CHLA Lodging News May/June 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 James Lim Omni San Francisco Hotel GOVERNMENT & LEGAL RELATIONS CHAIR Jon Handlery Handlery Union Square Hotel 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 René Boskoff Monterey Marriott Hotel 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 Herperger Sunstone Hotel Investors Nic Hockman Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel Daniel Kuperschmid Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Elvin Lai Ocean Park Inn Mark LeBlanc Interstate Hotels & Resorts Hee Won Lim Pacific Palms Resort James Lim Omni San Francisco Hotel 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 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Bijal Patel CHLA Chair TAXES FROM OUR ESTABLISHMENTS help build roads and fund schools while the buildings themselves host banquets, weddings, and conventions. Though we find ourselves in strange times, our commitment to help others remains. I am honored to serve as CHLA’s Chairman and, like others in our industry, continue to serve our community—the hospitality community. I began my Chairmanship in January by representing CHLA on a four-day business-development trip to India, led by Lt. Governor Eleni Kounalakis. Our high-powered delegation included senior executives from companies such as Facebook, McKinsey & Company, PwC, and Infosys as well as Visit California and the Bay Area Council. I was honored to represent our CHLA members during an itinerary that included meetings with key business and academic leaders, plus members of the Indian government and Cabinet. We also participated in the Raisina Dialogue, a flagship annual conference attended this year by the foreign ministers of countries such as Australia, Russia, Iran, South Africa, Bhutan, and Uzbekistan. The goal was to position California as an attractive destination for more Indian investment and more Indian visitors; and our delegation made some immediate progress. For example, an agreement was signed between Visit California and the Producers Guild of India that provides incentives for filming in California for movies and for television. The ties between California and India are already unique and strong, especially for those of us in the hospitality industry. Currently, more than 350,000 Indians visit California for business and leisure every year and they spend about $1.2 billion. The number of annual visitors is projected to be almost 450,000 by next year. These healthy statistics may now be in jeopardy as February and March plunged our world into a pandemic of unprecedented impact to our health and economy. With occupancy at many hotel properties down by 70% or 80% or more, CHLA quickly pivoted and has proactively reached out to three target audiences—vendors, government, and members—to identify practical ways that hoteliers can increase liquidity and maintain solvency. For example, we have asked a wide range of our valued vendor partners—from suppliers of hospitality cleaning products to attorneys to insurance companies—to provide specific California’s lodging industry is one of the foundational pillars of both the economy and the community. continues on next page  