NEW YORK—Veteran hotelier Michael Leven will be honored with AAHOA’s first “Above and Beyond Award” at the group’s annual convention and trade show being held March 19-22 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia as part of the group’s 25th anniversary celebration.
Leven, president of Days Inn of America at the time, was a catalyst for meetings of Indian-American hotel owners in 1987 and 1988, which led to the formation of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in 1989.
“Mike was one of the architects of AAHOA in the late 1980s,” stated Mehul Patel, AAHOA chairman. “Our success and longevity is testimony to his vision, so there is no person more appropriate for us to honor as we mark 25 years of achievement. It’s certainly no exaggeration to say we would not be here without Mike.”
Leven currently serves as president/COO of the Las Vegas Sands Corp., with responsibility for casinos in Nevada and Pennsylvania in the United States, plus in China and Singapore.
About 4,000 hotel owners and industry leaders are expected to attend for a full agenda of guest speakers, notably Robert Gates, who served as Secretary of Defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
There also will be education sessions, panel discussions, and workshops. Attendees will be entertained by leading Bollywood performers from India.
AAHOA has more than 12,500 members who together own more than 20,000 hotels.