ALIS Summer Update Large

Los Angeles | On July 7, 2009, the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) will host the first ALIS Summer Update, a half-day event presenting a mid-year snapshot of the hotel industry’s most important investment topics. Three of the most popular and timely sessions from the 2009 January ALIS event will be brought back to inform delegates about the current state of the industry and the outlook for the investment community, followed by a cocktail/networking reception. Held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, California, the ALIS Summer Update will also be available to attend via live webcast.

The ALIS Summer Update will feature an update of three of the most important sessions from January: the always popular hotel performance, transactions and capital markets outlook session; the hotel lenders outlook session; and IREFAC - telling it like it is! Each session will review their forecasts and predictions from January, and tell the delegates how these correlate to the present situation. A full program of speakers is available on the ALIS Website.

The Summer Update will be held in association with the planning meeting for the January 2010 ALIS conference. The program planning committee, made up of key sponsors of the annual January conference, will take a recess shortly before the start of the ALIS Summer Update to attend the new event. The committee will utilize the information gleaned from the experts on stage on July 7, to further enhance the program planning for the 2010 event. The ALIS program planning meeting will resume and conclude on July 8.

“With signs of positive economic improvement slowly coming into view, we’ve designed this mid-year update to be a jumping-off point for investment professionals to evaluate their current portfolios and strategize for action when the market bounces back,“ said BHN President and Conference Chair Jim Burba. “There have been a lot of changes in both the political and economic landscapes since January, and challenging times mean hospitality investment professionals can’t wait even six more months for industry information essential to the functioning of their businesses. Inserting this Summer Update into the middle of the prestigious program planning committee process also means that next January’s ALIS will have the benefit of even more timely input.”

A unique feature of the ALIS Summer Update is that delegates can participate in two ways: by attending the event in Los Angeles or via a live global webcast. The webcast will remain open for a period of time after July 7. Registered ALIS delegates from the January 2009 event, will receive a discount to attend either way (in person or via webcast).

Registration to attend the ALIS Summer Update as well as view the live webcast is available on the ALIS Website, www.ALISconference.com. Prices range from $200 – $500 depending on method of event attendance, and delegate status. Hotel rooms at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza are also being held at a discounted rate for ALIS Summer Update attendees.

Next year’s annual ALIS event will be held January 25 – 27, 2010, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel and will feature a full range of sessions and workshops on topics, including capital markets and finance, owner investments and asset management, development, acquisitions, management and franchising, vacation ownership, international opportunities, and green hotels.

Proceeds from ALIS and ALIS Summer Update benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI) and the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LA’s not-for-profit affiliates. For general event information, online registration, and sponsor opportunities, contact Jonathon Zink, BHN conference manager, at [email protected]. For information on the AH&LA, EI, or AH&LEF, visit . Press can contact Jessica Soklow, AH&LA media relations manager, at [email protected].

Serving the hospitality industry for nearly a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members.

AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research.

With more than two decades of experience and over 70 events completed to date, BHN is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. BHN conferences have become “must attend” events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business, and to learn about the latest trends. In addition to ALIS and ALIS Summer Update, BHN events include: the Central America Tourism & Hotel Investment Exchange (CATHIE) most recently held in Managua; the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong; HICAP UPDATE Japan to be held in Tokyo, HICAP Update Southeast Asia taking place in Singapore, the Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) in Mumbai; and the PATA CEO Challenge in Bangkok. The BHN Website at www.burba.com is the gateway for information about the conferences BHN produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world.

Rosanna Maietta
AH&LA