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| | Our 2026 Sponsorship & Advertising Guide is almost here! This will be distributed very soon and Sara will be scheduling appointments to review engagement opportunities this year. |
Top | | Save the date for Hospitality Night with the Columbus Fury Women’s Volleyball team on March 24! |
| | Your property’s OHLA membership provides access to one of our most valuable benefits for your organization and your team members—the Stars of the Industry Awards program.
OHLA’s Star Awards give you an easy, free way to provide prestigious recognition to your employees. Awards and recognition opportunities are an important part of validating, thanking, encouraging, and retaining your best performers and boosting morale within your staff. Experts agree that adding industry recognition to your employee programs can help improve team culture, increase performance, and even reduce turnover.
Submissions open April 1, 2026, but it's never too early to begin writing those nominations! Will you help us recognize our industry’s best by nominating candidates from your property? |
| | Take part in the one and only Columbus Hotel Games happening February 24 from 12-4pm at the Greater Columbus Convention Center!
Started in February of 2017, this field day-like event presents a series of hospitality-related games and relays in which hotel teams compete against each other. The event brings together our lodging community to participate in an afternoon of friendly competition focused on the Travel & Tourism industry.
Who will be the Grand Champion this year? |
| | OHLA would like to thank everyone who participated in #WearBlueDay, attended trainings, and requested anti-trafficking materials.
Your participation is helping our industry remain at the forefront of trafficking prevention in our state and communities. Just because the month is over doesn’t mean our efforts should stop. There are many ways you can continue to get involved and help in the fight against trafficking.
Click "Read More" below to find out how you can continue to get involved! |
Top | | We are proud to recognize Anntoinette Peterson, recipient of the 2026 North Star Award – Lodging Employee of the Year
Honored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the AHLA Foundation at the Night of a Thousand Stars, Anntoinette exemplifies the very best of hospitality. She leads with compassion, professionalism, and unwavering dedication to every guest she serves.
From creating meaningful, personal moments for guests visiting the Cleveland Clinic to taking lifesaving action on property, her impact extends far beyond the front desk. |
Top | | Updated minimum wage notice, license renewal reminders, key issues in second year of legislative session and more – find details in the full Government Affairs Update.
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Top | | The Association of Lodging Professionals (ALP) — the national trade association serving independent lodging professionals (inns, B&Bs, boutique hotels, etc) — invites OHLA members to attend ALP Unlocked 2026, March 2–5, 2026 at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown. |
Top | | Throughout the Fall, OHLA’s Women In Lodging (WIL) collected personal care items to support the American Red Cross’s Totes of Hope initiative. Totes of Hope is a nationwide campaign led by the American Red Cross’s Service to the Armed Forces (SAF) program.
At the OHLA annual conference, volunteers packed over 260 totes and over the last two months, they were delivered to representatives for the Cleveland, Dayton, Chillicothe, and Cincinnati VA Medical Centers. |
| | You’re invited to join nearly 1,000 women in hospitality (and allies!) for two immersive days of leadership development, authentic connection, and conversations you won’t find anywhere else, taking place on April 16-17, 2026, in Atlanta, GA at Signia by Hilton Atlanta.
It’s an experience designed especially for hospitality leaders who are serious about solving one of our industry's most critical challenges: attracting, developing, and retaining exceptional women talent in an increasingly competitive landscape. |
Top | | Build momentum this February with OHLA’s Emerging Professionals (EP) program—connecting rising talent in Ohio’s lodging industry through networking, growth, and leadership opportunities.
Join a community shaping the future of hospitality!
Register for our February Third Thursday at Playa Bowls! Join fellow emerging hotel pros for a low-pressure, high-connection networking night designed for real conversations, not rigid goals.
February 19 from 8:30 - 10:00 AM at Playa Bowls OSU |
Top | | February Workers' Compensation & Safety Updates
This month, Sedgwick is focusing on important safety reporting requirements and an exciting organizational update. The latest articles outline OSHA Injury Tracking Application (ITA) submission responsibilities, key deadlines, and resources to help employers stay compliant with electronic injury and illness reporting.
Sedgwick also shares news of its Ohio rebrand, highlighting a refreshed look and expanded capabilities, while reaffirming its continued commitment to delivering trusted service and support.
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HotelPro enters 2026 with strong momentum, confident in its people, purpose, and shared commitment to grow, adapt, and succeed together.
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| | How Eco-Friendly Practices Are Driving Guest Expectations and Boosting Ohio’s Hospitality Industry
As travelers become increasingly eco-conscious, sustainable lodging has evolved from a trend to a business necessity in the hospitality industry. Across generations, guests now expect hotels to implement visible, effective green practices such as energy conservation, waste reduction, and local sourcing. In Ohio, this shift presents a significant opportunity for hotels to gain a competitive edge by adopting environmentally responsible measures, improving guest loyalty, and supporting the state’s booming tourism economy.
Keep Ohio Beautiful highlights the crucial role of sustainability in attracting today’s mindful travelers and offers resources to help Ohio’s lodging sector lead the way in green hospitality.
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| | I’m excited to share the launch of The New Luxury, a short-form docu series now live on YouTube. The goal of this series is simple: to spotlight hotels and places—both globally and here at home—that are doing things responsibly while still driving demand, differentiation, and memorable guest experiences. |
| | What Cogwheel’s Saying: Smart Takes Worth Reading
We launched a targeted Google Display Network (GDN) campaign for a 5-star luxury hotel in Chicago. The goal was to increase bookings for their breakfast offer and boost overall visibility to the hotel’s target audience.
The campaign successfully leveraged precise audience targeting to reach travelers and business professionals likely to visit Chicago. The campaign not only met but drastically exceeded all key performance indicators (KPIs), resulting in nearly 4x the projected traffic and 3x the targeted revenue. |
Top | | The next committee meeting is virtual on Thursday, February 12 from 11 am – Noon. If interested in learning more about the committee, please reach out to Amanda at amanda@ohla.org. |
| | Ohio DECA, which is an organization that prepares high school students for careers in marketing, finance, management, hospitality, and tourism, is having their career development conference on February 24 & 25, 2026 from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Columbus. |
| | On the Road with OHLA: Empowering Hospitality Students
In an effort to build stronger connections to the colleges and universities in Ohio with hospitality programs, OHLA began visits to the programs this Fall, meeting with Baldwin Wallace and Lorain County Community College in November. At the meetings, the schools shared that their priorities are increasing enrollment, developing and strengthening relationships with industry partners, and training career-ready students.
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Top | | Save the date for the 2nd Annual OHLEF Golf Classic, taking place on Thursday, July 23, 2026, at the beautiful Golf Club of Dublin.
Join industry colleagues, partners, and supporters for a day of friendly competition, networking, and community impact as we come together to support OHLEF’s mission. More details, including registration and sponsorship opportunities, will be shared soon! |
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Upcoming Events
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February 19, 2026
8:30AM - 10:00AM | Playa Bowls (OSU)1952 North High St. Columbus, OH 43201 |
| February 24, 2026
12:00PM - 4:00PM | Greater Columbus Convention Center400 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215 |
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