2019 Northern California Hotel & Lodging Conference

CHLA and AAHOA have partnered to bring the largest one-day conference and trade show in Northern California to the Doubletree in San Jose. Each year over 450 hoteliers attend this special event to get educated on a variety of industry topics and to attend the trade show to see and buy the latest new products and services.

Schedule (subject to change)

8:00 - 9:00 AM
After #MeToo & Time’s Up, What Do Employers Need to Do to Stay Out of the Headlines, Presented By Jason Geller, Regional Managing Partner, Fisher Phillips
Harassment complaints are on a steep uptick!  In the #MeToo era, employees expect their employers to do more about them.  This increase tells us that policies and traditional training alone are doing little to prevent harassment from occurring.  It is important now more than ever for employers to be proactive in fostering a harassment-free workplace.  This session will provide an overview of new federal, state, and local laws aimed to raise the employer bar as to compliance.  Additionally, common employer pitfalls for workplace investigations will be addressed.   

Take a Page Out of Amazon's Book: Improve Your Tech Stack Strategy, Presented by  Courtney Witherspoon, Solutions Strategist,  Navis
Learn how to utilize strategies that channel tactics used by Amazon for shopping cart abandonment, and how to get the tech needed to better recapture guests that abandon your booking engine.

Is Your Hotel, including your website, ADA Compliant? Presented by Stuart K. Tubis, ADA Lawyer, Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP
This workshop will review hotel websites and demonstrate how plaintiffs’ lawyers determine whether they are compliant under the ADA. It will also cover overall ADA compliance. Participants will leave with a checklist of items to review for their websites and properties.

9:15-9:45 AM
Hotel Development Presented by Shannon Shakerley-Bennet, CEO, North Star Hotel Development
5 Steps to a high performing hotel development team in the first 30 days.

California Wage-Hour Compliance: The “Hot” List, Presented by Jennifer Shaw, President, Shaw Law Group
This session will cover hot topics including new reporting time pay rules, proper calculation of overtime and how to determine an employee's regular rate of pay, what wage orders apply, how to handle rest break and meal period compliance, and how to change your practices without encouraging lawsuit. Attendees will learn how to identify their organization’s vulnerabilities in this area and receive a wage-hour audit checklist.

Landmines to Avoid When Hiring Workers, Presented by Andrew Sommer, Partner, Conn Maciel Carey LLP
Compliance Strategies and Practical Tips for the CA Lodging Industry:
• The dos and don’ts of the hiring process, including what questions may be asked of job applicants, recommended new hire documentation, and pitfalls in inquiring into applicants' salary and criminal history. 
• Restrictions employers should know before obtaining background reports in light of the recent uptick in class action litigation over background checks.
•Wage and hour considerations 

10:00- 10:30 AM
International Travel Statistics, Presented by Amber Rich, Director of Engagement, Visit California
With a record number of international travelers charting courses to California, more visitors around the globe are living the California Dream. China is California’s No. 1 overseas market. In 2018 alone, Chinese travelers accounted for 1.6 million trips and over $3.4 billion in spending, with visitor spending projected to increase another $1.8 billion by 2022. With additional airlift opportunities and growing affluences, India is primed for significant growth and has been recently named California's #1 opportunity market. Learn tips and best practices on how to prepare your business to welcome international travelers and resources available to you from Visit California.

What Everyone Should Know About Virtual Payments and the State Government Travel Presented by Bill Amaral, Business Partnership and Travel Manager, California Department of General Services
This workshop is an overview of the new virtual payment platform that is being implemented by the State of California and how it can benefit the relationship between hotels and State travelers. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of State government travel, and how to accept these payments. 

Retail to Hotel Movement, Presented by Alex Kuby, Interior Design Manager, Retail Design Collaborative
Alex can speak to what hoteliers should be doing when converting a retail brand into a hotel and how the retail design and learnings play a key role. With world-renowned retail brands such as Restoration Hardware, West Elm, Muji, Shinola joining the ranks of existing fashion brands turned hoteliers (Armani, Fendi, Ferragamo), RDC will illustrate how hospitality has changed the face of retail and how the direction of influence is now be reversed. This presentation will leverage RDC’s expertise in both industries to outline how hospitality is now positioned to gain from the evolution of the retail space.

10:45- 11:45 AM
Disaster Plans, Presented by Patrick Hardy, President & CEO, Hytropy Disaster Recovery
In this session we will identify the elements of a successful disaster plan, discover the THREE critical disaster documents every property forgets and determine how to engage employees in a dynamic disaster program.

Cannabis, Hemp, & Hotels, Presented by Brian Applegarth, Founder, Cannabis Tourism Association
Cannabis and hemp, how are they different? How will they impact hotels? What are the risks and opportunities? Hear the latest updates on the evolution of cannabis and hemp, and their impact on hotels, tourism and hospitality. Better understand this complex and exciting space, and the options you have for managing and integrating cannabis and hemp into your establishment.

New Safety & Security Laws and Trends in Hospitality, Presented by Todd Seiders, CSLD, Director of Loss Control, Petra Risk Solutions
This session will review all the new legal requirements for newly passed California laws concerning safety and security to include: new Prop 65 posting requirements, human trafficking posting and training requirements, police requests for guest information, hotel security videos, etc., new AED requirements, and other hotel issue trends from across the nation.

Noon – 1:15 PM
Joint CHLA & AAHOA Lunch & General Session
Industry Update

1:15 -5:00 PM
Trade Show

Watch the video for last year's recap