McCormick Place
July 11
Arlington Park Racecourse
July 18
Mystic Blue at Navy Pier
August 6
Warwick Allerton - Chicago
August 20
Harborside International
Golf Center
September 17
Tuckaway Golf Club, Crete
October 22
Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites Bloomington-Airport
October 23
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington
October 30
Loews Chicago O'Hare Hotel
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STRATEGIC PARTNERS
GOLD SPONSOR
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This week, I visited Washington, D.C. where several IHLA members joined me for AHLA's Safety Summit. We spoke on a panel about Chicago's rollout of employee safety devices in 2018 and what other hotels could learn from us. This will be particularly important as the Illinois House of Representatives continues to consider requiring devices to be implemented to all hotels statewide. Last week, more than 430 IHLA members celebrated our industry at our Hospitality Gala. It was an incredible evening and truly showcased how wonderful our industry is.
Speaking of celebrations,
I hope you will join us in Chicago in three weeks for our
Hospitality Awards Luncheon. We'll be honoring my predecessor, Marc Gordon, and HIS predecessor, Arnie Karr, with the J. Patrick Leahy Lifetime Achievement Award, as well as Holly Agra (Chicago's First Lady Cruises) and Tony Klok (Rebel Hospitality and Best Western) with our Ambassador Awards. These four individuals have done so much to grow our hotel and tourism industries in Illinois and I am excited to properly honor their contributions. Remember that
your ticket purchase for the luncheon includes an all-access pass to the entire National Restaurant Show (May 18-21).
As you know, the legal landscape in Illinois is ever-changing, especially regarding employment law. For this reason, IHLA is hosting
two upcoming legal seminars to educate our members about the new laws that impact hotels and their HR capacities. I encourage you to register yourself or a staff member for our
Chicago or
Schaumburg seminars. We are excited to host our first-ever suburban Chicago seminar, in addition to our downtown events. This is part of our ongoing efforts to expand our events and educational programming throughout the state. Expect to hear about additional seminars, including in Bloomington and other regions, in the coming months.
Finally, I want to spend a moment commemorating
National Travel and Tourism Week (NTTW), which takes place next week (May 5-11). This annual event not only celebrates our industry but also ensures that lawmakers and others understand how important we are to local economies. I encourage you to learn more about how to get involved on
U.S. Travel's website. Also, if you are planning or participating in a local event in your community, be sure to add it to
the online map of nationwide events taking place throughout the week.
Weeks like NTTW make me appreciate how honored I am to be part of your team. Thank you for all that you do on behalf of IHLA.
Michael
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Legislators returned to Springfield on Tuesday for the final five weeks of the planned legislative session in Illinois. We continue to monitor and engage on a wide range of bills. Most notably, the budget process is starting to take shape and will ramp up over the next couple of weeks. Our major concern is the hotel tax discount, which is 2.1% of the 6% hotel tax. The Governor has proposed drastically decreasing this discount for hotels and retailers and capping it at $1,000 per property. We have been actively engaged in the negotiations and have carried the message that this rebate helps hotels cover the cost of credit card fees and other administrative costs related to collecting and remitting the hotel tax to the state. I will be in Springfield for numerous meetings on this issue in particular throughout next week. But you can help our efforts
RIGHT NOW by calling or emailing
your local Senators and Representatives and telling them to oppose reducing and capping the retail/hotel tax discount. IHLA will be sending out an action alert on
Monday, May 6
with more details on how you can get involved.
Additionally, we'll continue to protect the
Illinois Office of Tourism's funding and stress the importance of maintaining their budget from last year.
As a reminder, the following bills are still pending:
- SB119- would require contractors in the "gig-economy" (i.e. short-term rental hosts) to report their income and pay state income-tax on their earnings. Passed the Senate; awaiting consideration in the House.
- SB75- would require hotels to implement employee safety devices by July 1, 2020, similar to the directives set by the hotel industry's 5-Star Promise. Passed the Senate; awaiting consideration in the House.
- HB3101- would require human trafficking training at hotels beginning June 1, 2020. This legislation allows for existing training programs, provided by corporate brands or third-party providers, to suffice. Passed the House; awaiting consideration in the Senate.
The 101st General Assembly is scheduled to adjourn on May 31.
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UPCOMING EVENTS & PROGRAMS
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IHLAEF Seminar: Employment Law
May 9, 2019 Swissotel Chicago |
May 23, 2019 Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center Hotel
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Join IHLA for an educational seminar with Robert T. Bernstein, Partner at Laner Muchin, Ltd. discussing
key labor and employment topics to help best protect your hotels including: An update on more recent Illinois, Cook County and Chicago employment laws; important wage and hour developments and trends; and major employment cases and rulings affecting your hotels. Select from two dates and locations!
2019 Scholarship Applications
Application Deadline: May 10, 2019
IHLAEF 2019 scholarship applications are available on our website at IllinoisHotels.org/Scholarships.
Please encourage eligible family, friends, and colleagues to apply.
Hospitality Awards Luncheon
In Conjunction with the National Restaurant Association Show
May 21, 2019
McCormick Place South
Honoring the Recipients of the IHLA J. Patrick Leahy Lifetime Achievement Award
Marc J. Gordon
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Arnie F. Karr
And the Recipients of the Ambassador of Hospitality Awards
Holly Agra, President, Chicago's First Lady Cruises Anthony Klok, Principal, Rebel Hospitality, LLC & 2019 Board Chairman, BW Hotels & Resorts Master of Ceremonies: Lauren Magiera, WGN Sports Reporter/Anchor
IHLAEF Webinar: Legislative Session Recap
June 6, 2019 | 10:00-11:00am CDT
Illinois' legislative session is scheduled to conclude on May 31. Join IHLA for a recap of this year's session including what bills passed and what bills didn't. Learn what you need to know in terms of new requirements and regulations for hotels.
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Illinois Hotel & Tourism News
Government Affairs Updates
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Welcome New Allied Member
The BOUNTE platform is a free service that automates the data entry, claims management, and shipping/payment overhead incurred with maintaining a hotel's lost and found. BOUNTE streamlines your operations, reduces risk, and provides a means to earn revenue on items returned to customers through shipping fee income. This is the industry's most advanced solution for the lost & found! There are two editions: Log-in-and-go and Enterprise. Enterprise offers customization and an API to make the platform more integrated and useful within the hotel's own technology offerings, such as a custom mobile app.
The Hospitality Gala
National Louis University Acquires New Location
National Louis University has purchased the Gage Building, 18 S Michigan Avenue and 20 S Michigan Avenue as the new site of its Kendall College of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management. NLU was pleased to acquire Kendall and its programs last August to enrich the programs it is able to offer its students. Kendall plans to move its facilities from its Goose Island location to the new building, which is above the Gage and Acanto restaurants. National Louis is a non-profit university whose roots began in Chicago in 1886. It serves 8,500 graduate and undergraduate students at six locations in Illinois and Florida.
Featured Member
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