AAHOA Members in different parts of the country have recently hosted meaningful Back-of-the-House tours with elected officials to further AAHOA’s advocacy efforts.

On Friday, April 26, AAHOA Members, including Women Hoteliers Director Eastern Division Purnima Patel, gave Rep. Jennifer McClellan (R-VA) a tour of an AAHOA Member-owned extended-stay hotel in Petersburg, VA. Rep. McClellan got a tour of the property and gained new insights into the hospitality industry.

On Monday, April 29, AAHOA Northwest Regional Director Taran Patel gave Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) a Back-of-the-House tour at a Courtyard by Marriott in Pasco, WA. During this tour, several important industry issues were discussed with Rep. Newhouse.

Some of these include:

• The challenges the industry faced navigating out of the pandemic 
• The impact inflation has had on margins 
• The franchisee/franchisor model
• The need for Congress to support increasing the SBA 7a loan limit from $5m to $10m

Rep. Newhouse gained an up-close and personal understanding of what it takes to run a hotel and what specific issues are currently on most hoteliers’ minds.

AAHOA will continue to host more Back-of-the-House tours to grow the association’s relationships with policymakers.