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AAHOA Welcomes Kamalesh (KP) Patel as the 2025-2026 AAHOA Chairman | | |
As AAHOACON25 wrapped up, Kamalesh (KP) Patel officially assumed the role as the 35th Chairman of the AAHOA Board of Directors. A seasoned hotelier with a deep-rooted passion for service, KP begins his term with a clear vision: "Strengthening AAHOA Through Member Empowerment." His platform is built around delivering real value to members and ensuring every voice is heard.
"AAHOA isn't just an association – it’s a family," KP said. "This community shaped my career, and now, it’s my turn to serve. If AAHOA isn’t delivering value, creating opportunities, and strengthening this industry, then we’re not doing our job. I want every member to know their voice matters and that this association belongs to them."
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Meet Your 2025-2026 AAHOA Secretary, Vimal (Ricky) Patel | | |
At AAHOACON25, AAHOA Members made their voices heard and elected Vimal (Ricky) Patel as Secretary of the AAHOA Board of Directors.
Since immigrating to the U.S. at age 21, Patel has owned both branded and independent hotels. He has served in a variety of AAHOA leadership positions, notably as Ambassador, as Gulf Regional Director, and on multiple committees including Government Affairs, Strategic Planning, Education & Professional Development, and Bylaws & Governance. Patel also chaired AAHOA ad hoc committees on two topics of importance to members: insurance and revenue generation.
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AAHOA Launches AAHOALending.com, Powered by Bridge | | Last week, AAHOA announced its newest platform, AAHOALending.com, Powered by Bridge. Bridge is a leading fintech platform that connects hotel owners and developers with a diverse network of debt capital providers. Through AAHOALending.com, AAHOA Members will have access to over 150 lenders, with plans to add more. Users can compare financing options, find the best rates, and secure funding faster, all in one place. | | | | |
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Kitchenless Wins Annual Tech Pitch Competition at AAHOACON25 | | |
Kitchenless took home the top prize in the 2025 Tech Pitch Competition, Co-Powered by HFTP (Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals), held at AAHOACON25. The company was recognized for its food platform, which uses proprietary steam technology to cook ready-to-serve chef-curated Kitchenless dishes. The system operates through QR code intelligence, offering an efficient way to access meals without relying on traditional kitchen infrastructure and its equipment.
"Kitchenless is redefining hotel food service," said Kitchenless Founder & CEO Mike Özkan. "We enable everyone to serve consistent, high-quality dishes across their entire portfolio – with zero kitchen infrastructure, minimal labor, and no compromise on quality or taste."
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Just last week, thousands of hoteliers and hospitality leaders convened in New Orleans for the 2025 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show – and what a week it was! Hot off the press – here's a roundup of AAHOACON25 news coverage:
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| |  | M3 is a company of over 300 professionals who come from all walks of life. Each member of the team is an integral part of the mission to support our customers and vendors as we develop technology and software to help hoteliers realize better efficiencies and profit margins. | | | | |
| | | BWH Hotels is a leading global hospitality enterprise comprised of three hotel companies, including WorldHotels™, Best Western® Hotels & Resorts, and SureStay Hotels®. The global enterprise boasts approximately 4,300 hotels in over 100 countries and territories worldwide. With 19 unique brands across every chain scale segment, from economy to luxury, BWH Hotels suits the needs of developers and guests in every market, as each brand offers its own personality and style. | | | | |
| | | AAHOA is proud to collaborate with Kennesaw State University to establish the Michael Leven and Lee Dushoff AAHOA Scholarship for Compassionate Leadership. This annual scholarship will support students seeking an undergraduate degree in hospitality management. For more on the qualifications and how to apply, please call 470-578-2206. To make a tax-deductible contribution to the scholarship endowment, please click here. | | | | |
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AAHOA: Hoteliers Retrench, Eye Corp. Travel Amid Market Upheaval | |
Is New York City's New Hotel Safety Act a Good or Bad Thing? Depends on Who You Ask
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U.S. RevPAR -9.3% y/y last week; Easter calendar shift impact. DC especially weak | | |
As Truist Securities wrote, "Overall U.S. RevPAR was -9.3% y/y for the week ending 04/19/2025, per STR/ CoStar, below the prior week's result of +0.2% y/y and below the trailing 10-week average of +0.4% y/y. Last week's lodging results were negatively impacted by the timing of Easter and Good Friday in 2025 – business and group travel were light during the holiday week, as expected. There was also a difficult y/y group comparison in advance of late season Passover in 2024. Washington D.C. was a particular underperformer with RevPAR of -36.8% y/y. Comps will remain somewhat noisy for the week ending 4/26/25 due to comping the first nights of Passover y/y. Upscale RevPAR: -13.6% y/y; Upper Midscale RevPAR: -13.0% y/y."
For more, read the full report here, and read the China/Europe report here.
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