- AAHOA opened AAHOACON26 in Philadelphia on April 8.
- Rahul Patel took his place as chairman.
- Dhiren Masters is the association’s new secretary.
THE 2026 AAHOA Convention & Trade Show opened at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on April 8. The event marked the beginning of a new chairmanship and the election of Dhiren Masters as the association’s new secretary.
The opening general session of AAHOACON26 welcomed attendees, with more than 5,000 expected over three days, outlining recent organizational successes. Philadelphia has led national initiatives marking the U.S. 250th anniversary, thus the theme of the show, “Liberty, Leadership, Legacy.”
New AAHOA Chairman Rahul Patel, who served as chairman of AAHOACON26, opened the show.
“Over the next two days, AAHOACON is about practical ideas and real results, from education to the trade show floor, this is where business gets done,” Patel said.
Strong roots
Patel was born in Surat, India, and migrated to the U.S. in 2004 to pursue the American Dream, AAHOA said in a statement. His wife and in-laws owned and operated a small motel in Winfield, Kansas, and Rahul purchased his first hotel in Indiana a few months later.
His theme, "Strong Roots, Stronger AAHOA," focuses on strengthening the association's foundation through deeper member engagement and shared experiences. He intends to advocate for solutions to rising insurance costs, growing AAHOA's financial and operational education offerings and ensuring fairness in franchise relationships.
"As chairman, my focus is simple: strong roots and an even stronger AAHOA," Patel said. "That means deeper member engagement, greater accountability, and ensuring every resource we build delivers real value to the people we serve."
Patel was elected secretary in 2023, beginning a leadership journey that culminates with his chairmanship.
"Rahul is a thoughtful, collaborative leader with a strong focus on member engagement and building meaningful connections across our association,” said AAHOA President and CEO Laura Lee Blake. “I look forward to working closely with him to strengthen AAHOA's advocacy efforts, deepen member involvement, and continue advancing an organization that truly reflects the strength and diversity of America's hotel owners."
Masters begins his journey
Masters most recently served as AAHOA North Texas Regional director, AAHOA said. He has been in AAHOA’s leadership nine years, including six years on the board of directors. He also has served as a board member of the Texas Hotel & Lodging Association and on AAHOA's Strategic Planning Committee, Education & Professional Development Committee, Ad Hoc E-Commerce Committee, Ad Hoc Technology and Innovation Committee and Young Professionals Focus Group.
"I'm ready for the new generation to come into AAHOA and help guide the industry and the association, bringing new ideas, and elevating AAHOA to the next level," Masters said. "To me, this election signifies that members trust me to do the right thing for the association, for the membership, and I'll definitely do that as your next AAHOA secretary."
Rama receives achievement award
AAHOA also heard from the AAHOA Charitable Foundation, led by Chairman Nishant “Neal” Patel who also is a past AAHOA chair. He said charity and guidance have been central to his hospitality career and described both as pillars of the foundation and the broader AAHOA community.
“We formally adopted our foundation charter, creating a clear framework for how we operate, how we get it and how we grow,” Neal said. “We aligned around focus areas that reflect real needs, education and scholarships, women and youth advancements, disaster reliefs, anti human trafficking and support for individuals and families facing hardship, and of course, the women and men who have made great sacrifices for our country.”
Neal also presented the AAHOA Charitable Foundation Outreach Award to past AAHOA Chairman Hasmukh “HP” Rama. Rama also is chairman of Auro Hotels in Greenville, South Carolina.
“For more than two decades, HP Rama and his family have invested in education as a way to expand opportunities, supporting more than 800 students, providing over 1.4 million in scholarship, and establishing a $2 million legacy scholarship for the children of his associates,” Neal said. “He believes that when hospitality invest in its own people and their families it strengthens not just the workforce, but the communities that those families call home.”
Rama said he was not the only one deserving of recognition.
“I accept this award humbly on behalf of my family, the team at our hotels, every person who has walked alongside with us in this journey,” Rama said. “All of us came to America to realize our American Dream. Along the way of that journey, we had many helping hands of families, friends and people of goodwill who gave us advice, encouragement, direction and much needed capital and opportunity to learn the hospitality.”
None of his other accomplishments compare to the gratification of being genuine service to another person, he said.
“I will leave you with this. Give what you can in whatever form. You can mentor someone who is where you once were, invest in communities that welcome your guest and your families. Open the doors for others in the way there have been open for all of us, the impact of giving will outlast all of us and any material accomplishment so give generously.”
Folio is new Marketplace tech platform
The association also named Folio the official technology platform of the AAHOA Marketplace, introducing a system that combines procurement and financial operations tools. Developed with Avendra International, the platform is expected to roll out later this year.
The Marketplace will retain its procurement function while adding purchasing, billing, and payments capabilities. The update was first announced at AAHOACON25 and introduced ahead of this year’s conference in Philadelphia.
“We have been blown away by the passion and dedication that AAHOA Members have for their guests and their operations, and we are honored to support their work,” said
Kate Adamson, Folio CEO. “The custom-built version of Folio will not just help accelerate the delivery of savings in the AAHOA Marketplace, but also give a vital segment of the industry access to powerful operating and payments technology.”
The new system will include centralized purchasing, mobile functionality, rewards programs, and automated accounting tools powered by AI, AAHOA said.
Adamson said integrating financial operations into the procurement system reflects how hotel teams manage their businesses.
“The approach is intended to address inefficiencies faced by owners who manage multiple supplier systems, reconcile invoices manually, and process payments across platforms,” she said.
By consolidating these functions, Folio aims to reduce time and labor costs.
Folio will also launch an updated Marketplace later this year to enhance purchasing and bill pay functions for members, including mobile ordering, tracking and account management. The update will also include cash-back rewards on qualified purchases and automated reconciliation and spend categorization through Folio AI.
“This is a huge win for our members,” said Rahul Patel. “The technology offered by Folio has typically been reserved for the largest hotel groups. Together, we are building something custom for AAHOA members.”
More than 6,000 AAHOA members, their families, and vendors attended AAHOACON25 at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from April 15 to 17 under the theme “New Ideas, New Opportunities, New Orleans.”
