The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) will meet for their annual conference and trade show from April 11 to 14 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Already, AAHOA announced it has reached a record number of booth sales. Chances are that total attendance will be significant and even record breaking.
For those of you not familiar with AAHOA, it is the largest hotel owners association in the U.S. AAHOA’s 20,000 members own 60 percent of the hotels in the U.S. More than one million employees work at AAHOA member-owned hotels, earning $47 billion annually, and member-owned hotels support 4.2 million U.S. jobs across all sectors of the hospitality industry. AAHOA’s mission is to advance and protect the business interests of hotel owners through advocacy, industry leadership, professional development, member benefits, and community engagement.
AAHOA’s achievements have certainly been impressive, and the organization has rightly emphasized community engagement, human trafficking training, and the empowerment of women.
Make Sustainability a More Prominent, Visible Commitment
Over the years I have certainly written about AAHOA members and their unique efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their hotels. Also, AAHOA members have made great strides in reducing their impact as part of brand sustainability programs. That said, I would like to challenge AAHOA to make sustainability more of a prominent, visible commitment as an organization. Those 60 percent of all U.S. hotels consume a lot of energy and water and produce a major mountain of waste. Many hotel owners need to be challenged and, at the same time, success stories need to be told.
Admittedly, I am using their website and past announcements as a guide, but AAHOA is either not talking about climate change and sustainability or they are keeping it quiet.
A few observations from their website:
Aside from human trafficking and workforce concerns, anything having to do with sustainability is absent from their 2022 Policy Handbook. There is no discussion about it in their 2021 to 2023 strategic plan. Their awards program lacks an award for stellar green accomplishments. Unlike AHLA, there is no sustainability committee. I see no mention of the value of green certification. There is no ESG report. Ouch. (As of press time, conference topics had not yet been announced.)
On the plus side, there are companies in AAHOA’s directory that do help reduce waste, energy, and water consumption. That counts for something.
AAHOA, given its clout and impact in this country, must make sustainability a much bigger part of its story. The potential impact on its 20,000 members, and our planet, is significant.
Your thoughts? I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Green Lodging News Adds Verdafero to Product & Service Directory
Green Lodging News has added Verdafero Inc. to its Green Product & Service Directory in the “Software/Utility Analytics for ESG Reports” category. Verdafero ESG InSights is a cloud-based software suite that offers dynamic utility data analytics across time, location, cost, occupancy, or other key hospitality indicators. Verdafero ESG InSights provides an analysis of your utility usage by gathering data on energy and water consumption, occupancy, weather, and other resource utilization patterns to make better informed decisions on your hotel’s operating costs and environmental initiatives.
Verdafero ESG InSights is designed to provide a visual analysis of your Scope 1 & 2 greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) for ESG reporting, serving as a comprehensive view of a company’s sustainability efforts.
Call (650) 206-2441, or e-mail alastair@verdafero.com and mention you saw Verdafero’s ad in Green Lodging News to receive a free one-year analysis of your Scope 1 & 2 emissions.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
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Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers, and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
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Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each week, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
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