Always Striving for Bigger & Better at AAHOA | with Laura Lee Blake

The Modern Hotelier #35: Always Striving for Bigger & Better at AAHOA | with Laura Lee Blake === Welcome to the Modern Hotelier. I'm your host, David Millili. And I'm Steve Karen. And I'm the producer, John Bumhoffer. Steve, who do we have on the program today? Yeah, David. Today we have on Laura Lee, the president and CEO of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association. Laura was a highly accomplished attorney for 25 years and was also AAHOA's general counsel and vice president for fair franchising and government Affairs before becoming the president and c e o. Welcome to the show, Laura. We're happy to have you here. Well, thank you so much. It's such an honor to be joining you today. Thank you. So we're gonna go through a couple different areas. We're gonna ask you some quick hitting questions. We're going to learn a little bit about your personal life, get into your career, and then we're gonna ask you some industry topics. Okay, excellent. Okay? So the first one, what was the worst job you ever had? Actually, I love to work, so I have never had a bad job. but I will share that when I was growing up, my father had a car dealership, and this was in a very small town in Iowa. I. And so I was asked to not only clean the, like 20 foot showroom windows, which was fine, but probably the worst was cleaning the local farmer's pickups and cars, which sometimes contained all types of things in the backseat. And, um, you know, and also the back of the pickup. So that was probably, yes, one of the more difficult ones. Okay. Are you a morning or a night person? I'm definitely a night person. Okay. Uh, if you had to delete all the apps on your phone except for three, what three apps would you keep? Oh, that's a tough one. I would say, um, I would keep the iPod app because I love to keep up with the podcasts and that type of thing. I would definitely keep as well, you know, and I don't know if this necessarily. An app, but you know all the photos, you know where you can do, do everything with your photos and keep those. So that would be important to me. And then probably the third one would be Cash App of all things. what emoji do you use the most when you're texting? Probably the happy face. Got it. Who's your favorite singer or band? Uh, Oh, I have so many. I would struggle to choose one. I would probably say Elton John only to the extent I, I went to an amazing concert where he signed autographs for me. Um, his lead guitarist sent me or threw me his guitar pick because we had front row seats. So, just that personal connection made all the difference. What's the favorite place you've ever traveled to? I would have to say, India's is at the top of the list. I mean, India's absolutely incredible. You experience so much in a short time. If you had your own talk show, who would your first guest be? You of course, that's a good answer. All right. Um, if you had a time machine and you could either travel back in time or into the future, which way would you go and what, what year would you go to? Oh, I would go into the future and I do not know what year I would go to. I would probably choose a hundred years from today just because we have no idea what that will look like, and I'd be curious to see where we are. Awesome. Love that. Thank you so much. So now we're gonna get into more of your personal details. Uh, what makes you take things like that? So you actually grew up in, was it Sioux Center, Iowa? Is that where you grew up? and how did that shape you into who you are today? Yes. Well, I mean, Sioux Center, we had all of 5,000 people and we essentially had no crime. And I grew up in a very loving, supportive family. it was actually also a very religious, community. And so, There were a lot of strong bonds. And I think, um, another interesting thing too is really everybody knew everything you did right? And so you just maybe were more accountable because as a result, and I think that that, really shaped kind of my, my level of responsibility, but also just this concept that. When you grow up in a small town and you, you are in a small high school, you really think you can do anything in the world, right? There's no limitations. And so I think that also, um, helped to shape it, that I, I saw no limits on where I could go or what I could do. I love that, and it was a pretty big Dutch community, wasn't it? Yes, a hundred percent Dutch. so my maiden name is Van Veen, but we would often laugh the entire phone book. Back in the day we had phone books. The entire phone book was vs. It was Vans, Vandas, Vander Van Duns. So it was definitely a very strong Dutch community. So you graduated University of Iowa High Distinction, and then you graduated with Law High Distinction. What made you decide to go to Iowa and what led you to law? Yes. Well, I actually did quite a bit of college hopping, when I was young, and part of it was there was a small religious college in my hometown of Sioux Center. It was called Dort College after the cannons of. Dort, which was kind of a religious connection with our Christian reformed Dutch church, and so my sisters had graduated from there. Of course, the family supported this college and I went there my first year and. Begged my parents to allow me to go elsewhere so I could experience and see the world. went off actually to the University of Iowa for a year. My parents bribed me to come back. I came back to Dort. lasted an entire semester and then, I went off to what was called the Chicago Metro Program, and so it was students from small colleges in the Midwest and we lived and worked in Chicago for a semester. So that really kind of opened my eyes too on what it was like to live in a city. And then I stayed in Chicago, went to Columbia College for a semester, and of course you can imagine there's all kinds of stories with that as well. But in the end decided it was time to graduate. So I went back to the University of Iowa to graduate. and so, you know, really had a strong connection with that. But then I was never intending actually to go to law school and ended up applying, you know, taking the lsat. And did very well. And so I applied to, you know, to Iowa, of course, naturally applied to Pepperdine, because I thought to live in Southern California and go to Pepperdine would be an amazing experience. and got a full ride at Pepperdine. So then Iowa heard about that and they offered me a full ride as well. So I decided to, um, to stay in the state. So yes, many opportunities. That's great. And so before law, we understand your passion was news. You did an internship, in Cedar Rapids. what was your connection to news? What really kind of made you be passionate about them? Well, and I think, I mean, when I was in college, again, I was doing so much college hopping, but I really saw the impact of news and I worked as a DJ and a couple like radio stations, student run radio stations, and wanted to, and I had an opportunity to serve as an intern on the production side for. Um, the telecast of Iowa basketball games. And so I was kind of dancing around the news area and what really kind of then triggered it is I went to, when I went to Chicago and did an internship, I was at the ABC television station in Chicago, and I'll share with you, this was so many decades ago that on the floor below the newsroom where I was interning, There was a brand new talk show host that no one had heard of, and her name happened to be Oprah Winfrey, and so we as interns would sneak downstairs because she was commanding pretty big guests at the time and just. Being in that environment. I loved the news and wanted to be a television reporter and, and anchor woman. so that's how I ended up then returning to Iowa and working in the small station in Cedar Rapids as part of that journey. Very cool. That's awesome. So another one of your, your passions currently is serving women and children in poverty stricken areas of the world. You mentioned India was one of your favorite places you've been, but what different, you know, countries have you been to to help those women and children in need? Yes. Well, what, um, two countries? One was, I think I really, this desire was really born out of a trip to Morocco when I was in law school. And I went with a girlfriend and a colleague and we went to Morocco and I probably saw some of the worst poverty I had ever seen in my entire life. Um, and it really touched my heart to see how some of these. Women and children, especially living in these conditions, you know, in some of the poorest neighborhoods. It was, it was really quite heartbreaking. And, you know, I've been to India twice, actually, both times with charitable organizations and actually requested the organizers to show me some of these neighborhoods again. And, you know, it just breaks your heart. Um, and then the third is Africa. I've been to a couple places in Africa as well where, you know, the, they're at the point where if they don't get, a meal that day, they could be gone. And so it just, you know, we are so incredibly blessed in this country and, you know, it's been raised as a question on what can we do to really serve those who have, you know, so little and are just looking to survive. So, Yeah. Really puts into perspective how lucky we are here, you know, with all the resources and everything like that. Awesome. Well, well thanks so much for that. And now we're gonna dive into a little bit more into your career, how you got to become the president and c e o of AAHOA. but you fell in love with law when you got to clerk, was it for two law firms in Dallas? I'm just wondering what made you fall in love? Yes. Well, and it was one of these things, like I said, my, my goal was really to be a television anchorwoman news reporter. And when I was working at this small station in Cedar Rapids, k g a N, um, of course I was so young, and so they would. Send me to do these stories like the new baby animals at the zoo or the balloon demonstration at the local college. And I just kept thinking, they are not taking me seriously. So I decided to go to law school because I thought maybe I could be a legal correspondent and. Then I had the great blessing, um, after my first year of law school. My brother-in-law, who's an attorney, encouraged me to seek to do, um, a clerkship and or an internship after my first year. Most law firms only accept second year law students because it's kind of a, an opportunity to see if that somebody they would want to work with and hire. And so my brother-in-law encouraged me just to apply to different law firms, you know, back in the day, this was before email and everything else. So I actually sent out letters to every law firm in every city that I had ever considered living, um, including Dallas. And two firms came back and said that if I was interested in serving as as a summer associate during my second year, after my second year, they'd be more than happy to interview me. And I contacted them and said, Hey, I'm going to be in town. Could I just stop in? And through that process, actually they both. Offered me a half a summer, so I was able to then go and work in these different departments in the law firm and absolutely fell in love with the law and what it meant and how they worked with their clients and really made a difference. That's awesome. And eventually you ended up being the general council and vice president, for a hoa, and you deliver, were there for eight years. What was that experience like? Yes. Well, I had moved to, and it's, it's a long family story, but through a series of events, ended up moving to Atlanta and. I had two small children at home and I had been in the area of law of complex litigation, which means trial work for very large companies. And of course, your hours are not your own. You know, you're preparing for trial and you work night and day, and so I really wanted to find. An in-house position that would be challenging. And I heard of a hoa, had never been, had never heard of the association before, and came in for an interview and just fell in love with the opportunity. So I had an opportunity then to, come in and I was actually vice president of Fair Franchising. Government Affairs and general council, mainly because we only had 10 employees in the entire office, so we wore many hats and, you know, it was just an incredible way to get to know the association. You know, we would be involved in so many aspects of it and, and loved it then and, and still love it so. Yeah. So you came back to AAHOA in 2022 as president and c e o. what kind of led you to that decision? What make? What made you want to come back? Well here during the time when I left to Hawa, that was back in 2014, and then receiving a call early last year in 2022, I had returned to my law firm, my prior law firm in California. And of course here I was living in Newport Beach, working with this great firm in Irvine. And one day I got a call from one our, one of our past chairman at AAHOA saying, you know, we're looking for a president and c e o, would you be interested? And I had to stop and take a deep breath because I was loving what I was doing. But I thought to serve as the president and c e O of a hoa, the world's largest, you know, association of hotel owners in the entire world, and to really, you know, to take that role on as a woman, it was. Just an answer I could not say no to. so I jumped at the chance and here I am. So. Wow. And do you have a personal, like favorite accomplishment? Yeah. Since you've been in this position? Oh, that's a tough one. There have been just, I mean, in the past year, the things that we have seen, I mean everything from there was an ordinance in LA in Los Angeles, and the concept at the time that, that LA is trying to pass is that, For their homelessness crisis. There was a proposal that for every unhoused resident in the city, they could get a voucher to stay in the hotel And as much as our members, you know, have compassion for anyone who's lost their jobs is living on the streets, you know, this ordinance was of high concern, um, because the city was proposing this without offering services. To those who were living on the streets and then might be in the hotels. And as we know, unfortunately many times, there's physical disabilities, mental disabilities, addictions, and to just put, you know, people that are struggling with any of these issues in a hotel room with no wraparound services caused high concern. So, I was in Los Angeles, we, um, rallied, you know, kind of the AAHOA members in the city. And the city thankfully kind of understood that this probably was not a good idea and instead of passing the law that day, they sent it to the voters. So, will come up next year to, for the residents of la but this particular bill, Raised so much attention that on day 100 of my new position as President and CEO of AAHOA, suddenly I was being interviewed on CNN Live. because like I said, it was such national attention. You know, a few days before that it was Fox Business News. So the media attention that, that the association has been receiving, of course. is a great, tribute to all the work that's being done. But, you know, of course we launched. Her ownership, this inaugural, you know, conference for women. And, you know, it, it was one of the great, tributes to all the work of the women that have, got together and have been pushing for this for so many years. And then to be president, CEO at the time of this inaugural launch, of course. Was quite a tribute, was quite an honor. And we're also making great headway with fair franchising legislation. We're seeing advances there too. you know, there's so many things that are happening across the board. And I have to say too, one of, probably one of my proudest issues is, Just the fact that we're assembling a team of the best of the best here in the AAHOA office. And to see them, you know, really take the ball and run with it. And I'll use one example as well, our AAHOACON, our big conference in Los Angeles. I mean, I gave the team instructions to ensure it was spectacular and oh my goodness, they blew it out of the park. So, you know, historic record sales on the trade show floor. You know, amazing speakers. I mean, so it's, it's just been, every time I turn the corner it's something else that, you know, is just really quite remarkable to see all the achievements that, um, that have come forward in this past year. Absolutely. And I, I was at a hocon and it was a very impressive show. The drone, uh, event that you had. I, it was like a. Fire. I, I don't know if anybody else had, but it was like fireworks, except they did formations with drones and it spelt out AAHOA and it was in the Coliseum as well, which is a awesome place to be in. And then when you had that, it was, everybody was talking about it. It was absolutely incredible. See, your event team knocked it outta the park. Yes, I agree. You know, and that was kind of event after event, we were just hearing rave reviews. Um, and I'll make one other comment too, that I. At the end of every, its tradition, at the end of our last day of general session, we open up the floor, we call it the open forum to the members. There's two microphones. Members can get up, they can make any comment that they want to, and the officers stand on the stage and respond accordingly. And I think this was the first year ever. That there was not a single complaint. Now there were recommendations and we take those to heart. but to then have, you know, hosted such an amazing AAHOACON and not hear a single complaint, we all were just blessed with, you know, with that kind of, you know, praise and applause as well. So that was, that was lovely to see. Awesome. Awesome. Well, great job with AAHOACON. You, you guys knocked it out of the park and it was great to hear it went well. So now we'll get into the industry thoughts a little bit more. and you touched on this, so I'm excited to hear what you think, but you're focusing on promoting fair franchising and franchise advocacy. What are you focusing on and, and how is AAHOA helping you? Yes. And so part of it is to raise awareness. And some of this, of course, is coming out of Covid. a lot of our members, because of the pandemic, had their hotel room doors. Uh, You know, shut for 12 months, some even 18 months. Um, some are still not back to pre pandemic levels. Now in some of the vacation areas, yes, they're doing better, or at least their room rates and things are higher than ever before. But coming out of it, I think our members expected to see. Probably more support from the franchisors. And of course, I can't say this across the board. I mean, some of the bigger franchisors really stepped forward and really worked with the members. But others, I think it, it really raised awareness where suddenly there were increased fees and we were seeing. something in the industry called rebates and commissions, that were being paid by some of the mandated vendors to the franchisors. We were seeing what the franchisors were doing with loyalty points where. two of the biggest we saw during Covid, they actually sold loyalty points for 1 billion to American Express. Another one sold loyalty points for 920 million to American Express and to JP Morgan in order to survive. C. Our members, as the hotel owners honoring these loyalty points, were receiving very little compensation. Mm-hmm. For these free room nights. And so that's really been an effort to kind of raise awareness that, you know, it's interesting, one of the key bills is what's happening in New Jersey, And it's past the assembly. It's caused quite a bit of opposition. now it's not AAHOA's bill. We did not draft it, but we've been working with the sponsor of the bill assembly member Raj . Mukherji And we've suggested amendments to the bill, which he accepted. and the key points that we were seeking to amend is we wanted nothing that would impact brand standards. We wanted to ensure that brand standards would not be impacted at all. And another one was we didn't want anything in that bill that would impact the guest experience. So we recognize. You know, and I'm a member of the traveling public. We go to our favorite hotels, our favorite brands, and we expect to have a great guest experience. So those were two things that we worked with him to ensure the bill would not address this. But at the same time, you know, as I mentioned, to the extent that. Vendors are paying rebates or commissions to the franchisors. You know, these should be disclosed. I mean, the bill does not say you cannot do it, but these should at least be disclosed and then return to the franchisees for the betterment of the system. And I'll share one example that in 20 22, 1 of the franchisors revealed in its. FDd called the Franchise Disclosure Document. It revealed that it had received 86.9 million in these rebates and commissions, but it was one sentence, and so we're asking, well disclose then who you received that from and put it back into the system for the benefit of the franchisees. So these are some of the issues. It's really disclosure, transparency, and fairness that we're seeking. Absolutely. And, and you touched on this, I wanna dive a little bit deeper, but, kind of along with that, one of the things you're focusing on in that franchisor franchisee relationship is improving the ROI and helping educate members about the legal aspects. So their franchise agreement agreements, you know, what problems are you seeing with, you know, franchisees not understanding their franchise agreements and, You also came up with a 12 points of fair franchising, correct? Yes. And so I'm glad you raised that because it's interesting, you know, back in the day when I was with AAHOA before, at the time when I first joined AAHOA in 2005, the 12 points of fair franchising were truly just 12 bullet points. And they were designed as an educational tool because a lot of our members at that time were first generation, you know, immigrants coming in from India, signing these very complicated, lengthy franchise agreements and often signing them without reading them, without retaining attorneys to better understand them. So the concept at the time was, These are 12 bullet points that you should at least ask about or that you should look for in your franchise agreements. So You're aware of what's in there, and one of my first jobs when I stepped into that role was to take those bullet points. And start explaining them. In other words, put some, you know, put some background, put some commentary on why these are important. And so that became kind of the greater 12 points of fair franchising. And again, it was always designed as an educational tool and coming back, stepping back into this role. Back at last year at the AHO Con, which was in Baltimore, the board along with kind of the franchise committee, had revised some of the 12 points to really bring them up to speed and they had re revealed those to the members. And so stepping into this role, I did this whole 12 points. Educational series where we took each of the points, identified what it was, did commentary on it. I sometimes had guests involved. And just to explain to the members I. This is why it's important. Now, maybe this particular point is not important to you, but at least you know why AAHOA wants you to be educated about this, so that if you need to, you can talk to your franchisor, you can talk to your franchise attorney and you won't be surprised, in this franchise relationship. So you're also an advocate for building alliances, to support the travel industry. We're pretty much close to the halfway point for 2023. How are you feeling about the travel industry right now? Well, I think our members are still very bullish on the travel industry. I mean, we're hearing. You know, there's a lot of headwinds with talk of a recession and what this means. Of course, there's inflation, there are labor shortages and everything else, but yet our members are bullish on it. know, this is their, This is what they know. This is their livelihood. They have been through tremendous challenges in the past, including Covid. but yet I see them moving forward. They're continuing to look at signing new agreements, building, you know, new hotels. I am seeing a bit of a trend where a lot of our members are looking at getting into independent hotels. so we are really starting to focus more on even hosting an indie con. Which would be a separate event for independent Hotelier. but where I'm going with this is yes. You know, I've always heard it said that if you want anything done in Washington DC you have to form a coalition. Right? And so we are continuing to look at looking at doing that. And finding like-minded associations, especially in some of these areas that are key. One, um, two things that we're really trying to move forward in Washington dc. One is with the sba, right now for 5 0 4 SBA loans and, and the seven series, you know, it's a $5 million. Limit on the S B A loans, and that was set back more than 10 years ago. And over the 10 years, of course with everything that's happened, including inflation, you know, it's hard for small business owners to do much with 5 million. So we're really pushing for a 10 million loan limit. so, and the other of course is the labor shortage. And so we join with so many in the industry as well as other small businesses across the country and saying, you know, we need increased H two B visas. we actually are working with several members of congress informing what would be called an H two C visa, which would bring an additional, you know, out of country or, foreign workers. So we're looking at all types of opportunities to kind of increase the labor force, and that's really where coalitions are, are being formed. Great. Well, you read our mind cuz that was pretty much the next question. Um, so I'm not gonna read that. But how, so you, you met with congress, you, you just. Touched on some great points on how we're trying to address and help the labor side of things. How was your message received? It was actually received very well. you know, and I'll start with the s b a loan limits, I would say on both sides of the aisle. You know, everybody was, sh was nodding their head yes because they understand, you know, 5 million, you know, in today's dollars. Um, especially if you're trying to renovate a hotel or build a new one. You know, likely that would not, you know, get very far. So, now it's a matter of kind of getting together and, and determining the next steps and creating a roadmap, you know, to make that happen. And same thing with, you know, the labor shortage. Um, everybody understands, you know, they're seeing it across the board too. They're going to their favorite restaurants, their favorite hotels. There's. signs up everywhere that, that, restaurants, hotels, you know, retail stores, everybody's hiring and everybody's struggling. And so, this concept of really coming up with some answers and trying to address that. And what What I love is, Anytime there's a challenge, there's also, amazing opportunities that have arisen. And so even at AAHOACON we were seeing an increased discussion on how can technology help with this? You know, how can robotics make a difference? You know, we saw robots, you know, going across kind of the trade room floor, you know, as, as trade show floors, as there were opportunities for maybe using robots to deliver room service. Or robots to, vacuum the floors. I think the one area where, we're all still kinda scratching our head, although I'm understanding companies are starting to look at this, is how can you use robots to make beds? You know, I think that's the one area that they still have not perfected, but, it's, definitely on everybody's mind at this point. Absolutely. That's awesome. So, you know, we had a AAHOACOD already this year, went well as we said. What other exciting events or, things do you have coming up here with, with AAHOA the rest of the year? Yes, so we do have another her ownership conference, and that is going to be in Dallas this year. And so we're looking for that to be bigger and better. I mean that, I think those two words are something that at AAHOA that we are always striving for. Bigger and better. Whatever we've done before, now we're trying to do it bigger and better. like I said, we're also looking at doing an indie con where it would be kind of a standalone separate event for independent hoteliers with education as well as with even, you know, a trade show and, that type of thing. So that. They would also receive the resources that they're looking for. We are looking at putting together, something for our young professionals. We're coming up with the branding now. I believe it's going to be hype with the YP you know, for the young professionals. And again, it would be based on ownership opportunities. So, we will be doing another, fall and it's called FNAC, but it stands for Fall National Advocacy Conference. And this would be to fly in our board members, all of our ambassadors to Washington dc and this year we're looking at expanding that again. Um, but again, it's to meet with members of Congress and really highlight the work that we're doing in DC. So we will continue to promote that. So, we're, you know, looking at other opportunities as well. We have several big board meetings coming forward, um, both in August as well as at the end of the year. So, AAHOA we have so many events. We have regional meetings, 22 regional meetings. Hundreds of town halls. We have, I believe, five golf tournaments that we are sponsoring as well as we're starting to get into volleyball tournaments because that is a big area, for AAHOA. And we've even kicked around the idea of starting to sponsor cricket tournaments, although we have not yet gotten to that point. So that may be here in the future. Well, if you ever get into the pickleball space, let me know. Yeah. Yes, I'm seeing that as the newest trend I have. Not is. that, but um, I'm starting to see more and more. It's addictive. It's addictive. Yeah. So for, for those who are listening or watching, take us through the benefits of being a member of AAHOA and how do Hotelier get involved if they're not already involved? Yes. Well, for our members, one of the greatest benefits of being with a HOA is just, the networking and the education, and of course the events. And we do hear that from our members, that that is one of the main reasons that they get involved with AAHOA. You know, if I'm an, AAHOA Hotelier and I have any sort of challenge. They find that going to these events and talking to others that have been there before and have experienced it, that those are some of the greatest value that they receive is to, um, be involved and learn kind of what the resources are. So, You know, for our AAHOA members. And on that point too, we are increasing our education. and that involves everything from human trafficking, the best education and resources and certification that they can receive for that, as well as. You know, like I said, the 12 point series and we're increasing our webinars as well as we're, um, about to launch. And this is something that we have not even announced yet, but I will share this with you. news. Hot Yeah. Hot news. Yes. Breaking hot news. that we're going to be doing an I P C, which is an the immediate past chair. We're going to be launching a podcast where he meets with some of the leaders of a hoa and. You know, and really has an opportunity to connect with them. So, we're really focusing more on a lot of the education this year because I know our members are calling for it. But, you know, to be a member of aha, I mean, it's really something that, it's the entire community, which is what we love, to bring them all together and have them, then. Address some of the key issues that they're facing, in the industry, Absolutely. Well, that's good. Definitely, definitely a lot of value, with being a member of a hoa. Uh, and a podcast is a great idea. So, uh, now John, our producer has actually been sitting and listening this whole time. he's got the final question here for you. So John, I'm gonna let you take it away for, uh, John's final question here.   📍 All right, so it's fun hearing about you growing up in Iowa and where you traveled for college and then also some of the charitable work you did across the world. That made me really curious about what is your most memorable or favorite travel or hospitality experience that you've ever had.  Oh yes. Well that is a great question. So I will share with you that, um, my birthday is actually December 12, and I was born in 1962, so you can quickly do the math, but in. 1212, 2012. So suddenly it was my birthday on 12/12/12, and I knew I had to do some special event, right? So first I was thinking, well, 12, should I go somewhere for lunch or you know, at midnight? And I thought, no, that's boring. So then I decided, okay, I have to. Do something with the number 12. Let's get creative. And I thought maybe I should go to where the 12th latitude of the world meets the 12th longitude. Well, that was in the middle of nowhere and I didn't know how I would get there. Um, so then I decided, well, I should go to the 12th wonder of the world. And initially that sounded lovely, but then I. Discovered it was much harder because the first seven are pretty well established. But what is number 12? Well, I found a noted travel author and he had ranked the top 100 places in the world to visit, and number 12 was the Goro Goro Crater in Tanzania, Africa. So I took my young children outta school and we flew to Africa, hired a guide, and we went, um, to the Ngor Goro crater. On, you know, December 12th, 2012, and just had an amazing time. I mean, we then went on a safari afterwards and, you know, it was one of these bucket list items that I never thought that I would do. but because my birthday was on 12/12/12, I had to, I had no choice. And so absolutely one of the most incredible. You know, adventures. I think we took 5,000 photos. you know, we saw things I never anticipated seeing. We saw cheetah kill, you know, we just, it was like being a National Geographic, you know, with a, you know, with a front row seat sitting in this Jeep and seeing, seeing Africa. So that was by far my favorite. Wow. Well, that's incredible. Uh, thank you so much. That actually brings us to the end of the Modern Hotelier. before we go, you gave us a little bit, but tell us where people can find out more about AAHOA, the website. And we've gotten some of the events, but give us a little. A little flavor on how they can get involved and, and find you Right. Well, I mean, the website is always a great place to start. We also do our monthly magazine, which covers so much of what we do. We have a regular newsletter that, um, that we send to the members and anybody can access. That as well. you can look at any social media. I mean we are on LinkedIn. That's kind of the daily activities as well as we have YouTube videos. We're on Twitter. so yes, I mean, just look up AAHOA and you will find it all over. you know, and it's kind of funny too, stepping in this role, I'll share this kind of one little comment too, that when I was with my law firm, I may be posted on LinkedIn maybe once or twice a year. And now stepping into this role, that's a whole new, data metric that we follow is where are we on social media. So, and it's, it's exciting. It's exciting to really see. The influence of AAHOA and just the engagement of our members. So, but yes, you can find all the, all the activities that we do on all of these different channels. That's great. Well, we really appreciate everything that you do for the industry and that brings us to the end of the Modern Hotelier, and we would like to give you a very big thank you. Okay. Well thank you. It was such an honor to join today. Appreciate it. Thank you. Appreciate it.Laura.