2019 Southern California Hotel & Lodging Conference

CHLA and AAHOA have once-again partnered to present the largest one-day hotel & lodging industry conference and trade show in Southern California. 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.

Registration is open!

Exhibitor registration   Attendee Registration

8:00 - 9:00 a.m.
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 plan, discover the THREE critical disaster documents every property forgets and determine how to engage employees in a dynamic disaster program.

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.

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.

9:15-9:45 a.m
Have Your Way with the OTAs Presented by E-Scot Fuller-Beatty, Sr Account Manager, ThinkReservations and Owner of the Chadwich Bed & Breakfast in Portland, Maine

Two words: relationship goals. Learn how to best work with your different online travel agencies to optimize your revenue and marketing objectives. Join E Scot Fuller-Beatty, Sr. Account Manager at ThinkReservations and Innkeeper/Owner of The Chadwick Bed & Breakfast in Portland, Maine, as he shares collected tips and tricks from lodging professionals and marketing partners who have found their happily-ever-after.

Human Trafficking Prevention, Presented by Todd Forester, President, i5 Freedom Network
Practical tools for protecting the property with best practices, policy implementation, and infrastructure assessment; SB970 compliance support and recommendations.

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.

10:00- 10:30 a.m.
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, Senior 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 a.m.
Hotel ROI: Opportunity Zones and Hotel Development, Presented by TBD, In Partnership with Hotel Management magazine
Carpe Diem are the new buzzwords around the nation’s Opportunity Zones and hotel owners, developers and investors are eager to gain as much information as possible about these “hot spots,” their big tax incentives, and potential tax savings, particularly in California, so they can make the best deals. Come learn what options and opportunities are available in your state.

After #MeToo & Time’s Up, What Do Employers Need to Do to Stay Out of the Headlines, Presented by Jeff Thurrell, 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. Now it’s more important 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.   

Accessibility — A Photographic Look at Recurrent Non-Complying Elements, Presented by Janis Kent, FAIA, CASp, Stepping Thru Accessibility
ADA and other accessibility regulations have been around for well over 25 years, yet we still see items of non-compliance even in new construction. This presentation will look at many common items in non-compliance often found in new construction and alterations. Learn through a visual synthesis of photos with pertinent regulation call-outs of numerous existing installations. We will discuss what went wrong, was missing, or was misunderstood, in order to recognize access issues to be on the lookout for and how to better incorporate pertinent information into construction documents and specifications. 

Noon – 1:15 p.m
Your choice:
AAHOA Business Meeting & Lunch

or

CHLA Lunch & General Session
A short industry update and presentation:
Domestic Sex Trafficking: How I Used Hotels, presented by Jaime Johnson, Founder, Sisters of the Streets

1:15 - 5:00 p.m.
Trade Show

4:00-5:00 p.m.
Reception in the Trade Show

Watch the video for last year's recap