Minneapolis,  MN  (November  17,  1997)  - Kirby D.  Payne,  CHA,  President  of  Minneapolis based  American  Hospitality Management Company announced today that he is a  candidate  for Secretary Elect of the American Hotel & Motel Association (AH&MA) in Washington, DC.

Payne  currently  serves as Chair of the AH&MA's International Council  of  Hotel-Motel Management Companies, a position he has held for three years.  He is also a member of the association's  Audit,   Credentials  and  Certification  Committee.   Additionally,   Payne  serves  as  a Trustee of the AH&MA's Educational Institute a non-profit educational foundation.

Payne's  company owns and manages hotels throughout the country and consults for other owners  and managers.  The company is currently involved in 11 hotels of which it manages  five and has a significant equity interest in two.

The  AH&MA,  founded in 1910,  is a federation of state lodging associations throughout the  United  States,  with  some 11,000 members worldwide,  representing more than  1.4  million rooms.   AH&MA  provides operations,  technical educational,  marketing,  and  communications services  plus government affairs representation to the lodging industry.   The AH&MA's Annual Meeting will take place in Reno, NV in April.

The 1998 AH&MA officers are Chair Valerie C.  Ferguson, General Manager,  Ritz Carlton,  Atlanta;  Vice  Chair  Hasmukh P.  Rama,  Chairman & CEO,  JHM  Enterprises,  Charlotte; Treasurer Robert E. Slater, CHA, President and CEO, Southern Hospitality, Inc., Oklahoma City;  Secretary John Russell,  President Hospitality Division, HFS, Inc., Parsippany (NJ); and Immediate Past Chair Jonathan Tisch, President and CEO, Loews Hotels, New York.