WASHINGTON (March 4, 2021) –The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) today announced the addition of Chirag Shah to the newly created role of senior vice president of federal affairs.  

In this role, Shah will lead AHLA’s federal relations team, developing and executing advocacy strategy on Capitol Hill and with the new Biden Administration. He joins AHLA at a critical time for the hotel industry, as it struggles to regain its footing on the heels of the historic COVID-19 pandemic, which has ravaged the travel sector. 
“Chirag is well-known and widely respected by both Democrats and Republicans and on both sides of the Capitol, having worked on advocacy issues for the hotel industry for nearly a decade,” said Brian Crawford, former executive vice president of government affairs at AHLA. “I have worked alongside Chirag for a long time and couldn’t be more excited to have him join the AHLA team. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve worked together to ensure our industry has access to increased liquidity and debt forbearance for the hotel sector, that employees have jobs to return to once travel demand returns and businesses are protected from undue liability concerns. I know he’ll hit the ground running.”

Shah comes to AHLA from the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), where he served as vice president of government affairs and counsel. During his tenure, AAHOA garnered support for critical small business issues including tax reform, workforce relations, U.S. Small Business Administration lending and economic stimulus in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Chirag led AAHOA’s political strategy, growing its PAC from $250,000 to more than $1 million. Prior to joining AAHOA, Chirag served as a deputy director and legal advisor at the Republican National Committee, the campaign manager for Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen, and in multiple roles for U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.-02) .

Finally, AHLA is rounding out its state and local ground team with the addition of Sharon Sykes as director of state and local government affairs, covering the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions. Specifically, Sharon will work closely with AHLA state lodging association members in the following states to further elevate the industry’s advocacy effectiveness: Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Virginia. Additionally, she will play a pivotal role in expanding AHLA’s state and local grassroots apparatus. Sharon comes to AHLA from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) after managing advocacy campaigns throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.