January 8th Beachside Social

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m. Presentation with Ron Williams/Julie Hill and VTC Professionals https://www.eventbrite.

Burke@vbha.net February 12th Safety/Risk Manageme

1 VBHA January 2019 Newsletter January 8th Beachside Social Beachside Social 2728 Atlantic Avenue (2nd Floor) 5:00 p.m. 8:00 p.m. January 16th Advertising & Marketing Quarterly Presentation Westin Virginia Beach Town Center 10:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m. Presentation with Ron Williams/Julie Hill and VTC Professionals January 22nd Coffee Connection Wyndham Virginia Beach Oceanfront 8:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m. Pest Control Training RSVP to February 12th Safety/Risk Management Sheraton Virginia Beach Oceanfront 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. Active Shooter Presentation/Training PLATINUM SPONSOR GOLD SPONSORS 2018 First Citizen Award Congratulations to Laura Wood Habr, owner of Croc s on 19 th Street, for being named the 68th First Citizen of Virginia Beach by the Virginia Beach Jaycees.

Hospitality for the Holidays The hotel and restaurant associations, along with the VB Convention and Visitors Bureau, were honored to

The Hospitality for the Holidays campaign once again provided gift cards to 43 deserving individuals who were nominated for some extra

The generosity of attendees at the annual Hospitality Party held on December 5, 2018, along with donations from the VBHA Board, ensured

2 Hospitality for the Holidays The hotel and restaurant associations, along with the VB Convention and Visitors Bureau, were honored to give back to the workforce that continually gives to others. The Hospitality for the Holidays campaign once again provided gift cards to 43 deserving individuals who were nominated for some extra cheer this season. The generosity of attendees at the annual Hospitality Party held on December 5, 2018, along with donations from the VBHA Board, ensured each nominee received a minimum of $100 in gift cards. THANK YOU to all those who nominated an individual and for those who provided a gift. From Anthony Collins at Booking.com: Happy New Year from Anthony & Booking.com! 2018 was a wonderful year, and we look forward to continuing our partnerships to make an even better 2019!

Legislative Corner The Virginia General Assembly will convene on January 9, 2019. We are extremely thankful to the delegates and senators who represent our region.

The Virginia Beach Hospitality PAC leadership plans on meeting with many statewide legislators on January 8 th and again during the Day on the Hill events scheduled for January 23-24, 2019.

3 Legislative Corner The Virginia General Assembly will convene on January 9, We are extremely thankful to the delegates and senators who represent our region. They will be faced with many decisions during the 45-day session. The Virginia Beach Hospitality PAC leadership plans on meeting with many statewide legislators on January 8 th and again during the Day on the Hill events scheduled for January 23-24, We encourage others to participate! The following issues are vital to the hospitality industry and our area: School Calendar Virginia Tourism Corporation Marketing Funding Transportation Minimum Wage Offshore Drilling Sea Level Rise & Resiliency J1 Housing Join VRLTA for the Annual Taste of VRLTA Legislative Reception and Day on the Hill The 2019 Day on the Hill will kick-off with the Annual Taste of VRLTA Legislative Reception on January 23 (6:30-9:00pm) at the historic John Marshall Ballrooms. On January 24, VRLTA members and industry members will Storm the Hill by beginning the morning with a light breakfast and legislative briefing at The Commonwealth Hotel. After our office visits with key members of Virginia's General Assembly, we will meet at 12:15 p.m. at Capital Ale House on Main Street for lunch and recap of the day. We will also hold a brief VRLTA Board Meeting. VB City Council & School Board Go to VRLTA.ORG for more information Welcome new city council members, Mayor Dyer, and school board members. The VBHA looks forward to working with the city to strengthen tourism & enhance the quality of life for all residents was a tremendous year with the VB Sports Center moving forward. We are hopeful that 2019 will bring the Dome Site to fruition.

Smith Travel Research October 2018 According to Smith Travel Research data provided by the Virginia Beach CVB, Virginia Beach occupancy for October was up 4.2% to 62.

4 Smith Travel Research October 2018 According to Smith Travel Research data provided by the Virginia Beach CVB, Virginia Beach occupancy for October was up 4.2% to 62.6%, the highest occupancy of the compset and the highest October occupancy since ADR was up 4.8% to $98.38, the highest October ADR on record. RevPAR was up 9.2% to $61.62, the highest October RevPAR on record. Revenue was up 10.1%. All areas of Virginia Beach saw occupancy increases in October, with the Oceanfront area seeing the largest increase, up 6.2%. The Oceanfront area also saw the largest increase in RevPAR, up 10.6%, and the highest actual ADR ($113.46) and RevPAR ($72.31). Town Center had the highest actual occupancy at 70.3%, and saw the largest increase in ADR, up 5.6% to $ The Resort area saw a 5.5% increase in occupancy, a 4.7% increase in ADR and a 10.5% increase in RevPAR. Northampton saw the smallest increases in ADR (0.2%) and RevPAR (3.6%). Virginia Beach is leading our competitive set in actual YTD occupancy (66.5%) when compared to other destinations like Ocean City, Myrtle Beach, Coastal Carolina and Williamsburg. Average daily rate ranks Virginia Beach ($134.37) as third among the same competitive set for YTD October 2018 and second in RevPAR ($89.40), with Ocean City having the highest actual YTD RevPAR ($91.64). For more information related to DestiMetrics, STR data, industry trends or CVB activities, please contact CVB marketing specialist, Kelsey Blevins at kblevins@vbgov.com. Job Shadow Junior Achievement, in concert with Virginia Beach Schools and the Virginia Beach Hotel Association, will be conducting a Job Shadow event at the Cavalier Hotel on March 4, On March 4, 2019, 50 high school students from across Virginia Beach will visit the historic Cavalier Hotel to get a peek behind the scenes of the different business aspects of the hospitality industry resident at the hotel. Students will spend the day visiting the front of the house operations as well as housekeeping, the distillery, catering, and the spa. Mr. Barrett Stork, the Chairman of the Virginia Beach Division of the Chamber of Commerce stated, Job Shadow is a phenomenal tool to help students navigate a path to a future career by giving them insight into specific career field prior to making critical choices about their future. Junior Achievement is always looking for businesses interested in becoming Job Shadow partners. Junior Achievement has previously partnered with Cox Communications, Busch Gardens, STIHL and JEB Little Creek- Fort Story. Job Shadow is just one of the many programs that Junior Achievement has to offer. Junior Achievement of Greater Hampton Roads has reached over 55,000 students across Hampton Roads in the past 5 years. What makes Junior Achievement programming so impactful is that it is delivered by volunteers drawn from across the business community who supplement the material with their own real-life experiences. Over the last five years approximately 1,700 volunteers from the business community delivered K-12 programs free of charge to public, private, and home schools on entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and work readiness. More information can be found online at

Elevate Young Professionals Being a new manager/professional in the hospitality industry, in an already established tourist destination, can be daunting.

fields while building life-long/strong professional relationships.

5 Elevate Young Professionals Being a new manager/professional in the hospitality industry, in an already established tourist destination, can be daunting. Surrounded by professionals with 10+ years of experience can seem intimidating, but with the help of the Virginia Beach Hotel Association, young professionals can learn how to flourish in their fields while building life-long/strong professional relationships. When Julia Flores and Cindy Grzesik joined the VBHA, it was apparent that there was a need for a group to help entry level professionals in our industry. With the help of Diana Burke, they created Elevate, a subgroup within the VBHA Member Services Committee, geared toward empowering young professionals in the hospitality industry and creating an attractive environment for recent college graduates. Since its inception in 2017, Cindy and Julia have hosted multiple mixers and have established a mentorship program. Elevate is a source of support for these young managers/professionals, as they re overcoming challenges and developing their personal and professional goals. Currently, Elevate is looking for new members and will be hosting a networking event on Tuesday, January 8, at Beachside Social in Virginia Beach. We hope to see you there! Operation Jingle Thank you very much to the thirteen member hotels that participated in Operation Jingle. This wonderful program affords military personnel to have their families visit from afar and stay at local hotels from December 23 rd to 26 th. This year marks the 20 th anniversary of Operation Jingle s beginning, and Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society is proud to partner with local hotels to offer this great opportunity. *Atrium Resort *Best Western Plus Sandcastle *Cavalier Hotel *Comfort Suites Beachfront Hotel *Comfort Inn & Suites Oceanfront *Country Inn & Suites *Founders Inn and Spa *Four Points by Sheraton *Hampton Inn Norfolk-Virginia Beach *Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront North *Hyatt House VA Beach Oceanfront *Ocean Key Resort

Bellman to Managing Director While in high school and looking for a job, a family friend was working at a hotel in Williamsburg, VA and suggested I apply for a job at his hotel.

It was fast paced with daily interactions with people from all over, but most of all it was fun!

6 Bellman to Managing Director While in high school and looking for a job, a family friend was working at a hotel in Williamsburg, VA and suggested I apply for a job at his hotel. Not knowing what to expect, I interviewed and was hired as a bellman. From the very beginning I knew this was the industry for me as every day was a different experience. It was fast paced with daily interactions with people from all over, but most of all it was fun! Very eager to learn as much as I could about this business, I realized very quickly the upward mobility this industry offered. Mentorship is critical in this industry. My General Manger (GM) at the time noticed something in me, my willingness to go above and beyond, attention to detail and commitment to customer service. One day my GM pulled me in the office and asked, where did I see myself in 5 years? Without hesitation, I quickly replied, sitting behind your desk. The GM smiled and decided he would take me under his wing and became my first of many mentors. As a bellman, I was making Duane Gauthier minimum wage and was earning upwards of a $100 per day in tips. This was the best job I could have imagined. My GM laid out a career path for me with the first step working the front desk at the hotel. This was a difficult decision for me as I would be walking away from all the tip money, but understood advancement required working within different departments of the hotel. Very quickly, I was promoted to front desk supervisor at the age of 17, not even old enough to stay in the very hotel I was working. Over the years, I have worked in all areas of hotel operations. Today, when I walk through a property, I can honestly say that I have done every job in the hotel and would never ask an employee to do something I have not done myself. I graduated high school and enrolled in Thomas Nelson Community College where I earned my Associates Degree in Business Administration. While this industry can be tough as work hours can be long and demanding, often working weekends and holidays, this also provided flexibility in scheduling and allowed me to continue to advance my career while earning a degree. After graduation, an opportunity presented itself to become the food and beverage manager for a local hotel developer for a property in Richmond, Virginia. After a lot of hard work, I was soon promoted to Assistant GM and held this position for a couple years. Then at the age of 23, I was selected as the opening GM for a Courtyard by Marriott in Roanoke, VA. For the next 17 years I continued to advance my career providing property leadership for full-service and select service hotels for Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, and Choice working for both regional and national hotel management companies and today serve as the Managing Director for Commonwealth Lodging. In this role as Managing Director, I oversee all aspects of the company s hospitality investment activities, development services as well as providing the leadership to the hospitality management teams for the company s managed assets to include P&L accountability, excellence in guest service, brand relations, revenue generation, strategic direction and overall property performance. I often think back to those early days in this business and how it all started. The opportunities that have been provided, the relationships and experiences that have been created. It has been one heck of a ride and I have never been more excited to be part of such an amazing industry. Two in five American workers whose first job was in travel are now earning more than $100,000 a year (Oxford Economics).

Vendor Expo Coastal Virginia Hospitality Expo bring together vendors, industry experts and the hospitality community in an exchange of products, services and ideas to make your business more

7 Vendor Expo Coastal Virginia Hospitality Expo bring together vendors, industry experts and the hospitality community in an exchange of products, services and ideas to make your business more successful. Where: Holiday Inn 5655 Greenwich Road, Virginia Beach, VA When: February 27 3:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. Register for free at: Learn more about becoming a sponsor and highlighting your organization at:

DaBiero (Past President) Mary Elizabeth Collins Jackson Cherry Michele Colson Christine Geist

8 VBHA 2019 Executive Board Russell Lyons President John Zirkle Jr. Vice President Oliver Joyner Treasurer Duane Gauthier Secretary 2019 VBHA Board of Directors Joe DaBiero (Past President) Mary Elizabeth Collins Jackson Cherry Michele Colson Christine Geist Jimmy Capps Ellen Ruane Glenn Tuckman Howard Woods Chris Thiele Contact Information: Diana Burke, Executive Director

The Virginia Beach Hotel Association For more information or to get involved contact:

net Diana H. Burke Executive Director 757-248-8015 email: Diana.Burke@vbha.net facebook.

com A Special Thanks to Our New Associate Members: Aqua Green Hospitality Services Astro

9 The Virginia Beach Hotel Association For more information or to get involved contact: Deborah G. Buringa Executive Office Manager Diana H. Burke Executive Director facebook.com/virginiabeachhotelassociation virginiabeachhotelassociation.com A Special Thanks to Our New Associate Members: Aqua Green Hospitality Services Astro Entertainment Chesapeake Bay Foundation Cooper s Hawk Winery & Restaurant The Flying Locksmiths Virginia Tourism Corporation

2018 Ordinary Awards Official Entry Materials Submission Deadline: August 10, 2018 AWARD CATEGORIES

2018 Ordinary Awards Official Entry Materials Submission Deadline: August 10, 2018 The is proud to present the 2018 Ordinary Awards, honoring the state s hospitality and tourism industry leaders. Award