New York, NY – November 10, 2014 – The following remarks were made by Interstate Hotels and Resorts CEO Jim Abrahamson at AH&LA’s Fall Conference Industry Leadership Dinner on Sunday night:

Remarks, as prepared.

“Thank you Katherine for that warm welcome and most of all your outstanding leadership and the impact you and your team have made since joining AH&LA a short 18 months ago….and good evening to all of you.

It is an amazing sight from my vantage point looking out on this great crowd of industry leaders assembled here tonight just how powerful and impressive our collective industry is. It is like no other that I can think of and I am sure you feel the same way.

I wanted to start my remarks in this great Starlight Roof ballroom, a place so special for many of us, by commenting on how far we have all come in our careers. My career journey is much like many of yours, but with a few differences, I suppose but that reinforce the vision and mission of AH&LA.

Like many of you, I started out at the line level as a desk clerk working my way through college at the Registry Hotel in Bloomington Minnesota. What you might not know is that the person who gave me that first opportunity is here with us tonight.

My first front desk manager….also happens to be my lovely wife of 32 years – Adele. I guess she saw more potential in me – than just a promising young associate. From there my career grew and grew as did our love for each other and by the time I was a GM in Indianapolis we had a wonderful son Matt who is also here tonight.

My career led me to Hilton where I worked for 12 years, which took me to this very room – the Starlight Roof – where I was overcome with what a special place that it was and how important our industry truly was.

Little did I know it would lead me here tonight. I had the great opportunity to work for Carl Mottek and Dieter Huckestein at Hilton. Future opportunities led me to Marcus Corp working with Steve and Greg Marcus, then Hyatt with Doug Geoga and Mark Hoplamazian and IHG with Richard Solomons. And finally to Interstate hotels with our terrific team gathered here tonight where I now have the privilege of leading 30,000 talented associates at over 450 hotels around the world and working alonside the great leaders of the industry many of whom are here tonight.

It is not the companies you remember along the way it is the incredible people you have a chance to work with along the journey.

So here we are…Tonight is a special night for the leadership of our industry. And not just for me, but for all of us gathered here. Tonight we are here to celebrate all our collective accomplishments. As I think of AH&LA and the challenge before us, clearly it really boils down to one key concept.

Working together we are powerful.
Acting together we are stronger.

And leading our industry together we make THE difference for the men and women who we employ, the investors who apply the capital to build our businesses and to those associates who aspire to benefit from prosperous careers in hospitality.

I know we wouldn’t be here if not for those who came before me.

Our volunteer leadership and past chairs. And of course Joe McInerney, who brought me in as an officer and whose friendship with he and Ruth that Adele and I value so incredibly much…thank you Joe.

So many of us started our careers in entry level jobs and we have benefited from AH&LA training -- like many of you I am closing in on 30 years since becoming a Certified Hotel Administrator.

We have now ascended to this moment, to this evening, and to this time in our association’s proud history.

Reflecting on tonight.... these are the stories of our industry. These are the stories we tell each other and these are the stories that must be told in local and state governments as well and with members of Congress and the White House.

We not only provide needed jobs but careers and a pathway to the middle class and beyond. Our contribution to the lives of so many people and the US economy is immeasurable.

You’ve heard tonight from Katherine and John of the many incredible accomplishments of AH&LA and the work that lies before us.

Success whether on the offense or playing defense does not happen without great leadership, a compelling vision and a strong strategic plan. All of us here know that well.

AH&LA’s success is thanks to so many of the friendly faces around us. First and foremost, I want to thank our fantastic 2014 national chair John Fitzpatrick, who has been instrumental in leading us in a new direction.

He, along with the previous Chairs and members of the Board, set the course for a new membership model, one that focused us as an association and created a new forum for engagement. His tireless mission to tackle issues vital to our interests across the country served us all incredibly well. We are going to count on his continued engagement.

In 2015/16, we will rely on the support of Mark Carrier, President of the B.F. Saul Company Hospitality Group. Mark is a great friend and colleague and one of the industry’s and DC’s great leaders who has served this association so well as Secretary/Treasurer and has been nominated to assume the Vice Chair position.

And Geoff Ballotti, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wyndham Hotel Group, who is one of the brightest and most capable and experienced leaders on a national and international level.

A good friend to all of us here tonight, he has been nominated to assume the role of Secretary/Treasurer and will bring a fresh perspective and strong insights and abilities to our team of Officers and the Board.

And of course to our Executive Committee and Board of Directors when we gather tomorrow to advance our agenda, thank you for your engagement and commitment.

Under the strong and able leadership of Katherine Lugar and her incredible team, the association and its board is now grounded in three core principles at the heart of who we are:

ADVOCATE: For change in governmental views in Washington and beyond

COMMUNICATE: The profound economic impact of our industry

EDUCATE: The new leaders of our industry who will take us to new heights
It is no coincidence that as we spent the past 10 months in 2014 focused on these values, we’ve seen such incredible growth in our membership and the valuable funds we need to accomplish our goals.

Our members need us, all of us together, and THIS association, to unify us and speak with one voice, promoting one vision. And never before has that vision been so clear, so concise and so compelling AND so needed to advance the issues of our industry.

There are so many incredible aspects of the hotel industry, but today we face many direct threats. From extreme wage battles in cites around the country, to new entrants to the marketplace such as, AirBNB, and the online travel companies – and ensuring that there is a level playing field, to protecting the franchise model as we know it. We must not take these issues lightly. And we won’t.

When playing offense we know there are great revenue opportunities in front of us particularly with the growth of inbound international travel which will provide for over 100M travelers to the US by 2021. The expansion of the Visa Waiver Program and reauthorization of Brand USA are central to our efforts and require AH&LA support.

Thanks to Roger Dow and US Travel and to Chris Thompson and Brand USA for waving the flag all around the world to drive value to our investors back home. As we look to Washington, perhaps the election results of the past week will send a powerful message: Both sides of the aisle and the White House must rise to the challenge and act in a responsible manner to advance the needs of the American economy.

We can remain optimistic. If Congress and the President seize the moment we can make progress and work together on broader issues such as Labor, Immigration, Healthcare, TRIA and of course Tax Reform. AH&LA promises to be in the center of the action. We can remain hopeful, but progress will also require your engagement.

As your national chair, together with Katherine and her team, our Board, officers and each of you, we will persevere through these many challenges and seize the opportunities and take action so that we remain strong and united.

But we must remain committed. Your engagement, your involvement, your support, your action AND of course your PAC dollars are crucial to beating back the threats against our industry and advance our agenda.

Together we can preserve the American dream, offering a job and a chance at a career to thousands.

Together we can foster the next generation of leaders by providing scholarships and skills to students around the country.

Together we can build on our momentum and grow our association to represent all of us -- one purpose, one voice, one vision.

And together we can build the strength of our individual businesses to provide the means and resources to accomplish our goals.

Let me conclude on a personal note by saying that I am proud to serve AH&LA as chair in 2015/16 and continue to work with the leadership of the association as I have done since first starting out in this industry in the 1980s, as a state chair and later at the national level.

And I am thrilled to be here with all of you tonight, this is my America dream and I know it is yours too. You get out of your involvement more than what you put into it; I do not need to tell that to the 400 of us gathered here tonight. We get it. But we need the rest of our millions of employees and associates to lean in as well to make the difference.

Lastly, I am also happy, very happy to be here with my wonderful wife Adele who gave me that opportunity. Without her support I wouldn't be here tonight to celebrate with her and my amazing son Matt and his wonderful wife Emily and the many colleagues and friends here this evening,
and our tremendous team at Interstate Hotels -- thanks to all of you.

Tonight, as we gather here together and enjoy our accomplishment and most importantly our friendship, let me just conclude on behalf of AH&LA, my parting words to all of you are simply these: we are All Together Powerful.

Thank you Katherine and John and everyone and goodnight.”