WASHINGTON (Oct. 31, 2024) – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) announced today that Rosanna Maietta has been selected to serve as the association’s next president & CEO, effective Nov. 14. Maietta is a talented executive with a global career marked by success working alongside boards and leading teams to high performance. Over the span of her career, she has achieved exceptional success in public affairs, strategic planning, association management, team building, and leadership.

Having previously served as president & CEO of the AHLA Foundation and executive vice president of communications and public relations of AHLA, Maietta brings a deep understanding of AHLA’s mission, operations, financials, and people, and has solid relationships with AHLA’s key stakeholder groups, including members of the AHLA board and Foundation board of trustees.

“I am excited to be returning to AHLA and reconnecting with the brilliant team and colleagues I had the privilege of working with,” Maietta said. “This organization and industry hold a special place in my heart, and I am eager for the opportunity to lead it into a new chapter of growth and engagement. Working alongside the officers and board, I am confident that together we will build on our past successes and accelerate this thriving industry on behalf of our members.”

“We are delighted to be welcoming Rosanna back to AHLA to lead this dynamic organization,” said AHLA Chair Kevin Jacobs, Chief Financial Officer & President, Global Development for Hilton. “AHLA is in a strong position of stability and strength, with an engaged membership, successful advocacy program and a talented and dedicated team. With Rosanna’s reputation as an astute leader and strategist and her proven track record of advancing core missions, evolving organizations, and achieving strong financial outcomes, I am confident that she is the right leader to build on AHLA’s momentum.”

AHLA Vice Chair Mitch Patel, Founder and CEO of Vision Hospitality Group, added, “Rosanna is well known as a creative and inspiring leader and a persuasive communicator with the capacity to build lasting relationships and alliances across all levels and constituencies – qualities essential in our next CEO. Rosanna will bring a fresh, strategic approach that will be instrumental in advancing AHLA’s mission. Simply put, we are thrilled to welcome Rosanna back to AHLA as our president and CEO.”

Maietta was selected after a thorough and comprehensive search conducted over the last several months under the oversight of the AHLA Search Committee, chaired by Mitch Patel and comprised of the leading CEOs and executives of the major brands, owners, and management companies representing a cross-section of AHLA’s members. Maietta’s appointment was unanimously approved by AHLA’s Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

The board of directors and AHLA leadership team extend their heartfelt gratitude to Kevin Carey for his results-driven service as interim president & CEO of AHLA since March 5, 2024. His steady leadership was instrumental in maintaining focus within AHLA during a period of transition, elevating employee morale, and achieving new heights in member satisfaction. Under Carey’s guidance, AHLA continued to deliver consistent value to members and stakeholders. Carey will continue serving at AHLA in his role as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Executive Vice President.

Maietta will join an existing AHLA team with a wealth of experience, including Carey; Chirag Shah, Executive Vice President of Federal and Political Affairs & Counsel; Troy Flanagan, Executive Vice President of External Government Affairs and Industry Relations; Anna Blue, President of the AHLA Foundation; Kiersten Pearce, Senior Vice President of Strategic and Executive Initiatives; and Adrienne Weil, Senior Vice President of Membership and Marketing.

Maietta most recently served as the chief communications officer & senior counselor to the CEO at the American Clean Power Association (ACP), the leading voice of the multi-tech clean energy industry. During her time at ACP, Maietta tripled the size of her team across communications, marketing, events and business development, significantly grew event revenue, and led numerous multimillion-dollar public affairs campaigns to drive support for the clean energy industry.

TORONTO, ON (November 15, 2024) − Choice Hotels Canada is proud to share the 2024 national winners of its annual Awards for Property Excellence (APEX), with recipients recently honoured at the company’s biennial Fall Conference in Quebec City.

Awarded each fall since 2010, this year, nine hotel and individual winners were named for their stellar performance, commitment to guest service, and operational excellence.

“Each year, we look forward to recognizing and celebrating both hotel teams and individuals for their outstanding contribution to hospitality,” says Brian Leon, CEO, Choice Hotels Canada. “We couldn’t be more proud of our hard-working owners and operators, as well as their brilliant staff for consistently raising standards and helping make our industry as resilient as it is today.”

The 2024 national APEX winners include:

• Highest Guest Satisfaction (Top LTR): Halifax Tower Hotel & Conference Centre, Halifax, NS

This award recognizes the property that achieved the highest Likelihood to Recommend (LTR) score in Choice Hotels’ guest insight surveys over the last year. This spring, the hotel also received a Platinum Guest Satisfaction Award, Canadian Hotel of the Year and the International Best of Choice for the Ascend brand, an annual award given by Choice Hotels International.

• Marketing Star Award: Quality Suites, Drummondville, QC
• This award recognizes a hotel or hotel group that stands out from the crowd when it comes to local marketing. The winner works in collaboration with Choice Hotels Canada’s marketing team to leverage resources available to enhance its local marketing efforts.

• Leader of the Year Award: Daniel Aubé, general manager, Quality Suites, Lévis, QC

This peer-based award recognizes an individual whose achievements include outstanding operational practices and results, team building and profit growth. Daniel was selected for his strong leadership, management of his team, and exceptional results.

• Choice Privileges Ambassador of the Year: Comfort Inn Airport West, Mississauga, ON

This award recognizes a hotel that stands out as an ambassador of Choice Privileges loyalty program helping to foster a strong Choice Privileges culture on-property, consistently motivating the team and fellow Ambassador community, participating in related webinars, and supporting promotions or offers.

• Sales Excellence Award:Eunice Dayrit, Quality Hotel, Burlington, ON

This award recognizes an individual who demonstrated outstanding sales efforts by exploring and leveraging every opportunity to capture more business and takes advantage of tools and resources in collaboration with Choice Hotels Canada’s sales team.

• Renovation of the Year Award: Comfort Suites, Kelowna, BC

This award recognizes achievements in outstanding on-brand renovations that drove guest satisfaction increases.

• Mark Pearce Spirit of Hospitality Award: Jack Chambers, Bayside Resort, An Ascend Collection Hotel, Parksville, BC

This peer-nominated award is named for Mark Pearce who was the Senior Vice President of Choice's

International Division and traced his roots with the company back to Canada, when he started with

Choice Hotels Canada in 1993. He truly embraced Choice’s mission, to make everyone feel ‘Welcome,

Wanted and Respected’ – guests, franchisees and associates alike. This award recognizes one individual annually who embodies the spirit of hospitality by consistently going out of their way to make guests and fellow team members feel valued and special.

• Best New Entry – Conversion Upper Midscale/Midscale Brands: Clarion Pointe La Malbaie, QC

• Best New Entry – Ascend Hotel Collection: Chateau Cartier Hotel & Resort, Gatineau, QC

For additional information or to make your reservation at any of these award-winning hotels, visit www.ChoiceHotels.com

Returning by popular demand to Five Sails Restaurant in Vancouver, this year’s gathering following the Western Canadian Lodging Conference, was once again a great success with record attendance.

The annual event, put on by Jason Cheskes of Above the Line Solutions, has become a tradition following the WCLC and is held to give key hotel leaders an opportunity to gather in a purely social environment to network, build bridges between those in the industry, and have an opportunity to get to know BC Hotel Association leadership.

At this year’s dinner, Jason he invited the group to welcome Beth McMahon, newly appointed President and CEO of the Hotel Association of Canada, and then recognized the strong leadership and significant accomplishments of the BC Hotel Association’s President and CEO, Ingrid Jaret, who has announced that she will be stepping out of the role in the coming months. Also recognized were the large number of attendees present at the dinner that are current or past board Directors with HAC, BCHA and other provincial hotel associations, the critical role played by these industry associations in supporting the industry was also highlighted, as was the reciprocal need of those in the industry to support the associations.

Attendees from over 30 brands, management companies, ownership groups, BCHA board members and key leaders from the hotel finance and transaction community, enjoyed a fantastic culinary and service experience in a unique social environment.

Gordon Johnson, Senior Vice-President of Operations at Silverbirch commented “These Hotel Leadership dinners, both here and in Ontario, are industry favourites for their unique social dynamics, great food, and wonderful company. They also help people connect with those from the associations that work so hard to support our industry and businesses.  This year’s dinner at Five Sails was the best to-date. Congratulations Jason and BCHA!”

The evening was sponsored by key suppliers to the hotel industry; Foodbuy, Imperial Dade, Eden Textile, Serta Simmons, MTech Locks, Rogers Communications, Nerval, and LG Electronics.

Photos can be viewed at https://phillipchin2018.pixieset.com/20241030hotelassociationdinner/ and were arranged by Frank Yeo of Mercury Publications Western/Eastern Hotelier Magazine.

The BC Hotel Association Summit takes place April 22^nd-23^rd at the Vancouver Westin Bayshore and information has begun to be released through  https://bcha.com/bchasummit/

Louisville, KY — November 1, 2024 — GE Appliances, a Haier company, Air & Water Solutions is introducing its latest innovation in commercial air-conditioning, the Zoneline^® Perfect Control Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners. With cutting-edge inverter technology, low-GWP R454B refrigerant and built-in Wi-Fi, this new line of PTACs reduces energy consumption and offers seamless connectivity, enabling hotel owners and managers to maximize operational efficiency and guest comfort.

The Zoneline Perfect Control PTAC is the first to feature variable-speed inverter technology and a variable-speed compressor. This allows the unit to continuously adjust to a room’s temperature and humidity needs.

“Imagine that inverter technology operates like cruise control on a car,” said Rob Lafleur, senior director of commercial AC at GE Appliances Air & Water Solutions. “Instead of shutting off when the desired temperature is reached, these units stay on, drastically reducing energy-intensive, noisy startup cycles while keeping the room at a consistent temperature.”

Zoneline Perfect Control PTACs are designed to save time and money for property managers through key performance benefits:

• Energy Efficiency: The variable-speed inverter reduces energy-intensive startup cycles, offering significant savings on electricity and utility costs. The use of R454B refrigerant further lowers buildings’ environmental impact and helps properties meet future industry standards.
• Self-Learning Technology: These units use proprietary heat-load algorithms to automatically optimize performance based on room size, occupancy, outdoor conditions and humidity levels, ensuring the system always operates at peak efficiency without requiring manual intervention.
• Time-Saving Smart Connectivity: The Perfect Control units are equipped with built-in Wi-Fi, allowing property managers to remotely monitor and control room temperatures via SmartHQ, GE Appliances’ advanced management system. This feature enables enhanced diagnostics, automated reporting and easy adjustments without the need for constant on-site attention, saving both time and money for busy operators.
• Quiet Operation: The inverter technology, along with a large cross-flow blower and dual EC motors, ensures that these units maintain a consistent, whisper-quiet performance, reducing noise disruptions for guests and time spent addressing complaints for managers.

“Managers don’t want to spend extra time solving issues with their air-conditioning units. This is a solution that can maximize energy efficiency in the building without managers having to constantly monitor the unit,” said Lafleur.

With a track record of over a million Zoneline units installed across the country, GE Appliances Air & Water Solutions continues to provide reliable, long-lasting solutions for the hospitality industry. Backed by a robust service network and designed with corrosion-resistant components, these new units offer best-in-class durability and year-round performance.

For more information on GE Appliances’ Zoneline Perfect Control PTACs, visit GEAppliancesAirAndWater.com/commercial-ac.