AIHP Knowledge Sharing Summit 2019

As a hospitality marketing agency, we regularly attend industry conferences to stay up to date with the latest news and trends. Last week, our Director of Business Development, Steve, traveled to Cincinnati for the AIHP Knowledge Sharing Summit & Marketplace. After a day filled with presenting, networking and learning, Steve returned with a fresh perspective on the world of boutique hotels, innkeeping and smaller-scale hospitality.

What’s AIHP?

In short, AIHP is the Association of Independent Hospitality Professionals. The “Voice of Innkeeping,” this non-profit organization helps innkeepers and independent hospitality professionals with networking, advocacy, professional development and of course, offering their annual summit.

Knowledge Sharing Summit 2019

Two things can almost always be expected at conferences: networking and free swag. And at AIHP, this meant perusing the marketplace and connecting with a diverse group of interesting vendors. Shout out to Deneen Pottery, Twinnings Tea and Sitronu for the free samples (the whole MM team thanks you)!

The Summit was also filled with several unique presentations, including one by Barb from Stonehurst Place. She gave some awesome advice on how B&Bs and smaller properties can reduce their carbon footprint. Our favorite takeaway? Stonehurst recycles gray-water to water some of the plants around their property. Her presentation also featured Amanda from Sitronu who spoke about natural soaps and why being able to pronounce all the ingredients in a soap isn’t always a good thing!

Surprise ‘Em! It’s the Little Things.

The ultimate reason for our visit to AIHP? To present! The talk, “Surprise ‘Em! It’s the Little Things” focused on small, inexpensive ways hotel and B&B owners can surprise their guests. Think: freshly baked cookies at check-in, complimentary dog treats in the rooms of pet owners or a custom sleep kit beside the bed. The talk went great and there were more people in the session than expected! If you’d like a PDF copy of the presentation or ideas catered towards your own property, email us. Thanks again to everyone who attended the talk, and AIHP for inviting us to present!

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