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IN THIS ISSUE
Hospitality Headlines
Member News
GM Breakfast
Hospitality Gala
Hospitality Awards
Under 30 Gateway
Governmental Affairs
StayGreen
Educational Foundation
EVENT CALENDAR

May 10 
Awards Luncheon
McCormick Place
11:00am

June 21
Spirit of Chicago, Navy Pier

July 12  
IHLAEF Pony Up
for the Kids XII
Arlington Racecourse
Arlington Heights 
12:30-5:30pm

July 19
Under 30 Gateway 2nd Annual Networking Cruise
Mystic Blue, Navy Pier

August 21
30th Annual Super
Golf Classic
Harborside International Golf Center
 
September 11
Tuckaway Golf Club
Crete
 
September 12-13
Washington, D.C.
 
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington
 
November 1
Hyatt Regency O'Hare
Rosemont
 
Chicago

STRATEGIC PARTNERS

SILVER SPONSORS


 

BRONZE SPONSORS
















REGIONAL PARTNERS




VIEW ALLIED MEMBERS HERE
UNDER 30 GATEWAY

Are you 21-29 years old and employed at an IHLA member hotel? Then you need to connect with other young professionals of the Gateway! Membership is free! 
Sign up at: AHLA.com/Gateway
I-WIL

Not a member of Illinois Women in Lodging yet? Membership is free  to any female employed by an IHLA member hotel.

Sign up at:  AHLA.com/WIL
STAYGREEN

Not recognized as a StayGreen Hotel or TripAdvisor GreenLeader? Complete the online Questionnaire today. 

 

Learn more about the benefits of becoming StayGreen
HCAREERS
AHLA Career Center
Powered by Hcareers

 

IHLA member properties can post their jobs on ahla.com/hcareers at a  20% discount , and those jobs will also be posted on hcareers.com .

 

With one million job seeker visits per month, Hcareers is the leading hospitality career resource for those seeking hospitality employment and those looking to hire top talent.

 

A portion of the revenue from Hcareers Illinois job posts goes directly to the IHLAEF Scholarship Program

CHICAGO HEAT

The Chicago HEaT (Hospitality, Entertainment, & Tourism) Security Association's mission is to share communications, alerts, & training that affect the Hospitality, Entertainment, & Tourism Industry with the assistance of law enforcement partners, reducing the impact of incidents on our industry, maximizing safety, & minimizing crime in our community.  
IHLA 2018 OFFICERS

CHAIRMAN
Tom Robertson

VICE CHAIRMAN  
Mark Lauer
 
TREASURER  
Jerry Cataldo
 
SECRETARY  
Michelle McConnell, CHA

PRESIDENT & CEO 
Marc Gordon
 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Mark Aleman 
Jermaine Anderson 
Eric Bates
Jenna Beyers 
John Brooke, CHA
Jerry Cataldo 
Raymond Ceresa 
*Mike Cohen 
Brian Cooney, CHA  
Paul Daly
Darin Dame, CHA
Doug Dean
*Patrick Donelly
Konstantine (Gus) Drosos
Mike Feigenbaum
Pierre-Louis Giacotto 
Stefan Gruvberger 
Kirsten Guill 
*Bob Habeeb, CHA
Chris Hansen 
Patrick Hatton
Dieter Heigl 
Stacy Hinrichs
Steve Horve 
Fred Jones
George Jordan 
Dave Kimsey 
Tony Klok 
*Dean Lane
France Langan
Mark Lauer
Damien McArdle 
Michelle McConnell, CHA 
Karen McGuigan
Mike McGuigan 
Ginny Morrison
*Nabil Moubayed, CHA
Catherine Mrowiec 
Tim Obert
Tom Robertson 
Richard Romane
Charlie Shirk
Peter Simoncelli 
*Lisa Timbo
Tommie L. Van
*Ron Vlasic 
*John Wells

ALLIED DIRECTORS

Jim Buczek
Rich Cialabrini  
Jim Donivan
Rick Simon 
John Tomasiewicz

*Past Chairman
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
April was another successful month that got started with IHLA hosting our GM Breakfast Meeting on April 3rd at Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park. Thanks to Kirsten Guill for hosting the event. State Representative Marcus Evans spoke to our hotel members on several issues affecting our industry including the results of the March 20th Primary Elections and the upcoming State Budget. Representative Evans then answered questions from the group on a wide range of topics.
 
On April 6th, IHLA hosted our wonderful 30th Annual Hospitality Gala at Swissotel Chicago. IHLA's 400 hotel industry guests enjoyed terrific food, beverages, and outstanding music and entertainment. Special thanks to Ted Selogie and the fantastic Swissotel staff for hosting an extraordinary event to help IHLA celebrate our special 30th anniversary of this very wonderful event for the hotel industry in Illinois.

May will be a very busy month starting on May 15-16th, when IHLA hosts our annual Lobby Day in Springfield. Over 50 IHLA members are expected to help IHLA lobby our state legislators on issues that are critical to our industry in Illinois. The Illinois Restaurant Association and the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus will be joining IHLA's Lobby Day once again to give our hospitality industry a much stronger voice as we meet with legislators representing all parts of the state. Several keynote speakers will address our group, and meetings with the top leaders of the General Assembly will be scheduled. Click HERE to join us for our Lobby Day. 
 
Also, in May, IHLA will be hosting our 23rd Annual Hospitality Awards Luncheon on May 22nd during the National Restaurant Show at McCormick Place in Chicago. John Belden, Shevket Dardowski, Lori Healey, Mark Lauer, and Jay Stieber will be honored at the Luncheon. All tickets to the Luncheon include a free badge to the NRA Show that is good for all four days of the Show. Click HERE for more information and to register.

Finally, the application deadline for IHLA's Educational Foundation 2018/19 academic scholarships is May 10th. IHLAEF plans to award at least $52,000 in scholarships to deserving hospitality students from Illinois for the upcoming school year. Applications for 2018/19 scholarships can be found HERE. Please join us for our annual scholarship fundraiser, Pony Up for the Kids XII on July 12th at Arlington International Racecourse. Click HERE for more information and to register.
 
Thanks to all of our members for their continued support.

Marc 
HOSPITALITY HEADLINES
News You Can Use

Chicagoland Hotel & Restaurant News 
MEMBER NEWS & EVENTS
Welcome New Hotel Member

700 W Riverside Blvd | Rockford, IL 61103
GM: Andy Bridwell


Welcome New Strategic Partner 

John Wilkerson | 312-342-5343
Isabelli Media Relations (IMR) provides expert communications services for the travel, hospitality, and lifestyle industries. B ased in Chicago, with clients in 12 states nationwide, IMR's approach to public relations relies on specialized strategies that creatively marry what they love about traditional efforts and what they know about digital media and its unyielding power to reach your audience. The result? Smart, modern, customized campaigns that drive the bottom line.

Welcome New Allied Members

Gregory Gibbs, Jr. | Joseph Hogan | 708-345-9710
Anderson Elevator is the premier independent elevator modernization, maintenance, and service provider in the Chicagoland area. Over the past decade alone, Anderson Elevator has completed in excess of $150,000,000 in elevator modernization, service, and repair work in the Chicago metropolitan area. From a 55-story high-rise gearless system, to a 2-stop hydraulic elevator, Anderson Elevator is your answer.

Edge designs, builds, and manages end-to-end technology solutions for the hospitality industry. From the initial strategy to site installation, to ongoing network management and 24/7 technical support, Edge provides hoteliers with a complete managed services solution. Their managed services solution includes: technology consulting with specializations in transition services and hotel openings, redundant broadband, superior voice and hotel PBX, high speed Wi-Fi, network security, and remote and on-site managed IT service.

James J. Zuehl | 312-330-0821
The Hotel Employers Labor Relations Association (HELRA) represents its members, who are unionized hotels in the Chicago area, in dealings with their unions.
James Schultz | 708-391-0648
Laundry H20 is the perfect water recycling system for commercial laundries and laundromats that spend more than $4,000 per month on water. The systems can save hotels up to 50% on their water bill and pay for themselves in only 10 to 24 months.

Vova Kagan | 847-668-8075
Sputnik is a local roaster focused on roasting great coffee at a more affordable price. They focus on roasting one blend consistently, a smooth medium roast that is a hit with their retail and wholesale clients.
CHICAGOLAND GM BREAKFAST
On April 3rd, GM Kirsten Guill hosted IHLA's bi-monthly Chicagoland Council of Hotel General Managers Breakfast Meeting at Fairmont Chicago Millennium Park. Attendees enjoyed a fantastic breakfast spread and networking and heard from keynote speaker: Illinois State Representative, Marcus C. Evans Jr. (Legislative District 33). Rep. Evans discussed the various priorities he was focusing on and predicted more synergy in state government moving forward. He emphasized that he's a friend of our industry and wants to learn more about it to help us grow. Rep. Evans then opened the room up for conversation and asked our GM's what policy improvements they would like to see and encouraged everyone to continue feeding ideas to elected officials so they can better understand and assist.
 
Special Thanks to Meeting Sponsors: 
 


N ext General Manager's Breakfast Meeting:
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
The Gwen, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Michigan Avenue Chicago
8:00am Breakfast & Networking | 8:30am Program Begins
 
Interested in Sponsoring a Bi-monthly GM Breakfast Meeting?
Contact Susannah Flanner for more information.

HOSPITALITY GALA
THE Annual Hospitality Gala, Celebrating 30 Years
On April 6th, 400 friends and leaders of the hospitality industry filled Swissotel Chicago for THE Hospitality Gala, Celebrating 30 Years! Our signature social event wowed guests with an evening of incredible food and craft cocktails, dancing, and entertainment to be remembered! Attendees networked among the industry's finest, enjoyed decadent Desserts of the Decades by area culinary schools and Swissotel, featuring Chicago's own Sputnik Coffee, and continued the party on the dance floor to music by Fig. A highlight of the night was the Grand Travel Raffle by Expedia, congratulations to 1st place winner: Mike Walls (MillerCoors) and 2nd place winner: Jim Donivan (The Wall Street Journal).
 
Special thanks to all those who attended and enhanced the event:
Breakthru Beverage Group Illinois, DePaul University School of Hospitality Leadership, Drape Kings, E.&J. Gallo, Fig Media, Folio Fine Wine Partners, GMedia Wraps, Haus of La Rouge, Jackson Family Wines, MillerCoors, PSAV, Red Bull, Robert Morris University Culinary, Sofia Effraimidi (Kendall College), SpeedPro Imaging Chicago, Swissotel Chicago Team, Tabletoppers, Inc., The French Pastry School, The Palm, Sputnik Coffee, Wansas Tequila, Washburne Culinary & Hospitality Institute, William Grant & Sons, Wynn Films
 

HOSPITALITY AWARDS
23rd Annual Hospitality Awards Luncheon
In Conjunction with the National Restaurant Association, Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 
McCormick Place South



Honoring the Recipient of the IHLA J. Patrick Leahy Lifetime Achievement Award
John Belden, President & CEO, Davidson Hotels & Resorts
 
And the Recipients of the Ambassador of Hospitality Awards
Shevket Dardovski, Vice President, SP+
Lori Healey, CEO, Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority (MPEA/McPier)
Mark Lauer, General Manager, Sheraton Grand Chicago
Jay Stieber, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises
 

UNDER 30 GATEWAY
U30 Spring Networking Event
Tuesday, May 15, 2018  
Drumbar atop Raffaello Hotel

Keep calm and spring on with IHLA's Under 30 Gateway Chapter! Join us for a rooftop networking event at Raffaello Hotel's Drumbar and enjoy cocktails, light bites, skyline and lakefront views, and fun. Network with fellow hotelier twentysomethings at one of the best and most buzzed about rooftop bars in Chicago! 

GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
Illinois Tourism Hearing in Springfield
On April 24th, a joint committee hearing of the House Appropriations-General Service Committee and the House Tourism, Hospitality, & Craft Industries Committee came together for a subject matter hearing on tourism in Illinois. Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Bloomington-Airport Executive Housekeeper, Donetta Ernst, spoke to the attendees about how tourism has changed her life. She emphasized how important tourism has been to her livelihood, her family's, and to all of the employees in her department. Donetta spoke about diversity of the employees and how with jobs in tourism, you can be promoted without a higher education if you work hard work and have a strong work ethic. These positions pay well and offer health insurance options at huge discounts. Illinois Office of Tourism Director, Cory Jobe, and Choose Chicago President & CEO, David Whitaker, also spoke during the hearing.


Recent Governmental Affairs Updates

2018 Lobby Day Hosted By IHLA, ICCVB, & IRA
Tuesday, May 15 - Wednesday May 16, 2018
Springfield, IL 
IHLA is once again partnering with the Illinois Council of Convention & Visitor Bureaus (ICCVB) and the Illinois Restaurant Association (IRA) on 2018 LOBBY DAY. Help us show the strength, breadth, and unity of the hospitality and tourism industry to Members of the 100th Illinois General Assembly and continue educating our elected officials on the importance of our industry. 

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, May 9th


STAYGREEN
EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

2018 Scholarship Applications 
IHLAEF 2018 Scholarship Applications are now available on our website at illinoishotels.org/Scholarships . Please encourage eligible family, friends, and colleagues to apply. 
 
Why Apply for an IHLAEF Scholarship?
  • Scholarship awards are excellent for enhancing resumes, and an IHLAEF Scholarship shows you have earned recognition from the industry.
  • IHLAEF Scholarship recipients are better positioned to network, gain visibility, and advance in the hospitality industry. Recipients receive complimentary tickets to IHLA's Under 30 Gateway events and Annual Hospitality Awards Luncheon with admission to the NRA Show.
  • Our scholarships are renewable, providing an opportunity to receive a minimum of $7,000 over four years.  
  • Unlike a loan, scholarship money never needs to be paid back
Application Deadline: Thursday, May 10th
 

Pony Up for the Kids XII
Thursday July 12, 2018
Arlington International Racecourse | Beverly D. Suite

 
Exacta? Trifecta? Superfecta? You Betcha!  Get ready for an exciting day at the races in the classy yet comfortable Beverly D. Suite of Arlington Racecourse. Guests will mingle in the private room and covered walkout terrace with stunning bird's eye views of the track, indulge in the delicious fare and premium cocktails, and enjoy the benefit of a horseracing professional on hand to offer winning selections and betting strategies. All event proceeds benefit the IHLAEF Scholarship Program
 
 
Thank You Event Sponsor

Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association
P: 312-346-3135 | F: 312-346-6036

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