The B&B Team and a growing host of innkeepers, past and present and long standing vendor/allied partner supporters of the innkeeping industry have and are coming together to  support a NEW and vibrant non-profit trade organization.

Long sentence ….I know, but together the words spell joy! The innkeeping industry has experienced a void of late. Innkeepers cannot thrive in a vacuum that is why AIHP, Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals is looking forward, not back to fill the void.

You can all read about the vision, mission statement and current status of the new organization in the link to the website. But in this posting I will state why The B&B Team encourages our innkeeping clients and aspiring innkeepers to join and become involved with an innkeeping association.

Networking

Networking means interacting, whether it is on a forum, joining a webinar, attending a conference. The B&B Team has witnessed over the years that the innkeepers that have been involved the most with an association are the most successful. They not only learn from each other but form relationships that enhance their innkeeping life, and those relationships turn into life-long friends. The relationships they form with vendors are also invaluable. Learning new ideas and best practices from everyone. Priceless.

Broadening Your Knowledge

The resources and a vast amount of innkeeping knowledge is out there, and with a strong innkeeping association they will be more accessible. A strong association will have access to resource information such as: industry studies, either created by AIHP or other sources, articles, news and events posted through regular newsletters. The vendors that have been involved with innkeepers for decades have invaluable knowledge that they are willing to share. And a biggie, advocacy. Forming relationships with powerful companies and associations that influence our industry, like Trip Advisor, AirBnB and American Hotel & Lodging Association is huge.

More Benefits

There is another important one. A true non-profit industry association is there for YOU. Its success is only as big as its members. And what if the members are active and give back to the association? Even better. Giving back can be the greatest benefit! Again this means participating not only in the forums but volunteering at a conference, joining any committees that will be formed, writing articles for a newsletter and participating in any industry studies. There will be opportunities.

Giving must at this point in AIHP’s beginning stages also means…funds. You can learn more about how you can participate in helping YOUR association prosper by following this link that will answer any questions you may have at this point. Just know you will not be funding a past void but a bright future. We are moving forward.

Thanks for Listening,

Janet Wolf