Tune in to the most recent AHLA Check-In episode with President & CEO of the AHLA Foundation, Kevin Carey! As a familiar face on the Suite Spot, Kevin stops in to give us the latest and greatest developments and advocacy work taking place at the American Hotel & Lodging Association. 

Be sure to watch now to know what current events are impacting the hospitality industry.

Ryan Embree:

Welcome to Suite Spot, where hoteliers check in, and we check out what’s trending in hotel marketing. I’m your host, Ryan Embee. Hello everyone. Welcome to another episode of The Suite Spot. This is your host, Ryan Embree for another AHLA industry check-in this time with a familiar guest, Kevin Carey. Familiar guest, but a little bit different position. We’re gonna talk about that in a second. But he is the Chief Operating Officer at AHLA and President and CEO of the AHLA Foundation. Kevin, welcome back to the Suite Spot,

Kevin Carey:

Ryan, terrific to be with you again. It’s

Ryan Embree:

Great to have you. Like I said, you know, you’ve been on a couple times we’ve talked about that, but this time in a new role with AHLA, congratulations, by the way, on that. Can you share with our audience a little bit about the new role, maybe a day to day and what you get the pleasure of doing every single day, as President and CEO of the AHLA foundation?

Kevin Carey:

Well, I’d be happy to. It’s definitely keeping me busy, but it’s a good busy, and very much a rewarding, busy as well. And in my new capacity, where I get to lead the foundation, I get to work alongside a dedicated group of colleagues, Jen, Eliza, Kara, and Lindsay, to also a committed group of industry leaders, who were on our board of trustees, and the organization that we help to advance is one that’s focused just on that front on advancing the people of the industry, our workforce, so day in, day out, having that teamwork and collaboration, but also working with our industry leaders to put the people forward on the industry front, and to work to support not only our current employees, but also to identify the future workforce is a vital role and very engaging.

Ryan Embree:

So critical. Right now, you’re right, we’ve had conversations about it. We’re gonna touch a little bit on this episode, but, you know, I’d see AHLA foundation all the time, the work, the stories that you guys are putting out there, you travel the country just got back from the lodging conference a couple days ago. But, you know, for those hoteliers who, you know, see the brand, they see some of the stories, you know, can you share maybe some of the origin story of the AHLA foundation and really at the foundation, so to speak of its mission over there?

Kevin Carey:

I’d be happy to. The foundation has been around for 72 years. It was founded in 1953, as a scholarship fund. And over that tenure year and arc and of its existence has done terrific work. What I’ve also shared recently as we’ve been working through a process with our board of trustees as looking at our future direction is that in many respects, this is a young 72-year-old organization. And by that I mean a number of the most prominent and highly visible initiatives that the foundation is involved in right now, whether it’s our forward initiative or No Room for Trafficking. These are programs and initiatives that have really been created, launched and grown over about the last three to five years timeframe. So, while we’ve got a proud, uh, tradition and history, we also have a number of, of very important new initiatives. And the work we’re doing to advance the industry’s workforce and to ensure the people are front and center is really vital in the current environment. As we think about the industry’s future growth prospects.

Ryan Embree:

Well, it’s an incredible legacy. And to be able to, that’s what you want out of advocacy and foundational work is you wanna be able to say, we’re introducing new initiative strategies, the AHLA tackles so many important issues, but perhaps none more important than human trafficking prevention. Something that a lot of the brands have, have taken major steps to get behind. You recently held your No Room for Trafficking Summit, an event dedicated to that. Tell us about that event and some of the feedback that you were hearing from hoteliers on this really critical issue.

Kevin Carey:

Let me put that initiative in the context of our role and mission overall. So, as I talked about with being that young, 72-year-old organization, we really view our mission in advancing the workforce as being centered around how do we develop and support the current workforce today, the 2.1 million people who serve guests, and work together to create that experience as future workforce is being so important to ensure that over time we’re attracting people to the industry and they know the career pathways that are available, but a third area and this aligns with the No Room for Trafficking Initiative. How can we leverage our role as a convening entity for the industry, bringing together all segments of the industry, including the service provider and supplier segment, to focus on initiatives industry-wide, where we can make a difference. And in that respect, that’s where No Room for Trafficking fits in and really underscores the industry’s longstanding commitment to working to eradicate human trafficking. We created the No Room for Trafficking Initiative in 2019 with a focus on bringing training to the industry, so our employees on the front lines, vendors and suppliers as well, could see the signs and help provide that frontline and bring awareness to this issue. We also in 2022, created the Survivor Fund, so we could help provide funding meaningful contributions to local community-based organizations to help assist survivor of survivors of human trafficking get back on their feet and ideally create an opportunity for employment in the industry as well. So this is an issue that our work is not done. We’re reaffirming our commitment to this. We’re aligning, the work the brands do around this area with owners and management companies, as well. And you’re gonna continue to see us in this area leaning in on this important issue.

Ryan Embree:

So powerful. And, you know, I’ve had the, the privilege of attending the hospitality show, which we’re gonna touch on here for the last couple of years, and to hear some of the inspiring and, and moving stories from that initiative. And it’s, again, so powerful to see common cause like this, where all the brands are really trying to get involved vendors and the, like, you know, we really need the entire industry, to really team up against an issue like this. Good. Couldn’t agree more, not be siloed.

Kevin Carey:

Its obviously a global issue. It’s not unique to the lodging industry, but the lodging industry’s leadership in this area the industry-wide commitment to playing a meaningful role in this respect. And to your point, Ryan, the individual stories, just about a week ago, Eli and I attended an event at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Safe Center, which is an organization that’s providing critical services to survivors of human trafficking. And to hear, one of the program participants, a survivor herself, to help tell her individual story and how she’s now thriving, and shows the strength to share our own experience, but also serves, as someone who is such a role model for, others who are impacted by this area. So, through the Survivor Fund, we’ve now contributed close to $2.4 million, in grants, to community-based organizations to help them provide these surround, surround support services, to survivors. And we’re very proud of this work and the impact it’s having and our continued commitment to it.

Ryan Embree:

That’s an incredible figure, congratulations to you and your team, and, you know, so happy to hear that so many people are contributing to this. Now, another key initiative you touched on was the foundation really leading in its advancement of women in hospitality through its forward program. I’ve had the honor of having several hospitality, female leaders and influencers in the hotel industry incredible, who have mentioned this program. Can you share some of the details, of this initiative and the impacts that you’re seeing?

Kevin Carey:

I’d be happy to forward really is a movement, we’re so proud of the growth, that we’ve seen and the engagement since its launched as a conference alone in 2018. But now, the initiative has expanded from an event and a conference that we convene annually to leadership development through our Build and Elevate program, and as well, through the community building aspects through a network we’ve established, that has close to 5,000 participants, mostly women but also men who are engaged in this initiative and wanna play a role in helping to women to advance in the industry. So across each of those three categories, the conference and event, the leadership development, and the community building aspect of this forward, continues to grow, through awareness engagement. We’re excited, as we look ahead to 2026, to host our event again in Atlanta, Georgia, April 16 and 17. So, please mark your calendars.

Ryan Embree:

Yes, we will. It’s so awesome to see, you know, movements like that, like you mentioned, Kevin, because it’s something that organically starts to, you know, through the community and networks starts to build. And then you put an event like that forward conference that happens in the spring, and you can just see the energy and, you know, something that hospitality is, you know, really needed for us. We talked about the staffing shortage, you know, through these times a couple years ago and