May 11, 2023 (Austin, Texas USA) — Later this month, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) is featuring Laura Lee Blake, president and CEO of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), for an HFTP Virtual Education webinar: “U.S. Legislative Updates from AAHOA.” The webinar is scheduled for May 23 at 1:00 p.m. CDT and is complimentary to all industry stakeholders. This exchange is part of a deepening partnership between the associations with a shared pursuit to advance the hospitality environment to the benefit of their members and the overall industry.

“This webinar is an example of our associations’ synchronized partnership at work to advance our industry,” said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE. “AAHOA represents 60 percent of hotel owners in America and works tirelessly on behalf of its individual members and the industry to improve hospitality as a profession, to maintain our attractiveness as an investment opportunity and to preserve the American dream.”

The AAHOA session will address its initiatives on the U.S. Federal level, as well as state and local government levels. These efforts are to ensure the sustainability of hotels and the broader American travel industry. Blake will cover policy recommendations that address the industry’s labor shortage and SBA loan limits. In addition, she will discuss how AAHOA works with states on STRs, OTA, evictions, and human trafficking awareness training and prevention. HFTP offers a robust Virtual Education program for its members, hosting between two to four hour-long sessions a month on a variety of topics of interest to its stakeholders. Registration for this session is now open.

“Our industry is stronger when we work together, and when we work together to address critical issues affecting America’s hotel owners, we tend to see better outcomes,” said AAHOA President and CEO Laura Lee Blake. “AAHOA has nearly 20,000 members, and as the voice of America’s hotel owners, we will continue to track and engage on legislative and regulatory issues to promote sound public policy.”

At the recent AAHOACON last month in Los Angeles, HFTP was able to contribute its expertise for the event’s Tech Pitch, where numerous companies competed to be named the 2023 winner. With experience running the start-up pitch competition Entrepreneur 20X, HFTP was able to help power this event.

The two associations will continue to collaborate going forward on similarly mutually beneficial initiatives. Beyond the webinar, HFTP and AAHOA are co-producing the HITEC Young Professionals Event on June 27 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. at the Radisson Blu Toronto Downtown Hotel. The event is open to registered HITEC attendees who are 35 and under and must RSVP to attend. HITEC, produced by HFTP and the largest and longest-running hospitality technology event, will be held June 26–29 in Toronto.