On July 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., AAHOA will host its first Franchise Advisory Councils (FAC) & Member Representative Summit at…
On July 22 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., AAHOA will host its first Franchise Advisory Councils (FAC) & Member Representative Summit at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta. It`s time for hotel owners and operators from all brands and backgrounds to form `one voice` – a voice with more power and substance behind it than any other owner-based organization currently has, said Hitesh Bhakta, chairman, AAHOA. This gathering will provide hotel owners a unique opportunity to discuss the issues that affect us all and ways to effect change.
The full day will include open forum discussions on current industry issues including legislation affecting hotel owners both locally and nationally and other broad-based issues such as franchise governance. Themed Power of Partnerships, attendees will also discuss protecting the integrity of the franchise system.
As it stands right now, FACs and member representative organizations are only mandated to oversee their respective brands, said Fred Schwartz, president, AAHOA. With this summit, we are asking FACs to work together and go beyond issues relative only to their specific brands.
To bring broader issues into focus, AAHOA has planned a line-up of speakers representing all sides of franchising, including:
- Jim Amos, chairman emeritus of Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE), a UPS company, and past chairman of the International Franchise Association
- Rupert Barkoff, partner in Kilpatrick Stockton, former chair of the American Bar Association`s (ABA) Forum on Franchising, and editor of Fundamentals of Franchising
- Michael Dady, founding member of Dady and Garner, president of the Franchisee Lawyers Association, and member of the boards of advisors of both The Franchise Handbook and The Antitrust Counselor
While franchisors take on issues that affect their brands and the hospitality industry as a whole, we as owners need to be more active and more vocal on the issues that affect owners specifically, concluded Bhakta. If FACs can become the `eyes and ears` of hospitality, working together on behalf of all owners and not just their respective brands, the potential benefits for the whole industry – franchisees, franchisors and independent hoteliers alike – are limitless.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
