The Certified Hotel Owner (CHO) program is a two-year curriculum that was developed by the AAHOA Institute of Management (AIM) at the California State Polytechnic Institute in Pomona, Calif.  

�CHO is the culmination of discussions we began with AAHOA�s leadership in 1995 with a goal toward finding synergies that would support the members of both organizations,� said Best Western Board Director, Mark T. Brown, CHA.  �The program formalizes the process that many of our members have had to learn while on the job which is how to operate a hotel while managing a business,� Brown added.  

To earn the CHO designation, a hotel owner must attend eight full-day seminars over a two-year period covering a wide range of topics.  Four seminars address specific hotel management functions including front office and reservations, human resources, housekeeping, laundry, maintenance, engineering and the laws of innkeeping.  Additionally, there are four sessions that cover business operations including sales and marketing, leadership and technology.  

Candidates must take a comprehensive written exam and score at least 75 percent.  To maintain the C.H.O. accreditation, owners will be required to take refresher courses every five years.

�The Certified Hotel Owner curriculum is an exciting new educational program that we think will augment other formal training that hotel and motel owners have been exposed to, � said Best Western International President and CEO, Jim Evans. �Not only will CHO serve both our Best Western and AAHOA membership very well, but it will also raise the bar on the level of professionalism throughout the industry.  Ultimately, the consumer will reap the benefits of this program through improved customer service and guest satisfaction,� Evans added.

�This new partnership with Best Western is a powerful example of how different hospitality organizations can work together enthusiastically and effectively toward common goals,� explained Bakulesh �Buggsi� Patel, AAHOA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Buggsi Hospitality Group, Portland, Ore. �AAHOA is always looking for opportunities to join with our industry associates in pursuing goals of mutual interest and Best Western is an exemplary case in point,� adds Patel.

The first CHO sessions are being held in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and San Francisco.  Enrollment is limited and the program is free to AAHOA and Best Western members.  For more information and exact dates, contact the AAHOA office in Atlanta by phone at 404-816-5759.

Founded in 1989, AAHOA now has more than 7,000 members who together own almost 18,000 hotel properties with one million rooms and one million employees.

Best Western International is the world�s largest hotel chain with more than 4,000 hotels in 88 countries and territories.  It is a membership association of independently owned and operated hotels that provides marketing, reservations and operational support to its member hotels.