Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

AHLA Foundation raises $1M for workforce development

This year’s event highlighted the industry's commitment to LA's recovery

AHLA Foundation workforce development
The American Hotel & Lodging Association Foundation raised more than $1 million at its Night of a Thousand Stars gala, with proceeds funding workforce development for hotel employees.

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association Foundation recently raised more than $1 million at its annual Night of a Thousand Stars gala, gathering more than 400 industry leaders at the Beverly Hilton. Proceeds will fund workforce development for hotel employees.

This year’s event highlighted the industry's commitment to Los Angeles' recovery, with donations to the Red Cross and LA Fire Department Foundation following recent wildfires, the AHLA Foundation said in a statement.


AHLA and the foundation also pledged $10,000 for disaster relief and will match up to $25,000 in member donations.

“Night of a Thousand Stars is a tribute to the talent driving hospitality forward and fueling a stronger future for our industry,” said Anna Blue, AHLA Foundation’s president. “Through the foundation’s workforce development programs, we are not just opening doors but creating pathways for individuals to build meaningful, life-changing careers in this industry.”

Each year, Night of a Thousand Stars honors industry excellence with five awards: young professionals, student achievement, women empowering women, and the lodging employee of the year, the statement said.

Rosanna Maietta, AHLA’s president and CEO, said the event is an opportunity to celebrate the people who make hospitality what it is.

“One of the things I’ve always loved about this industry is the way it loves its people,” she said. “Their stories are powerful. They are the heart of our industry and the reason the AHLA Foundation’s work is so important to advancing careers.”

AHLA’s 2025 Stars of the Industry winners:

  • North Star: Lodging Employee of the Year – Melvin De La Cruz, assistant to director of HR, The Park Vista, a DoubleTree by Hilton
  • ForWard: Paving the Way Award – Whitney Bergmann, general manager, Best Western Plus Grant Creek Inn
  • Stevan Porter Emerging Hospitality Leader – Nicole Harker, front office manager, Amara Resort & Spa
  • Scholar of the Year – Devin Grady, student, Anne Arundel Community College; accountant, Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center
  • Hotel Hero – Jessica Dunnihoo, executive housekeeper, Chateau on the Lake Resort Spa & Convention Center

The event was supported by presenting sponsors including Encore, Guest Supply, Hilton and Hilton Supply Management, along with industry leaders. Jon Bortz, president and CEO of Pebblebrook Hotel Trust, and his wife Ellen Bortz began the giving with a $100,000 donation.

In November, the AHLA Foundation awarded $944,000 in scholarships to 369 students enrolled in hospitality programs across 88 colleges nationwide. To date, the Foundation has disbursed over $16 million in scholarships, supporting thousands of future industry leaders.

More for you

ExStay Washington DC

Third regional ExStay workshop set for D.C.

Summary:

  • ESLA and Kalibri will hold the third ExStay workshop on July 30 in Washington, D.C., following sessions in Atlanta and Dallas.
  • The event will feature experts from brands, operators, data firms and advisory groups.
  • Sessions will cover investment and include Q&As on developing, renovating, converting and operating extended stay assets.

THE EXTENDED STAY Lodging Association and Kalibri Labs will host the third quarterly ExStay workshop on July 30 in Washington, D.C., following earlier sessions in Atlanta and Dallas. The event will bring together extended stay lodging executives for networking.

Keep ReadingShow less
Deloitte value-seeking report 2025

Study: Consumers seek value over low prices

Summary:

  • Consumers are prioritizing value over low prices, pushing brands—including hotels—to adapt, Deloitte finds.
  • Economic uncertainty and inflation are driving caution and shifting views on pricing and spending.
  • Value-seeking by generations: 49 percent of Gen X, 43 percent of Boomers, 40 percent of Millennials and 44 percent of Gen Z.

AMID ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTY and inflation, U.S. consumers are prioritizing value over low prices, favoring brands with added benefits, according to a Deloitte study. This shift is reshaping the market as companies, including hotels, adapt to changing expectations.

Keep ReadingShow less
Gen Z Shifts Hotel Shopping: Tech, Experiences & Values

Survey: Gen Z redefines hotel shopping

Summary:

  • Younger consumers are redefining hotel discovery through platform-hopping and peer input, according to SOCi.
  • Fragmented search and discovery are reshaping how trust is built.
  • About one-third of consumers aged 18–34 report less brand loyalty than a year ago.

GEN Z IS RESHAPING hotel shopping through multiple platforms, peer input and real-time research, according to SOCi, a marketing platform for multi-location businesses. Unlike previous generations who relied on a single search engine or map app, the younger consumer moves through a series of smaller decisions - starting on TikTok, checking Reddit or Yelp and ending with a Google Maps search.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotel Tech Advances; Outpaces Operational Readiness

Report: Tech outpaces readiness in hotels

  • A gap is growing between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel teams still early in AI use.
  • Distribution teams are evolving with limited resources and uneven investment in talent and automation.
  • The report outlines how commercial teams in hospitality are managing transformation.

THERE IS A widening gap between technological potential and operational readiness, with many hotel staff still early in using AI effectively, according to “The State of Distribution 2025” report. Despite the availability of technology, training, systems and workflows remain in development.

The second edition of the industry benchmark report—published by NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and its Hospitality Innovation Hub, in collaboration with RateGain Travel Technologies and HEDNA—noted that as traveler expectations rise, aligning people, processes and platforms is becoming a driver of performance.

Keep ReadingShow less
G6 Hospitality RMS Program Powers Q1 2025 Growth

G6 RMS properties log 11 percent Q1 revenue gain

Summary
  • The G6 RMS program uses automation, comp tracking and strategy calls.
  • RMS properties saw 11 percent year-over-year revenue growth in Q1 and a 10 percent higher ADR.
  • Revenue-managed properties posted 11.5 percent growth through web and app channels.

PROPERTIES OF G6 Hospitality enrolled in its “G6 Revenue Management Services” program saw 11 percent year-over-year revenue growth in the first quarter of 2025, more than double the rate of the rest of the portfolio. They also recorded a 10 percent higher ADR than non-RMS properties.

The RMS program uses proprietary automation tools, daily competitive set monitoring and bi-weekly strategy calls with revenue managers, G6 said in a statement. G6 is the parent company of Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands.

Keep ReadingShow less