Last July, the American Hotel & Lodging Assn. created the Under-30 Gateway membership category to address the needs of young people—those under 30—in the hospitality industry. Membership includes free subscriptions to select industry publications, discounts on industry-related events and educational programs, mentorship opportunities and other ways for young hoteliers to get involved.
The membership category was started as a way to inform young hoteliers of the benefits of the industry, said Joe McInerney, president and CEO of the AH&LA. “We want to really show them the values and opportunities, but also to give them a feeling that it’s their industry and allow them to network with people they never would have had the opportunity to network with inside their hotel,” he said.
Jessica Soklow, manager of media relations for AH&LA and staff liaison for the 29-member council that develops a strategic plan for the Under-30 Gateway, said a main complaint of young hoteliers was they didn’t have a way to network with their peers.
“In talking with peers, I think what’s important to them is really just promoting a sense of where you can go in the association,” she said. “People are very driven and looking to the end result. … It's also an opportunity for recognition. Recognition is one of the things people are really, really hungry for.”
To respond to this desire for recognition, the council has award programs, like the Gateway to CEO contest it sponsored last fall. Applicants for the competition created plans of how they would orchestrate a major industry initiative if they had the power of the AH&LA CEO. The winner, Edward Reynado, assistant lodging manager of the MacDill Inn in Tampa, Fla., presented his idea to the AH&LA board of directors in November, and parts of his plan will be implemented this year.
