AH&LA's President Joe Mcinerney Updates - March, 26 2002
Dear Colleagues: Final preparations are underway for our 91st Annual Conference & Leadership Forum/The Lodging Expo in Philadelphia April 3-4. We anticipate having a spectacular meeting, with highlights including NBC Anchorman, Tom Brokaw, and former Ritz-Carlton president & COO, Horst Schulze. It's not too late to join your friends and colleagues - simply go to
In other association news, AH&LA's political action committee, HotelPAC, will be hosting a reception and live auction during the Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Since the Senate passed campaign finance reform legislation, which President Bush has said he will sign, HotelPAC events like the reception in Philadelphia that raise "hard money" for federal congressional candidates are more important now than ever.
HotelPAC hosted its first fundraiser of the year yesterday on the famed Pinehurst No. 2 golf course, site of the 2005 U.S. Open golf tournament. More than 50 golfers from across the country joined Rep. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) on the links at Pinehurst. At the reception and live auction following the round of golf, attendees bid on items ranging from golf packages to gift certificates to hotel stays. For a complete list of upcoming HotelPAC events, visit AH&LA's Web site.
Congress has adjourned for its spring recess until April 8, yet the action in Washington continues. President Bush visited Latin America this weekend, where he and President Fox of Mexico recommitted to negotiating a broad agreement on immigration. The business coalition on immigration reform that AH&LA leads welcomes this development, and AH&LA will continue to work closely with President Bush on his immigration reform goals. For more information on immigration reform, read AH&LA's Issue Brief on the topic.
Last week, the California Hotel & Lodging Association, in conjunction with the Asian American Hotel Owners Association and the California Association of Bed and Breakfast Inns, hosted the first annual California Hotel & Lodging Industry Summit. The Summit, similar to AH&LA's Legislative Action Summit, brought California hoteliers together with their state legislators to address issues affecting their businesses at the state level.
In two weeks I will update you on all of the developments from AH&LA's Annual Conference, but why not see them for yourself? I hope to see you in Philadelphia!
Thank you,