AAHOA held its inaugural HYPE Ownership Conference in New Orleans last week, with nearly 200 members attending to learn more about hotel ownership as a career.

The initiative is meant to empower and nurture the next generation of young professionals in the hospitality industry with educational offerings (panels, roundtables, a keynote, and discussions) as well as networking opportunities.

“The energy and enthusiasm at our inaugural HYPE Conference exceeded expectations, and AAHOA Young Professionals are clearly eager to learn, grow, and excel in their careers,” said AAHOA President and CEO Laura Lee Blake. “AAHOA’s HYPE Conference is a first-of-its-kind initiative for our industry, and we are proud to lead the way in nurturing and shining a spotlight on the incredible talent of our next generation of leaders.”

• Panels touched on trends and challenges as well as the value of advocacy and the strengths young leaders can bring to the proverbial table.
• Others touched on growing reliance on technology and blurring the line between residential developments and hospitality.
• Several panels touched on multigenerational hotel ownership, and current owners were encouraged to include their daughters in the family business.

"AAHOA is thrilled to bring to the industry a game-changing initiative that will truly support and evolve the future of hospitality,” Bharat Patel said in a statement after the event. “Our intent was to create a platform to give a stronger voice to young professionals, who play a crucial role in shaping and driving innovation within the hospitality industry. This week showed us that our future is in good hands with the next generation of hoteliers!”

Hotel Management will have an e-book detailing what happened at the HYPE Ownership Conference and how AAHOA is supporting its young professionals in early March.

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