CHLA Lodging News Sept/Oct 2020

2 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS 414 29th Street Sacramento, CA 95816 916-444-5780 www.calodging.com EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR Bijal Patel, CHA Coast Redwood Hospitality VICE CHAIR Tom Patton, CHA Ramada Santa Barbara IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Michael Pace InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel SECRETARY/TREASURER Vacant GOVERNMENT & LEGAL RELATIONS CHAIR Javier Cano JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE AUDIT & INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR Laurenne Douglas Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc. 2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bhupen Amin Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Jennifer Barnwell Pebblebrook Hotel Trusts Javier Cano JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE Vipul Dayal Days Inn San Francisco Airport West Laurenne Douglas Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc. Paul Gibbs Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Airport Ross Gimpel PSAV Terri Haack Terranea Resort Jon Handlery Handlery Union Square Hotel Todd Hersperger Sunstone Hotel Investors Nic Hockman Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel Marc R. Kassouf STAY IDYLLWILD Group of inns Daniel Kuperschmid Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Elvin Lai Ocean Park Inn Mark LeBlanc Interstate Hotels & Resorts Hee Won Lim Pacific Palms Resort RJ Mayer The Mayer Corporation Michelle Millar University of San Francisco Michael Pace InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel Bijal Patel Coast Redwood Hospitality Bimal Patel Hotel Zico Dhruv Patel Ridgemont Hospitality Pragna Patel-Mueller Samata Management Tom Patton Ramada Santa Barbara Chip Rogers American Hotel and Lodging Assn. Pam Ryan The Inn at the Mission John Spear Hotel Drisco Cecil P. Staton AAHOA Jeffrey Thurrell Fisher Phillips Wes Tyler Chancellor Hotel on Union Square Scott VandenBerg Hyatt Regency Sacramento ADVERTISING & DESIGN LLM Publications 503-445-2220  |  800-647-1511 www.LLMpubs.com Design & Layout Sales Representative Stephanie Pendell Grandt Mansfield grandt@llmpubs.com Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved AS VIRTUALLY ALL CALIFORNIANS LOOK for direction, challenges for the hotel industry continue to represent some of the largest in the nation. Despite the uncertainty, the lodging industry and its advocates, including CHLA, are plotting a course forward and are working to protect our industry and our employees. Through programs such as CHLA’s Clean + Safe Certification, AHLA’s Safe Stay, and initiatives by all branded hotel companies, guests and employees are more protected than ever before. The biggest challenge we now face is telling our side of the story, promoting our truly outstanding cleaning and safety protocols, and demonstrating just how far we’ve come and how safe we’ve become. Ongoing safety inspections in counties across the state are proving that hotels are establishing safe environments and are more than willing to go the extra mile to protect guests and employees. For example, in Los Angeles, hotel inspections consistently report compliance rates well above the 95% threshold and, despite housing vulnerable and quarantining populations across the state, hoteliers have managed to prevent widespread outbreaks seen in other industries. Our industry is stepping up to the plate and acting responsibly in the face of a colossal challenge, and we could not be prouder. Though our operations are now determined by the latest infection numbers, we have come a long way from the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Hotels are now (mostly) open, travel is resuming, and infections are subsiding. In fact, once COVID-19 is effectively managed, pent up travel demand promises to provide a strong bump to the travel industry as recent polling shows 53% of those surveyed are likely to take a domestic trip and nearly 60% of travelers are planning a vacation before the end of the year. While the path ahead may be difficult, we will persevere—cleanly and safely.  California continues to undergo unprecedented change as both pandemic and political controversies reshape our industry and our futures. Lynn Mohrfeld CHLA President & CEO MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEO