Friday, September 15, 2023

Register Today for the Inaugural

Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association State Awards Luncheon!

Monday, October 2, 2023

11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The Rewind Hotel | West Des Moines

Congratulations 2023 Honorees:

• Hoteliers of the Year—Bhupen & Sandhya Patel, VKB Management, Johnston
• General Manager of the Year— Dwight Hopfauf, Hotel Julien, Dubuque
• Innovation Award— Raj Patel, Hawkeye Hotels, Coralville, recognized for Hotel Fort Des Moines
• Sustainability Award— Mike Whalen, Heart of America, Des Moines, recognized for the Hyatt Place, Altoona 
• Philanthropy Award—Jessica Vanderpool, Kinseth Hospitality, Council Bluffs
• Employee of the Year – Amelia Nickle, Hotel Grinnell, Grinnell
• Industry Champion—Faith Dorn, Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association, West Des Moines 
• Legislator of the Year— Representative Craig Johnson, District 36, Independence

*Tickets must be purchased in advance for this event

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

Sustainability Award Sponsor

Luncheon Sponsor: Iowa Gaming Association 

Corporate Sponsors: SFM, Westbank, & Catch Des Moines

It's Time to Meet Face-to-Face Again!

Two dozen Iowa hotel industry professionals met this month and learned about energy savings and also discussed shared issues of concern. In addition to the presentation, all welcomed the opportunity to network with colleagues. A special thank you to WoodRiver Energy for being our guest speaker!

Missed this month's meeting? Join us October 18th at 11 AM for a webinar presented by WoodRiver on energy savings! Registration details coming soon.

Upcoming Monthly Coffee Meetings

Connect with other operators each month at the IHLA’s member coffee meeting. Each month has a featured presenter as well as association updates and plenty of discussion and networking time. A virtual meeting will be held at 10:30 a.m. immediately following the in person event. Questions? Contact Faith Dorn.

OCTOBER 11

9:00 AM to 10:00 AM

Hampton Inn & Suites | 120 SW Water St,

Des Moines

Guest Speaker: Kathy Anderson, Division Administrator | Iowa Workforce Development

NOVEMBER 8

9:00 AM to 10:00 AM

Holiday Inn & Conference Center | 7400 Hudson Rd, Cedar Falls

Guest Speaker: Jessica Dunker, President & CEO | Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association

Questions? Contact Faith Dorn.

DOL Moves to Expand Overtime Pay to

Salaried Employees Making Up to $55K/year

Last week, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a new rule under which salaried employees earning up to $55,068 a year will get overtime pay. This is a nearly 55% increase from the current overtime threshold of $35,568 per year. The American Hotel & Lodging Association is part of a coalition requesting abandonment of this rule. See their letter here.

Please take any opportunity that presents itself to interact with federal lawmakers and ANY presidential candidates about your concern with this proposed change. This an example of unelected bureaucrats making rules that will take a huge negative toll on many rural and small hotels. 

A request for grassroots action, as well as instructions on how to make formal comments,

will be forthcoming. 

If you appreciate this information, please consider joining. 

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