WASHINGTON, D.C., February 7, 2007- The Hispanic Hotel Owners Association (HHOA), a newly-formed non-profit organization intended to support and promote the Hispanic community within the hospitality industry, today announced that in only five months since its formation, its membership has reached 175.  HHOA officially announced its launch on September 22, 2006.

"The overwhelming membership interest and response we're getting is great, and it's what we anticipated," said Angela Gonzalez-Rowe, president and founder of Hispanic Hotel Owners Association.  "Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing minority group in the United States.  HHOA was founded to support Hispanic hoteliers and vendors and create points of entry for Hispanics who have the ability and desire to succeed in the hospitality industry.  Our rapidly growing membership rolls clearly demonstrate the opportunity vacuum that HHOA is meant to fill."

A preliminary study by the nascent organization indicates that Latin America is at the forefront of international expansion of the hotel industry, with nearly 30,000 Hispanics having the financial resources to invest in hotel ownership.  As a result, there is strong hotel industry interest in attracting Hispanic investors.  HHOA is planning its inaugural convention to be held in the 2007 fourth quarter. 

HHOA membership is open to hotel owners, developers, investors, financiers, real estate executives, investment bankers, professional advisors, analysts, franchisors, management company executives, industry product and service providers, hotel general managers, hotel sales and marketing managers, government agencies for tourism and development, hospitality schools, hospitality students or anyone seeking to do business within the Hispanic market.

About HHOA
Headquartered in Washington, D.C., HHOA is a newly formed non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the number of Hispanic-owned, -developed and -operated hotels, further the participation of Hispanic-owned suppliers serving the hotel industry and increase executive level employment opportunities for Hispanics within the lodging industry.  The industry's leading brands, including Hilton Hotels Corporation, Marriott International, Choice Hotels International and InterContinental Hotels Group, have joined the organization and become major corporate sponsors.  Additional information about HHOA is available at the association's Web site, www.hhoa.org.