HB On The Scene: Fireworks May Fly At AAHOA Event

GRAPEVINE, TX— As the 2004 Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Convention gets under way here today, this year’s gathering has the potential to be a watershed event for the organization, in more ways than one. From a logistical standpoint, attendance at this conclave could well be the highest in AAHOA’s history, what with more than 3,500 pre-registered for the annual four-day event, according to association President Fred Schwartz. Additionally, the meeting and concurrent trade show should obviously test the overall hospitality mettle of the new Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center, what with AAHOA representing just the second major group to hold court at the three-week-young venue. But it may well be the more momentous news to come out of this year’s conference will be a clear definition of what the current AAHOA board and officers can and can’t do— as outlined under the association’s bylaws and overall standard operating procedure. As reported in the April 21 edition of HOTEL BUSINESS®, a move was mounted to “freeze” the current board— under the stewardship of AAHOA Chairman Hitesh Bhakta— in place for another year, thereby allowing the association’s officers “sufficient” time to develop and implement an array of membership-oriented initiatives. However, this action would ostensibly abrogate the association’s existing bylaws. What’s more, this perceived breach of governance procedure would also shelve AAHOA’s election timetable… at least for another 12 months. As such, the validity of such a move was summarily challenged by a number of other highly placed AAHOA members, with the resultant dissension ultimately finding its way before the Superior Court of Fulton County, GA where, in the end, Judge Gino Brogdon Sr. ruled in favor of the plaintiffs and against the AAHOA board’s actions. At this time, the election procedure has been ordered re-instated— slated for this coming August— and the current board has been instructed not to proceed with its plans of extending their collective tenure in office. When queried on this matter and the probability of it coming to the fore over the course of the next several days here, Schwartz said: “I would assume there will be some discussion [of it]. But overall I’d like to think the timing of this year’s convention will prove helpful in bringing all sides together and this matter to a satisfactory close.”