead of joining the Strategic Planning Committee for dinner at the Hotel Sofitel Thursday night, Ruth and I attended the Evening Parade ceremony at the Marine Corps Barracks, the oldest Marine Corps installation featuring the Commandant’s own Drum and Bugle Corps and the Marine Silent Drill Team. It was very inspiring, and the display truly makes you proud to be an American.

After the Strategic Planning meeting wrapped up this afternoon, I sent a letter to the Obama Administration regarding a July 22 statement that the President would reduce travel by federal employees.  The letter reminds him that the lodging industry is a strong fuel for our economy, and policies such as this hurt rather than help the economy and American workers.

I’m about to leave for New Orleans to speak at the Council of Hospitality And Restaurant Trainers (CHART) conference.  I’ll spend the weekend there, as the Department of Commerce is holding its U.S. Travel & Tourism Advisory Meeting in town on Monday.  I’ll have very little time in the office over the next several weeks, and I look forward to the conferences, meetings, and networking events that lie ahead.

Have a great weekend and maybe I’ll see you on the road!

ALIS in La La Land
July 16, 2010

Spending just a few hours in the office Monday morning, I soon was on a flight to Los Angeles for the ALIS Summer Update.  More than 400 hoteliers and investors attended either the in-person session at the JW Marriott at LA Live or the Webcast, getting firsthand insight on the industry at large, distressed hotels and workouts, and capital markets, and hearing from the always entertaining IREFAC panel.  Alongside the Burba Hotel Network, I was also part of the 2011 ALIS Planning Session, where we were able to tap the minds of attendees to get innovative ideas for next year’s ALIS, held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, January 24-26.

I really enjoyed the conference’s location at the JW Marriott, which is a combination of three Marriott brands, the JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton, and the Ritz Residences, all interconnected and exceptionally done. But more importantly, the associates are all well-trained and most accommodating, and it’s hard to believe the hotels are only a few months old.  General Manager Javier Cano and the management team have truly done an exceptional job.  I was hoping for a back-of-the-house tour, but since the ESPY awards were being held at the adjacent Nokia Center that evening, it just wasn’t possible.  But based on my guest experience, it’s clear LA Live and the Marriott properties have revitalized this part of downtown Los Angeles.

The meeting wrapped up ahead of schedule on Wednesday, which allowed me to grab an earlier flight home and get in at a decent hour.  I was thankful for that, because Thursday I had much to do in preparation for next week’s Strategic Planning Meeting.

This morning AH&LA EVP of Public Policy Marlene Colucci appeared on America Speaking Out, the project of House Republicans to engage the public and produce a new national policy agenda.  This forum in particular was regarding job creation and led by House Republican Leader John Boehner, America Speaking Out Job Creation Policy Director Peter Roskam, and Rep. Aaron Shock, and Marlene served as a representative from the private sector employer community.  I watched the session via live streaming video, and was impressed with the hospitality perspective Marlene was able to articulate. Although, it’s interesting that some of the legislators still refer to us as the American Hotel & Motel Association!

 I’m leaving shortly for New York, where Ruth and I will spend the weekend with our grandchildren in Brooklyn.  The newest addition to our family, Finnian will be Baptized and the center of a naming ceremony, bringing him into both the Catholic and Jewish faith.  Conducted by a priest and a rabbi – or the God Squad, as they like to be referred – it’s the third time we’ve been to this type of multi-denominational ceremony.  Sunday also marks our granddaughter, Calla’s, third birthday, so we have much to celebrate this weekend.  I hope you have a great one too!

Knowing is Half the Battle
July 9, 2010

Well this makes two weeks in a row that I was in the office for four days – I think it’s a 2010 record!  Of course, there’s also been record heat in DC.  But it’s been great having time to catch up on things, including preparing for the Strategic Planning Committee meeting July 21-23, and finalizing speeches I’m giving at both the CHART and CHRIE conference the end of the month.

And the association was certainly busy this week.  The OTC issue is still looming, especially as media attention around the so-called Internet Travel Tax Fairness Act (ITTFA) continues to grow.  Our governmental affairs team is in ongoing communication with members, the media, and Capitol Hill to increase visibility on our industry’s side of the issue.  In partnership with some of the major hotel brands, AH&LA is working on devising an industry-wide strategy for combating this harmful proposed legislation and will be meeting with Representatives upon their return from recess.

In fact, yesterday Marriott sent an email to all their properties urging them to take action and contact their Representatives regarding our opposition to ITTFA. They linked to AH&LA’s grassroots system, which allows you to contact your legislators with a click of the mouse, and we’d be happy to make the same arrangements for any other hotel company.

We also notified our members about an upcoming Webinar addressing the recent regulatory changes imposed by the Department of Labor (DOL).  They are specifically targeting hotels for audits, so we’ve arranged this Webinar to instruct our members on what they need to do.  It’s free for members and $99 for nonmembers, and is vitally important for hoteliers.

On a personal note, my week has been very enjoyable with more fun on the way.  Ruth and I watched DC’s firework display on Sunday from the comfort of our rooftop, and then got a 360-degree view of the surrounding cities’ fireworks as well.  But the highlight of my week was on Tuesday, when friends gathered to celebrate Ruth’s birthday at the Sheraton Wardman Park.  Even though it wasn’t a milestone birthday per se, it was a great celebration and I look at every birthday as a victory!

This evening our three grandchildren from Brooklyn are coming into town and I’m looking forward to spending the next few days with them.  And if I’m lucky, they’ll take their nap during the World Cup championship game!

Monday I’m headed to the ALIS Summer Update in Los Angeles and I hope to see you there.  Have a great weekend and stay cool!

Drive Me Crazy
July 2, 2010

My leisurely Sunday morning in Chicago with family was interrupted by a phone call just before noon informing me that my 2:00 p.m. flight to Roanoke had been cancelled.  I normally would have been glad to extend my stay in my hometown and leave the following morning, but since I had an 8:45 a.m. speaking engagement at the Homestead on Monday, it just wasn’t going to work.  Instead, I hopped a plane to D.C., rented a car, and drove four hours to the resort.  Happy everything had worked out, I was driving home Monday evening only to get pulled over by a Virginia State Trooper.  Not exactly the business trip I was expecting, but at least I made it back in time for a very important breakfast Tuesday morning.

The breakfast was on Capitol Hill and we co-sponsored it with USTA and the NRA to address “Tourism and the BP Oil Spill.”   USTA President Roger Dow moderated a panel of Congressmen and influential leaders in travel, including:

·         Rep. Sam Farr (D-CA)

·         Rep. Alan Boyd (D-FL)

·         Chris Thompson, president and CEO, Visit Florida

·         J. Stephen Perry, president and CEO, New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau

·         Tow Dow, former president, Alaska Visitor Association

·         Adam Sacks, managing director, Oxford Economics

It was extremely well-attended, with standing room only and a crowd four people deep.  The effect of the oil spill on the Gulf is clearly an issue of mass concern, so our governmental affairs team will stay dedicated to leading and monitoring this discussion.

Our governmental affairs staff certainly have their hands full, as the OTC issue just keeps heating up as well. Even though they were successful in drumming up enough opposition against attaching the Internet Travel Tax Fairness Act to a small business bill, the OTCs have responded by reaching out to their customers to rally for their cause.  They even started a Website – www.travelfirst.org.  AH&LA Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs Shawn McBurney has been speaking out to the media about the true nature of their proposed legislation, which you can read about in Travel Weekly.  I strongly encourage every hotelier to contact their members of Congress through AH&LA’s HotelLobby Website to express their opposition to the legislation.

So it was very timely that we held a Webinar on Wednesday titled, “Your Website: Drive Traffic, Drive Profits in an OTC World,” which addressed the current OTC issue and provided solutions to reduce dependence on them for bookings.

Wednesday I also spent a lot of time finalizing two speeches for next month, one for the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers (CHART) and the other for the Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education (CHRIE).

Like Sunday and Monday, Thursday I spent more time in my car than intended.  My car – a 2000 Jaguar with just 36,000 miles on it – had flunked inspection on June 1, and was awaiting a part at the dealership since then.  It arrived on June 30, so I drove an hour to the dealership and an hour and a half to the inspection site, only to have it flunk again, so I had to drive an hour and a half to get back to the dealership!  But I have to say, through this month-long inconvenience, the customer service at Jaguar has been exceptional, and I’m pleased they are going to handle inspection for me.

Thankfully we have a long weekend to look forward to and just a half day today.  The office is mostly empty and very quiet, so it will be a good opportunity for me to wrap up a few things.  I’m looking forward to a sun-filled holiday weekend, and I hope you are too!