Friday, September 8, 2023

Inaugural Honorees of IHLA Industry Awards Announced

The Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association is proud to announce its inaugural honorees for the group’s statewide industry awards. Each honoree was selected by the IHLA Board of Directors and will be recognized at an awards luncheon on October 2, 2023 at The Rewind Hotel in West Des Moines. Individual tickets and tables are available at this link. 

Be sure to follow the Iowa Hotel & Lodging Association Facebook page as each winner’s story will be told in full in the coming weeks.  

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 67, Independence 

Thank You to Our Sponsors:

Sustainability Award Sponsor

Luncheon Sponsor: Iowa Gaming Association

Corporate Sponsors: SFM, Westbank & Catch Des Moines 

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

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. 

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.

SEPTEMBER 13

9:00 AM to 10:00 AM

Best Western Premier | 2502 SE Tones Dr, Ankeny

Guest Speaker: WoodRiver Energy

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.

If you appreciate this information, please consider joining. 

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