July 11
Arlington Park Racecourse
August 20
Harborside International
Golf Center
September 17
Tuckaway Golf Club, Crete
October 22
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Bloomington-Airport
October 23
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington
October 30
Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel
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STRATEGIC PARTNERS
GOLD SPONSOR
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Last week, we helped host the first ever "Hospitality Hires" event outside of the City of Chicago, in the south suburban region. More than 30 employers, including four hotels, from cities and towns across the area came together to interview more than 400 pre-screened candidates. Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle joined us and was able to meet with several of the applicants who received offers from our attending hotels. This was a great opportunity to not only fill much needed roles within our member properties but also help educate the more than one dozen elected officials who attended about the role our industry plays in providing quality jobs to Illinoisans. IHLA is going to continue to expand this program to other regions of the state in the coming months to help provide greater employment services to our members.
Tomorrow we will hold Pony Up for The Kids, our largest fundraising event of the year for the IHLA Educational Foundation's Scholarship Program. This important initiative is made possible because of the generous support of our members. You can still purchase tickets or sponsorships online and help support students pursuing a career in hospitality.
Lastly, I am excited to share with you that we recently rebranded our young professionals networking group from "Under 30" to "Hospitality Young Professionals (HYP)." Not only does the name change capture the essence of the network, but it also raises the age for involvement from industry professionals to 40. It is inspiring to spend time with our young professionals, and IHLA is proud to foster an environment where leaders can learn from each other and encourage growth within hospitality. We are celebrating the re-launch of HYP aboard Entertainment Cruises' Mystic Blue next Thursday, July 18 in Chicago. I hope you can join us or encourage your colleagues under 40 to participate.
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Effective July 1, 2020 (just under one year from now), hotels in Illinois will be required to begin providing certain employees with employee safety devices if they work alone in guest rooms or other areas of your property. We realize that hoteliers have a lot of questions around this new requirement which is why IHLA will soon release a guide with preferred vendors that we encourage our members to speak with as they look into their options. Our preferred vendors include TraknProtect, United Security Services, Airista Flow, PWC, React Mobile and Enseo. We will also begin hosting a series of educational seminars throughout the state in the coming weeks and months to help answer questions that hotels may have as they begin preparing for this new law to take effect. In addition to the in-person seminars, we will be hosting a virtual webinar on August 15 from 2-3pm CT so that you can also get this information from the comfort of your own desk, as well as hear directly from our preferred vendors. It is important that you begin preparing and looking into providers as early as possible so you do not experience last-minute delays as we approach July 1, 2020. You can learn more about the questions to ask potential vendors by reading the HTNG Buyers Guide, and you can register for our educational webinar here.
In Chicago, the Fair Workweek Ordinance continues to be negotiated between business associations including IHLA, labor, City Council and the Mayor's office. Michael is meeting with the Mayor tomorrow to continue the conversation and push for additional changes to the proposed language. Our remaining priorities include adding a voluntary standby list where employees can voluntarily opt-out of the scheduling rules and setting a threshold for what defines "low-wage" workers who would be covered under the ordinance. We expect a new version of the ordinance to be released soon and once it is made public, we will send an update to our Chicago members on where we stand. The Chicago City Council's Workforce Development Committee is scheduled to consider this ordinance on July 22 and if passed, it will go up for a vote in the full City Council on July 24.
Hospitality Hires Chicago Southland
Senator Jil Tracy Golf Outing Fundraiser
L- Rt: Patrick Schreacke, Senator Jil Tracy, Jeremy Woods, IHLA Board Member Mark Aleman
AHLA Legislative Action Summit (LAS)
September 10-11
Capital Hilton, Washington, D.C.
 The hotel industry is coming together on Capitol Hill for this incredible event and you're invited! Join with hundreds of your hotel industry colleagues from across the country to meet with your Members of Congress and share what issues matter most to you and your business. Whether you work the front desk, manage a property, are a brand executive or hotel industry vendor, your voice is key!
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UPCOMING EVENTS & PROGRAMS
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IHLAEF Pony Up for the Kids
July 11
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 and indulge in the delicious fare and premium cocktails. Perfect for your executive team or client outing and a great setting to network with Chicagoland's finest in the hospitality industry!
Hospitality Young Professionals Networking Cruise
July 18
Mystic Blue - Docked at Navy Pier
 Join IHLA's Hospitality Young Professionals (HYP) group on a Lake-Breeze Dinner Lounge Cruise aboard Entertainment Cruises' Mystic Blue docked at Navy Pier and enjoy an evening of networking, fun, and incredible views on Lake Michigan. Tickets include dinner buffet, beer/wine/sodas, DJ entertainment, dancing, and games.
Choose Chicago Hotel Symposium
July 22
The Westin Chicago River North
 Choose Chicago and IHLA invite you to join us for the 9th Annual Hotel Symposium! Join your colleagues to learn about Chicago's hotel and visitation performance, and what is forecast for 2020 and 2021. Bobby Bowers, SVP of Operations for STR, Inc. will join us to share industry and segment hotel performance. Also joining us this year will be Tori Barnes, EVP, Public Affairs and Policy for the U.S. Travel Association to discuss the state of travel in the U.S.
IHLAEF Webinar: Crisis Communications
August 1 | 11:00am - 12:00pm CDT
 When things go wrong at your hotel, make sure you get your communications strategy right. Hear from a seasoned crisis PR professional on the do's and don'ts when it comes to crises that may occur including natural disasters, protests, illegal activity within the hotel, data breaches and more.
IHLAEF Webinar: Employee Safety Devices
August 15 | 2:00pm - 3:00pm CDT
A new law in Illinois requires hotels to install and provide employee safety devices to certain employees by July 1, 2020. Join IHLA for an educational seminar that will go into detail about the new requirements, describe what hotels need to know when looking into providers and give you the opportunity to hear directly from IHLA's preferred vendors who we recommend you reach out to as you look into providers.
IHLA Golf Classic
August 20
Harborside International Golf Center
 Join us for the premier hotel industry golf outing featuring an incredible day of golf and networking with the finest in hospitality, a perfect way to entertain VIP clients!
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Welcome New Strategic Partner!
PwC
Alec Massey | 571-334-0681
 We are pleased to announce our newest Strategic Partner, PwC. As Illinois hotels must comply with the mandatory installation of safety devices by July 1, 2020 per Illinois law, IHLA is identifying vendors, like PwC, to assist you in this process. PwC's patent-pending Indoor Geolocation Platform (IGP) provides accurate indoor and outdoor location data to pinpoint the whereabouts of employees who request assistance. PwC's IoT-powered solution runs on a dedicated network, with no in-room infrastructure or beacons, and includes analytics and reporting. Quick to deploy and affordable to operate!
Welcome New Allied Members!
 Scheidt & Bachmann USA is the Global leader in the Parking Industry. They are a solutions provider for the hotel industry to make parking easier for hotel guests.
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 Snyder & Snyder Agency, Inc. is a full-service independent insurance agency with locations in Bloomington, Springfield, and Champaign.
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Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2019
Congrats Deer Path Inn!
 Congratulations to Deer Path Inn, ranked #1 Resort Hotel in the Midwest, #5 in the Continental U.S. and Top 100 in the World (#66) on Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards 2019 list! This distinction coincides with Deer Path Inn's 90th anniversary of opening, signifying the special place the inn has held in the hearts of many for nearly a century.
The Travel + Leisure honor was presented to the property through the magazine's annual reader survey. Respondents were asked to rate their top hotels on a five-point scale based on five characteristics: rooms/facilities, location, service, restaurants/food and value. Surpassing its competitors in survey ratings (including those in Chicago and other Midwest metropolitan cities), Deer Path Inn's personalized service, exceptional dining offerings, and idyllic design touchpoints have made it a home away from home for Lake Forest locals and visitors alike.
Congrats Top Chicago Hotels!
 Travel + Leisure ranked The 10 Best Hotels in Chicago, this year's lists includes: Thompson Chicago, The Gwen, The Ritz-Carlton Chicago, Virgin Hotels Chicago, St. Jane Hotel, Hotel Julian, The Peninsula Chicago, The Langham, Hotel Zachary, and Viceroy Chicago.
Featured Member
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IHLAEF 2019 Scholarship Recipients
For the 2019-2020 academic year, the IHLA Educational Foundation awarded $56,000 in scholarships to 23 students studying Hospitality Management at 13 colleges in Illinois and across the country. We proudly announce our 2019 winners - Congratulations to these outstanding recipients and future hospitality leaders and thank you to our generous donors.
Shalinee Abraham - DePaul University - J. Patrick Leahy Connoisseur Scholarship
Tamika Bobo - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Keegan Davis - University of Nevada, Las Vegas -
Chicagoland Marriott Hotels Scholarship
Jasmine Dinkins - Johnson and Wales University
Rebecca Doman - University of Central Florida -
Sage Hospitality Scholarship
Kristin Dula - The French Pastry School
Bridget Ferguson - DePaul University -
John Drabik Hospitality Scholarship
Brady Furleigh - DePaul University -
Constellation Scholarship
Martha Gomez - DePaul University -
Pat Karr Memorial Scholarship
Brendan Kempff - Cornell University
Trinity Kim - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Mia Lanzillotti - Florida Gulf Coast University -
PSAV Scholarship
Malikha Long - Kendall College at National Louis University
Grace Murphy - Purdue University -
Hyatt Scholarship
Veronica Nunez - Roosevelt University -
Hilton Hotels of Chicago Scholarship
Tess O'Callaghan - Pennsylvania State University -
Davidson Hotels & Resorts Scholarship
Clara Pauker - Purdue University -
Kimpton Hotels of Chicago Scholarship
Todd Pinta - DePaul University
Elizabeth Redhead - DePaul University
Jennifer Romanchek - Purdue University
Elena Sanchez - University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Sam Tucker - Cornell University -
Hostmark Hospitality, Robert J. Cataldo Scholarship
Courtney Zajac - Northern Illinois University -
Marc J. Gordon Scholarship
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