HFTP Holds 2016 Hospitality Operations Finance Roundtable in McLean, Va. USA

To identify and discuss the primary issues faced by hospitality finance professionals today, the Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals' (HFTP®) Hospitality Finance Advisory Council (HFAC) held its inaugural hospitality operations finance roundtable on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at the Hilton McLean Tyson Corner in McLean, Va. USA. The goal for the meeting is to gather hospitality finance executives to identify the key issues they are currently facing and discuss how they are being addressed. Based on the discussion, HFTP will develop educational programming and resources to support its hospitality finance members and industry at large.

The council is chaired by Christopher Garland, senior vice president of operations finance for Four Seasons Hotels Ltd. and a director on the HFTP Global Board.

"HFTP's mission is to continually be an essential information source for the hospitality financial and technology industries," says Garland. "The roundtable offers a collaborative environment for top hospitality executives to find solutions and support industry efforts while directly gaining insight into areas of specific interest."

The agenda for the meeting is dense and includes two group discussions which explore a range of topics of global interest. These include: rising costs of credit card commissions; tip pooling; overtime pay; talent recruitment; accounting for room rates before and after OTA fees; software vendors meeting EMV requirements; paying bounties to hackers; the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI); and more.

In addition, the council will review HFTP's current resources, including: the hospitality-specific search site PineappleSearch; the Global Hospitality Accounting Common Practices (GHACP); and current projects underway by the HFTP Research Centers. The group is also charged with reviewing the exam for HFTP's Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) designation and planning the program for the Hotel Hospitality Finance Executive Exchange to be held in conjunction with HITEC®—the world's largest hospitality technology show, produced by HFTP, taking place in New Orleans next month.

"Getting together to meet face-to-face provides a distraction-free environment to help the group delve deep into these topics that we are all professionally invested in," said Arlene Ramirez, CHAE, CHE, MBA, CHIA, HFTP Global President. "It is essential for setting a foundation for the council's work which continues throughout the year."

The HFAC will continue participation throughout the year by advising and continuing discussions through online outlets, as well as sitting on panel discussions at HFTP educational events.

For the latest news, follow HFTP/HITEC on HITEC Bytes, Facebook, Twitterand LinkedIn. For more information about HFTP or the roundtable, contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department at [email protected] or +1 (512) 249-5333.

About HFTP
Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) is a global nonprofit hospitality association, headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA, that uniquely understands the industry's problems. HFTP has over 5,200 members and several thousand stakeholders across the globe. HFTP assists its members in finding solutions to industry problems more efficiently than any organization via its expert networks, research, conferences such as HITEC_SM and certification programs. HFTP also owns the world's only hospitality specific search engine, PineappleSearch.com. HFTP is recognized as the spokes group for the finance and technology segment of the hospitality. For more information about HFTP, e-mail [email protected].