CHLA Lodging News July/August 2020

2 CALIFORNIA LODGING NEWS 414 29th Street Sacramento, CA 95816 916-444-5780 www.calodging.com EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIR Bijal Patel, CHA Coast Redwood Hospitality VICE CHAIR Tom Patton, CHA Ramada Santa Barbara IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIR Michael Pace InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel SECRETARY/TREASURER James Lim Omni San Francisco Hotel GOVERNMENT & LEGAL RELATIONS CHAIR Javier Cano JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE AUDIT & INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR Laurenne Douglas Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc. 2020 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Bhupen Amin Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Jennifer Barnwell Pebblebrook Hotel Trusts René Boskoff Monterey Marriott Hotel Javier Cano JW Marriott at L.A. LIVE Vipul Dayal Days Inn San Francisco Airport West Laurenne Douglas Pacific Plaza Hotels, Inc. Paul Gibbs Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Airport Ross Gimpel PSAV Terri Haack Terranea Resort Jon Handlery Handlery Union Square Hotel Todd Herperger Sunstone Hotel Investors Nic Hockman Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel Daniel Kuperschmid Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Elvin Lai Ocean Park Inn Mark LeBlanc Interstate Hotels & Resorts Hee Won Lim Pacific Palms Resort James Lim Omni San Francisco Hotel RJ Mayer The Mayer Corporation Michelle Millar University of San Francisco Michael Pace InterContinental Mark Hopkins Hotel Bijal Patel Coast Redwood Hospitality Bimal Patel Hotel Zico Dhruv Patel Ridgemont Hospitality Pragna Patel-Mueller Samata Management Tom Patton Ramada Santa Barbara Chip Rogers American Hotel and Lodging Assn. Pam Ryan The Inn at the Mission John Spear Hotel Drisco Cecil P. Staton AAHOA Jeffrey Thurrell Fisher Phillips Wes Tyler Chancellor Hotel on Union Square Scott VandenBerg Hyatt Regency Sacramento ADVERTISING & DESIGN LLM Publications 503-445-2220  |  800-647-1511 www.LLMpubs.com Design & Layout Sales Representative Stephanie Pendell Grandt Mansfield grandt@llmpubs.com Copyright © 2020. All Rights Reserved MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR Bijal Patel CHLA Chair WE HAVE SUFFERED IMMENSE PAIN during this time—socially, medically, and economically. And together, we have endured the five stages of grief—denial and isolation; anger; bargaining; depression; and, finally, acceptance. The hotel industry was especially hard hit, with many hoteliers financially impacted, some severely. Words like “unexpected” and “unprecedented” are not enough—in fact, every description seems like an inadequate cliché. But now, hoteliers in California—the largest state in the country—are back from the brink. That’s right—as of June 12, hotels have been reopening under careful hygiene and health guidelines in 51 of California’s 58 counties. Based on my conversations with hoteliers throughout our state, we are ready to hit the ground running in a clean, safe, and responsible way that protects our guests, our associates, and our communities—and takes great care to not undo all the hard work and loss and sacrifices made so far. We are ready to re-energize our properties to their full potential. Ready to turn the story of our defeat into the story of our comeback. That is because hoteliers are not just survivors, they are transcenders—people who can transcend past difficulties and delays to achieve success. Yes, these are daunting times but for us, they are also hopeful times. Our hotels are more than buildings—they represent our livelihoods and our lives. While we build our properties with bricks, stone, and glass, we build our businesses with guts, with grit, and with vision. Hospitality is a close-knit community—with an emphasis on “unity.” Two groups are especially symbolic of our unity. I doubt there are 13 consecutive weeks like we have just experienced that have ever changed our world and our industry as dramatically. continues on next page  