May 2, 2022 (Austin, Texas USA) – Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP®) announced today that it rejected a recent unsolicited offer by the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) for it to merge with them. The HFTP Global Board of Directors determined that a global association with members from the entire hospitality spectrum would not be serving their membership by merging with a North American association with an advocacy focus whose constituents are primarily hotels. A counteroffer was made by HFTP to AHLA to work via MOUs like HFTP’s work with other hospitality industry associations.
Currently, HFTP works with several such as the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI), Hotel Asset Managers Association — Middle East (HAMA MEA), Hotel Controllers and Accountants Association of Hong Kong (HCAA), National Club Association (NCA) and the Association of Private Club Directors to name a few.
“As a former director of AHLA, I know they do good work for the industry and their recent takeovers of HTNG and HAMA will definitely help these smaller associations,” said HFTP CEO Frank Wolfe, CAE, FIH. “But HFTP is a global association with global brands: HITEC, PineappleSearch.com, the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry and global certifications/certificates, not to mention our members from non-hotel segments. Our mission is education not advocacy.”
HFTP is set to host HITEC Dubai later this month on May 24–26 and HITEC Orlando on June 27—30. Plans for HITEC Europe will be announced in June and HFTP, along with its partner dmg events, are in the due diligence stage for HITEC India in 2024. Two other major projects that will be completed this year will be the publication of a global Club Accounts Dictionary with KPIs and the release of the 12th revised edition of the Uniform System of Accounts for the Lodging Industry (USALI) which is currently being developed in conjunction with AHLA and some of its members.
“HFTP is and wants to be a good corporate association partner,” said HFTP Global Immediate Past President Michael Levie, CHTP, partner and COO of citizenM Hotels. “At the end of the day, we all are ambassadors in hospitality and with close cooperation we achieve the most.”
