Friday, January 12, 2024

Annual Member Vote: Slate of Board Candidates

The IHLA is a non-profit trade association with an elected volunteer Board of Directors. At the Annual Meeting of the Association which was held via Zoom on January 10, 2024, the Board of Directors presented their approved slate of candidates to members for consideration. Please vote for or against the slate as presented below. Please note, your e-mail address will be recorded as part of your response to determine membership status. Only current members of the Association are eligible to vote. 

Please vote for or against the slate of candidates presented below to serve as the

2024 Board of Directors. Directors serve 3 year terms.

Chair: Scott Math , Chair thru 1/25

(1^st Term completes 1/25)             

Vice Chair: Angela Harrington, Vice thru 1/25

(1^st Term completes 1/25)

Directors: Omkar Bhatt  (1^st Term Completes 1/26)

                               Ben Kinseth  (1^st Term Completes 1/25)

                               Atul Patel (1^st Term Completes 1/26)

                               Kalpesh Patel (1^st Term Completes 1/26)

                               Ravi Patel (1^st Term Completes 1/25)

                               Paul Rottenberg (1^st Term Completes 1/25)

                               Lowell Scott (1^st Term Completes 1/26)

*As a reminder, only current members of the Association are eligible to vote.

2024 Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association Legislative Priorities

The Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association’s primary mission is to provide legislative and regulatory support to the industry at the state level. This week the Iowa Legislative Session began, and the Association shared their top priorities with members at a virtual legislative training.

Top issues include:

Sales Tax Exemption (S.F. 394)

Exempts from the state sales and use tax lodging supplies sold to a lodging provider in order to properly prepare a guest room.

Press for an Increase State Per Diem Rates 

Press the Iowa Department of Administrative Services to increase state employee per diem rates to federal rates for Iowa.

Work with a Coalition Seeking a Vendor Allowance on Credit Card Fees on State Sales Tax

Work with the Iowa Grocers, Iowa Retail Federation, and Iowa Restaurant Association to find solutions for reducing credit card fee burden on the collection of sales tax.

Support Creation of Youth Drive Permit

Support a bill that allows 14 ½ and 15 year olds who work the same driving privileges as students who participate in school activities.

Slow Special Use Tax Exclusive to Hospitality

Bills have been proposed that authorize cities to establish entertainment areas and impose an entertainment surcharge within the area. Others proposed increasing lodging tax by 5% to cover public transit shortfalls. Other groups are seeking legislation allowing Tourism Improvement Districts.

Upcoming Events: Mark Your Calendars for January 30th!

IHLA Legislative Day

Lunch: Heart of America Offices |

515 E Locust St, #100 | 12:00 PM

Capitol Visits to Immediately Follow Lunch

Join us for the IHLA Day at the State Capitol! We will meet for lunch at the Heart of America office in Des Moines where additional legislative training will be provided and then head to the Capitol to share our issues with lawmakers.

Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association Reception

Centro | 1101 Locust Street, Des Moines | 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Join the Association in hosting legislators at the Taste of Iowa legislative reception and sample local favorites provided by Centro! This event is open to all members of the Association.

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Awareness Month

January is Human Trafficking Prevention Awareness month.  The AHLA and AHLA Foundation have a number of resource materials available to assist operators as part of their No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) initiative.

The Iowa hotel and lodging industries have been leaders in training their teams in prevention of human trafficking. In fact, the IHLA was launched the same week that Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate introduced Iowa Businesses Against Trafficking. If your business has not yet joined the IBAT coalition, learn more here.

New Beneficial Ownership Reporting Requirements Take Effect 

New federal reporting requirements took effect on January 1, 2024 that may require you to report your business entity's beneficial ownership information. Learn more about whether or not your company should report. 

If you appreciate this information, please consider joining. 

These efforts are funded by our membership. Learn more about membership here.