News for the Hospitality Executive |
HOUSTON, January 31, 2011—Officials of
the Latino Hotel
Association (LHA), the global organization dedicated to expanding
Latino
ownership, leadership and commerce in the hotel industry, recently
announced at
a press conference that it will host a black-tie charity event— “Battle
of the
Brands” —at the organization’s inaugural conference, to be held
November 16-18,
at the Tropicana Las Vegas Hotel and Casino. Battle of the Brands, scheduled for
November 17 at 6
p.m., will pair top hotel executives in the ring to “fight for
education.” Brand battlers, who will be matched by height and
weight,
will train with professional boxers before entering the ring to spar
for three,
one-minute rounds. Proceeds from the black-tie event will be used
to
educate and train Latino hoteliers in industry practices, including
operations,
finance and fostering brand relationships. Among the combatants currently on the
fight card are Raj
“The Rampage” Trivedi, executive vice president, franchise and chief
development officer, La Quinta Inns & Suites; and Mark “Napoleon
Dynamite”
Williams, vice president North America development, Best Western
International,
Inc. The two were among the first to sign up as brand battlers
and wasted
no time throwing down the gauntlet to other hotel brands. “Any
brand that
doesn’t have the guts to step into the ring should turn off its great
sign and
go cower in a corner,” Trivedi said.
The event will include a reception,
dinner, well-known
Latino entertainers, a live auction and after-party and feature five
matches
between senior hotel executives from the leading and toughest hotel
brands. “Wusses need not apply,” Williams taunted. “Latinos continue to increase their
presence and
influence worldwide but we want to accelerate that advancement,” said
William
B. Fortier, chairman of the Latino Hotel Association and senior vice
president
development, the Americas at Hilton International. “We want to host an event that will
encourage a sense of
friendly rivalry among hotel industry brands and show our support for
the
Latino community,” said Carlos J. Rodriguez, Battle of the Brands
chairman and
president and managing partner, RodBlu Investments and DVI Cardel
Funds.
“In our eyes, these fighters are already industry champions.
While we are
taking every precaution to ensure a safe and fair fight, we do
anticipate a few
bruised egos!” “Latinos contribute to the success of all
hotel brands,
from property level associates to executive staff, from developers and
owners
to lenders,” said Angela Gonzalez-Rowe, president and founder of
LHA.
“The inaugural conference’s purpose is to increase awareness of hotel
education
among Latinos in the hotel industry. We look forward to seeing
the
different brand representatives coming out in support of their
individual
companies at Battle of the Brands and expect everyone will enjoy the
night’s
festivities. Our goal is to raise as much as $1 million.” Battle of the Brands is a stand-alone
event; registration
for the annual conference is not necessary to participate. Hotel
industry
supporters of the Latino community, including brands, owners,
operators,
product and service providers may purchase a table of 10 for
$5,000.
Individual tickets may be purchased for $500. For more
information on the
conference, Battle of the Brands and to register, please visit the
LHA’s
website at www.latinohotelassociation.com,
or contact Angela Gonzalez-Rowe at (281) 668-9165 or by email at [email protected].
Headquartered in suburban Houston, LHA is a worldwide, non-profit association dedicated to increasing Latino participation in the hospitality industry, to include ownership, leadership and commerce. The organization provides education, international and regional conferences and networking opportunities with the world’s leading hotel companies. Additional information is available at the association’s website, www.latinohotelassociation.com. |
Contact: Chris Daly or Jerry Daly Daly Gray Public Relations 620 Herndon Parkway Suite 115 Herndon, VA 20170 (703) 435-6293 [email protected]
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