What do Bill Clinton, Newt Gingrich, Magic Johnson, Deepak Chopra, and Bob Dole have in common? They've all been speakers at the annual convention of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), a society of 8,500 Indian hotel owners and the fastest-growing hospitality organization in the country.
What makes such big names so eager to meet this group? Do the math: AAHOA members own 20,000 U.S. hotels, representing nearly 40 percent of the total and fully half of all low- to mid-priced properties. These mini-moguls control a million guest rooms worth over $40 billion, notes Fred Schwartz, AAHOA president and coordinator of the annual get-together. "That's why our trade show gets over four hundred booths and generates an exhibitor revenue stream of over a million dollars," he boasts.
It's also why C-level execs from top hotel franchise companies like Hilton, Choice, and Cendant show up to participate in high-tech interactive panel discussions where attendees pepper them with tough questions, and remote polling devices facilitate instant surveys of both attendees and panel members. "You can compare the franchisers' responses to the franchisees," explains Schwartz.
PASS THE PAKORAS
This year, more than 3,700 AAHOA members met in April at the just-opened Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, TX, where they enjoyed Lone Star hospitality (including a performance by the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders), seminars on topics from negotiating franchise agreements to work-life balance, song-and-dance numbers from top Bollywood stars, and a football-field-sized buffet of Indian food. "We serve virtually all Indian fare, so we always do a buyout of the kitchen and bring in our own chefs," says Schwartz, adding that even the vendors—who are mostly non-Indian—scarf down the samosas and vindaloo.
KOSHER KARMA
Speaking of cross-cultural encounters, what's a nice Jewish boy from Queens doing running an Indian hoteliers' association? Soaking up the warmth and welcome: "Indian hotel owners used to be called 'accidental hoteliers' because they didn't have a formal hospitality background," says Schwartz, who just returned from a business trip to India where he witnessed elaborate going-away ceremonies involving prayers and rose-petal scattering as well as blessings by hundreds. "But there's a tradition of hospitality that makes this vocation a natural fit." (Just like Schwartz's background heading up the hotel program for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta made him a natural fit for the AAHOA, which invited him to become president four years ago.)
The biggest convention conundrum? Registration. "About 90 percent of our attendees have the last name Patel," sighs Schwartz. "You should see the registration lines!"