The staff and board of directors of AH&LA are planning a year-long celebration to commemorate the association’s centennial. The origins of the organization date to Jan. 31, 1910 when a small group of hoteliers met at the Palmer House in Chicago to discuss issues of common concerns. The meeting led to the founding of the American Hotel Protective Association, the forerunner of the AH&LA.

According to Joe McInerney, AH&LA’s president & CEO, the group plans to tie the anniversary theme to all of its events this year, including this month’s Americas Lodging Investment Summit, the Legislative Action Summit in March and its Summer Summit in June.

“We also plan to put together a time capsule honoring AH&LA that we’ll either bury at the groundbreaking of a new hotel or keep in the association’s safe at headquarters,” says McInerney. “In addition, the task force we formed to help us celebrate the anniversary also looked at how the association should be branded and positioned for the future.”

While AH&LA is best known for its legislative lobbying efforts, McInerney points out several other major accomplishments in the past 100 years. “Two of the most important were the development of the universal travel card, which later became American Express, and the formation of the Educational Institute 57 years ago.”

The association commissioned a book, “A Century of Hospitality,” that outlines the history of the modern hotel industry and of the AH&LA. The book highlights the events, personalities and companies that built the business during the past 10 decades. It is available from the AH&LA and Amazon.