ATLANTA—AAHOA’s plan to open a permanent DC office later this year is symbolic of the organization’s commitment to further lobby for changes to laws and regulations, and to better establish relations with legislators and decision-makers year-round.
In addition, Mehul B. Patel, the organization’s new chairman, said that AAHOA plans to support this office via a greater use of AAHOA’s Ambassadors—there are 178 of them throughout the country—and be more aggressive with letter-writing and phone call campaigns.
“It’s a big powerhouse,” Patel said of AAHOA’s ability to enact change. According to the new chairman, the organization has more than 11,000 members who own more than 20,000 hotels, roughly 40% of U.S. hotels. “It’s a voice of the lodging industry.”
When asked about specific goals on Capitol Hill, Patel noted that AAHOA is focused on lobbying to increase access to credit for small businesses, via the SBA loans. Specifically, AAHOA is lobbying for the reauthorization of the SBA 504 Loan Refinancing Program, which expired last September, and to make SBA Loan eligibility criteria more flexible. “For a small business, it’s very challenging to acquire capital,” Patel said. “The SBA program has been affected because of spending cuts. We’re always advocating to make sure that legislators understand how important this is. We’re always challenging our elected officials on how they view our industry.
“There are different mechanisms that we’re working with the legislators to tweak the program and make it feasible for hotel owners to access that program,” he continued, adding that AAHOA has assisted change before. He noted that two years ago, there was a $2-million spending limit on SBA loans, and AAHOA was able to help educate legislators to increase it to $5 million. “We’re educating legislators to make sure they find by all means a way to keep the program the same so small business continues to grow and the lodging industry continues to benefit.”
In addition, AAHOA supports the new Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act, aimed at increasing travel to the U.S. via reforms to the U.S. visa application and issuance process. Patel noted that this is so critical for AAHOA members, pointing to the fact that international arrivals around the world are projected to grow by 36% from 2010 to 2020, which will result in over $2.2 trillion in direct travel spending. Therefore, the more visitors to the U.S., the better.
“This is how we protect our industry and provide better benefits for our members,” Patel concluded. “We can do more together than alone.”