DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUALITY
210 | Black-Owned Hotels: NABHOOD opens doors to opportunity
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUALITY
African American travel is a $63 billion industry.
That’s how much black leisure travelers generated for the U.S. travel and tourism economy in 2018, reports Mandala Research.
The December report is a follow-up to Mandala Research’s 2010 study on the same topic. The new information shows a $25 billion increase in travel spend by African Americans in the U.S. in less than a decade.
The researcher surveyed 1,700 African Americans and learned the majority travel for cultural enrichment, including heritage tours.
African Americans also frequently travel to attend family reunions in destination markets.
Understanding the dynamic of this travel demographic is key for those whose goal is to recruit more African Americans to invest in the U.S. hospitality industry, a $2.5 trillion sector.
Spotlighting business and career opportunities in the hotel industry is the sole focus of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners Operators and Developers or NABHOOD.
Lodging Leaders talks with Andy Ingraham, founder, president and CEO of NABHOOD about their upcoming conference, as well as the association’s goal to grow the level of investment by African Americans in the hospitality industry.
Resources and Links
- Andy Ingraham on LinkedIn
- For information about NABHOOD and its upcoming conference July 24-26 in Miami, click here.
- For information about the International Multicultural & Heritage Tourism Network and its summit that immediately follows NABHOOD’s event in Miami, click here.
- In addition, the Latino Hotel Association’s convention takes place earlier that week in Miami. For information, click here.
DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND EQUALITY
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330 | Youthful Perspective: Industry leader Bijal Patel mourns the loss of ‘an entire generation’ of hospitality workers
Bijal Patel, 31, is CEO of Coast Redwood Hospitality and the youngest chair of the California Hotel & Lodging Association. He’s made even more history at CHLA by agreeing to serve an unprecedented second term as the lodging industry emerges from the coronavirus pandemic. Patel is a third-generation hotelier. Being so steeped in hospitality at such a young age is not new for members of the Indian American hotelier community, but Patel fears the pandemic has drained the industry of emerging talent. Lodging Leaders spotlights Patel, who represents a leadership demographic that is fighting for the life of the hospitality industry as they watch their peers veer toward other career paths.
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329 | Ruff and Ready: ADA gives hotels a short leash when accommodating guests with service animals
Many hotels these days have made room for guests with disabilities. Hotel managers and staff should also know what the Americans with Disabilities Act says about accommodating guests with pets. During the pandemic lockdowns, a lot of people added a pet to their household and now they’re bringing Fido along on vacation. Hotel employees need to know how to cater to both consumers who are pet owners as well as guests who travel with a trained service animal. Episode 329 of Lodging Leaders podcast reports on how the ADA defines a service animal and how a hotel is legally obligated to serve a guest who comes with a dog or any other animal.