By: My Place Comms
AAHOA, Blog, Brand Management, Finding My Place, Public Relations,

What We Loved About HX: The Hotel Experience

The 2019 HX: The Hotel Experience Powered by AAHOA convened thousands of hoteliers, including some of hospitality’s brightest minds and strongest voices. Out of the many things we enjoyed about our first HX experience, here are just a few.

  1. It was powered by our friends at AAHOA.

This year’s conference is the first of many to be powered by AAHOA, and it’s safe to say it was bolstered by much more than the association’s name recognition. While organizing dozens of educational sessions, the association also plugged in its record-breaking membership base and marketing platform to enhance the iconic event’s value and attendance.

My Place Hotels is a distinctly fast-growing brand, AAHOA is the world’s largest hotel owner’s association, and between the two organizations are common characteristics that have strengthened our partnership over time. Hear a real take on it from Rachel Humphrey, COO, VP of Franchise Relations, and Past-Interim President/CEO of AAHOA, in the clip below.

Listen to this clip featuring AAHOA’s Rachel Humphrey!

Rachel is a powerhouse, and we got to speak with her days before our friends tapped Cecil Staton as the newest President/CEO of AAHOA. Watch out for Episode 3 of Finding My Place for the interview with Rachel!

2. The educational sessions were so refreshing.

While many conferences claim to have something for everyone in hospitality, these sessions were segmented in six diverse categories:

  • Development
  • F&B / Restaurant
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Operations
  • Technology

Here’s a taste of our session attendance in tweets:

Also, this panel!

Invited by the Education team at AAHOA, our very own Ngoc Thach joined marketing gurus to share her thoughts and experience in executing social media strategy. Here’s an informative clip from the room on November 11.

So much fun was had during the social media strategy discussion which included Ngoc along with Rich Tuckwell-Skuda President, Avvio North America and marketing maven Greg Waters. Moderated by Gregg Wallis, Senior Editor at Hotel Business, the session was well-attended by hotel owners and operators.

3. We spent quality time with many friends and made even more.

With thousands of hoteliers gathered in Manhattan, Sarah and Ngoc spent Sunday and Monday pounding the pavement (or perhaps the polished concrete at the Javits Center) to capture the pulse of the industry through conversations in addition to the educational opportunities they captured. Believing My Place grows with every new relationship and each story shared, it’s certain our beloved brand has grown with the impressions made by our trailblazing representatives.

In a conversation slated for Episode 3 of Finding My Place, our good friend Glenn of No Vacancy News gets to the heart of our industry and how gatherings such as HX have fostered robust partnerships as well as lifelong friendships.

When you meet the people behind a company, it really gives you a good understanding of where that brand is going to go.

Glenn Haussman, Hotel Expert, Podcast/Video Host
Get a good morsel of the conversation between Hotel Expert and Podcast Host Glenn Haussman and our own Ngoc Thach, taped on the HX trade show floor! It’s all slated for Episode 3 of Finding My Place.