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The sudden departure was a surprise. But Rogers has reason to be proud for how many initiatives the AH&LA effectively pursued under his watch.
The American Hotel & Lodging Association said Tuesday that President and CEO William “Chip” Rogers had resigned.
The largest hotel lobby in the U.S. named Kevin Carey as interim president and CEO. Carey had been senior executive vice president and COO.
“We have been able to build one of America’s most effective associations over the last five years,” said Rogers in a statement.
The statement said Rogers was leaving to “pursue other professional interests.” Rogers’ LinkedIn profile page hadn’t been updated with the move or any context as of publication time.
Rogers helped the hotel industry achieve several objectives over his five years in the top job.
Most recently, AHLA was credited for helping to undermine a Los Angeles Council plan to put on a ballot an initiative that could mandate that hotels temporarily house the homeless. The council has since removed the initiative.
“We will miss him and his leadership on so many fronts, particularly what he led in LA,” said Vijay Dandapani, President & CEO, Hotel Association of New York City.
AHLA also fought a long-running battle to get parity in regulations for travel lodging between hotels and upstart short-term rentals. It has encouraged the tightening of regulations on short-term rental accommodation last year.
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Tags: ahla, ceos, future of lodging, lobbying, transition
Photo credit: William "Chip" Rogers speaking at a state conference run by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Source: AHLA.