AHLA Elevates Key Industry Leaders

WHY IT RATES: The hotel and resorts industries have two big names fighting on their behalf.—Donald Wood, Breaking News Senior Writer.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) today announced the promotions of two longtime hotel industry leaders.

Troy Flanagan was promoted to executive vice president of external government affairs and industry relations. In this role, Flanagan will serve as the strategic leader of AHLA’s integrated outreach to public officials, while strengthening the association’s partnerships with allied groups. He will also lead AHLA’s engagement and lobbying with state and local governments, legislatures, gubernatorial offices and related organizations.

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Flanagan joined AHLA in 2014 and previously served as the organization’s senior vice president of government affairs & industry relations. In that role, he helped score a number of key advocacy wins for hoteliers, including recent laws protecting hoteliers from onerous labor mandate ordinances and legislation ensuring a level playing field between hotels and short-term rentals in numerous states and localities.

Chirag Shah was promoted to executive vice president of federal and political affairs & counsel. In this role, Shah will lead the strategic outreach, engagement, and alignment of AHLA’s lobbying activities, advocacy priorities, and political affairs. Shah will manage the federal lobbying and political affairs teams with oversight on congressional relations, regulatory issues, and political engagement.

Shah previously served as AHLA’s senior vice president of federal affairs & policy counsel. A ten-year industry veteran, Shah has helped record significant victories on critical issues facing hoteliers throughout his career on workforce and labor relations, tax reform, relief from predatory litigation, championing human trafficking prevention, and securing economic stimulus in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The promotions announced today are part of a steadily growing AHLA team that has played an increasingly critical role on behalf of the hotel industry, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. In the last two years, AHLA has grown from 44 to nearly 70 employees, as the organization continues to serve as the singular voice of America’s hotels and remains deeply engaged in policy issues affecting hoteliers at all levels of government.

“Troy and Chirag aren’t just exemplary employees, they are hotel industry leaders,” said AHLA President & CEO Chip Rogers. “I am proud to announce their well-deserved promotions and confident they will continue building on their substantial legacy of accomplishments for our industry in their new roles.”

SOURCE: American Hotel & Lodging Association press release.