The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) hopes on those days, hundreds of Asian American entrepreneurs will be in Washington, D.C. to meet with Congressmen about pending legislation that could affect the way they do business.

�Congress is considering bills such as immigration reform and fair franchising which will have a dramatic impact on business people in a wide variety of industries from lodging to fast food to office services,� said Bakulesh �Buggsi� Patel, who serves as 2000 chairman of AAHOA and who as CEO of Buggsi Hospitality operates 15 hotel properties in the Pacific Northwest.

�Our community has much to talk to legislators about,� added Patel. �June 19 and 20 is a perfect time to be in Washington to show our strength and our solidarity.�

About 150 AAHOA members visited Capitol Hill in March as part of the American Hotel & Motel Association�s �Legislative Day,� however, the June event will be exclusively sponsored by and for Asian Americans.

The meeting will begin with a welcome reception and town hall-style discussion at the Holiday Inn on The Hill in Washington, D.C. on the evening of Monday, June 19, followed by a series of one-on-one briefings with Congressmen on Capitol Hill throughout the day on Tuesday, June 20.

�Many decisions are made in Washington that affect the day-to-day operations of our businesses,� said Buggsi Patel. �This is our opportunity to help determine whether legislation that�s passed this year will impact us in a desirable or in a not so desirable way.�

For more information and to register, contact the AAHOA headquarters office in Atlanta by phone (404-816-5759) or FAX (404-816-6260). AAHOA has more than 7,000 members who together own about 18,000 hotel properties and employ about one million people.