A hotel association is a collective trade group or industry body for the hotel industry. Associations of this kind are typically made up of hotel brands, owners, management companies, suppliers, and other industry partners. Hotel associations are important because they provide support, networking opportunities, marketing assistance, guidelines, and access to valuable data. A hotel association will also advocate for the collective interests of the industry. In this article, you will learn all about hotel associations, their value, and the specific benefits of joining one.

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What Is a Hotel Association?

What is a hotel association? It is essentially an industry body, prioritizing the needs of hotels and similar accommodation businesses. It will usually consist of owners, management companies, suppliers and other leading industry figures. The primary job of a hotel association is to represent the interests of its members. This can take the form of lobbying governments, serving as a central body for accessing resources, providing learning materials and training activities, and organizing events for those in the hotel industry to network and share ideas.

Many hotel associations will offer assistance with activities like marketing and market research. They can help to set and maintain standards across the industry and can also encourage collaboration between different businesses. Hotel associations are often based in a specific geographical location, or cater for specific types of accommodation.

Why Is a Hotel Association Important?

So why are hotel associations important? They look out for the interests of the industry at large and can offer advice and support to each individual association member. Crucially, they also protect the industry’s long-term future. Hotel associations will put pressure on governments to pass favorable legislation and can help hotel management teams to understand new regulations. Associations often make data accessible to hotels and this can help members to remain competitive.

Furthermore, associations can share high-quality learning resources, improving service standards. Associations often help to facilitate collaboration between different hotel brands. The hotel industry itself is extremely diverse, with the word hotel meaning any form of short-term guest accommodation in this context. While the industry is highly competitive, many businesses can work together in key areas for the collective good.

Hotel Associations - Why Is a Hotel Association Important

8 Benefits of Joining a Hotel Association for Hotel Owners

To fully understand the value of hotel associations, it is worth taking some time to explore the specific benefits associated with joining an association if you are a hotel owner or management company.

1. Gain Valuable Connections and Legal Counsel

Hotel associations offer legal counsel and valuable connections. For instance, an association may be able to help with regulatory compliance and resolving certain employment disputes. Legal counsel is essential in an industry with complex and ever-evolving regulations. It can also help to ensure your hotel business avoids issues related to discrimination. The legal support on offer can keep members up-to-date on any changes in legislation and can help to reduce hotel liability. In many cases, the various connections with other businesses available through joining a hotel association can also provide meaningful help. This may cover areas ranging from cyber security to contract disputes.

2. Access to Industry Trade Shows and Conventions

Trade shows, conventions, exhibitions, and similar events are gathering places for industry insiders. They provide vital information, including highlighting the latest hotel technology and best practices. Trade shows are important because they provide opportunities for learning, networking, and sales. Hotel associations are often directly involved in organizing these events and inviting guests. By joining a hotel association, you can make sure your hotel brand is regularly invited to important occasions. This can help you to keep up with the latest hotel trends and provides great opportunities to learn from expert speakers. Attending events of this kind can also generate media coverage and brand exposure.

3. Benefit From Premium Resources for Education

Hotel associations often create high-quality resources for education. By joining a hotel association, you can gain access to these materials, improving the quality of your training activities. Educational resources are useful for helping you to adopt best practices and boost service standards. They are a great jumping-off point before you add your own spin to your training and coaching. Examples of the educational resources provided by some hotel associations include webinars, educational emails, video content, and ‘how to’ guides. Some of these are general guides, while others focus on specific hotel operations.

Hotel Associations - Benefit From Premium Resources for Education

4. Excellent Opportunities for Networking

Networking involves building professional relationships with businesses and industry figures. This can lead to a mutually beneficial exchange of information and ideas, along with collaboration in key areas. By joining a hotel association, you can network with other members, share strategies, and gain useful data or industry contacts. This can potentially allow you to improve operations or make deals with new business partners. Networking opportunities can take many forms, from association meetings to lobbying activities. You can potentially work with other members to tackle some of the key issues affecting the industry.

5. Cost Savings and Access to Exclusive Discounts

Joining a hotel association can lead to cost savings, especially as members are often able to benefit from exclusive discounts. This may include discounts on common hotel supplies, as well as collective buying, reducing property costs. Membership can be especially beneficial if you are looking to expand. Alternatively, it is ideal if you are operating on a tight hotel budget, or if you simply want to reduce operating expenses and increase profit margins. In addition to these discounts and cost-saving opportunities, some hotel associations are also able to help members secure hotel financing at rates that may not be possible without joining.

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6. Help With Marketing and Promotional Efforts

A hotel association will often provide assistance with marketing campaigns and promotional efforts. This can include providing access to association channels and offering joint marketing options. Ultimately, any help with marketing can be valuable in increasing brand recognition. The assistance of a hotel association can boost visibility and help hotels and similar businesses to generate more bookings. Marketing and promotional opportunities can also occur both offline and online.

7. Access to Data and Assistance With Market Research

When you join a hotel association, you are usually able to access extremely valuable data, including market research and reports covering industry trends. This information can then be used to improve various hotel departments. Up-to-date data is vital for understanding an evolving market. It is common for hotel associations to make data available to members, which can help you to understand shifts in customer behavior and expectations. You can also use this information to remain competitive with other hotels. For instance, customer preference data can make it easier to optimize offerings, while market data can make revenue management and forecasting easier.

8. Support From Industry Peers and Other Members

There is also a level of support on offer from peers in the hotel industry and from other members. This can help to make being a member of a hotel association feel like being part of a team and a community. Many of the members of a hotel association will be happy to share their experiences, provide advice on key topics and teach lessons they have learned the hard way. If you do the same, you develop mutually beneficial relationships. In some cases, larger hotel chains will be happy to support smaller, independent hotels.

Video: Support by Networking

The Largest Hotel Associations in the World

  • American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA): A hotel association with thousands of members, representing the interests of the hotel industry in the United States. It also provides members with insights and educational resources.
  • Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA): Offers political advocacy, educational resources and other means of support. Around 60% of all hotels in the US are owned by members of the AAHOA.
  • International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA): A trade association looking out for the interests of hotels and restaurants. This hotel association works internationally, lobbying agencies on a global scale.
  • Boutique & Lifestyle Lodging Association (BLLA): A hotel association specifically geared towards boutique and independent hotels. Provides educational support, assistance with marketing, and more.
  • Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP): A hotel association with 80+ chapters around the world, with a focus on the finance and technology sectors of hospitality.
  • UKHospitality (UKH): A leading hotel association for businesses in the United Kingdom. The association lobbies legislators on behalf of the industry and provides support and advice for hoteliers.
  • HOTREC – Hotels, Restaurants & Cafés in Europe: A trade association for European hospitality businesses, advocating for the industry to European governments and the European Union.

The Best International Hotel Events

In addition to joining a hotel association, you may also want to consider attending some of the world’s best hotel events. From the Skift Global Forum to the Hotel Show Dubai, these gatherings provide opportunities to learn, grow, develop new relationships, keep up with the latest technology, and gain valuable inspiration.

In the “Hotel Events: The Best International Events to Inspire Hoteliers“ article, you will find a breakdown of some of the most exciting events, along with links to follow up your interest in them.

Successfully Running a Hotel Business

From establishing a unique value proposition and joining a hotel association to recruiting great talent and staying on top of hotel maintenance work, there are many different elements that go into successful hotel management. You can improve your chances by focusing on some of the most important strategies and by adopting best practices.

In the “How to Run a Hotel Business Successfully: Tips & Strategies for Success“ article, you can access some valuable advice on how to stay ahead of the pack and succeed in the industry.

A hotel association can be described as a membership-based trade group or body, which looks out for the interests of the industry at large. The benefits outlined explain why you should consider joining an appropriate association for your property, based on geographical location, hotel type or more.

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This article is written by:

Martijn Barten

Hi, I am Martijn Barten, founder of Revfine.com. With 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, I specialize in optimizing revenue by combining revenue management with marketing strategies. I have successfully developed, implemented, and managed revenue management and marketing strategies for individual properties and multi-property portfolios.