Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Hotel Brands To Go Toe-to-Toe in the Hospitality Industry’s “Baddest Brand Brawl”



 Latino Hotel Association to Hold Battle of the Brands in November To Raise Funds for Education

 Phoenix, AZ, Sept. 27, 2011—A taste of what promises to be the most fun fund raising event in hotel industry history was unveiled at an unscripted “smack down” at this year’s Lodging Conference. 

The full event, the “Battle of the Brands” boxing match featuring eight top hoteliers, will be held at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino (lower right photo) during the first annual Latino Hotel Association Conference in Las Vegas November 16-18, 2011.

Representatives from eight hospitality companies, who will face off in a real battle in the ring on November 17, threw verbal punches at one another as their matchups were announced. 

 The hoteliers are volunteering their time, bodies and possibly dignity to compete for the title of “Brand Champions.”  The event will raise money for scholarships and increase awareness of the growing number of Latinos entering the hospitality industry. 

The fighters, including representatives from La Quinta Inns & Suites, Best Western International, Hilton Worldwide, Inc., Driftwood Hospitality Management, LLC, Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and Pan-American Life Insurance Group ( a leading hotel industry insurer), were announced at a “Fighters Weigh-In.”

 “We wanted to create an event that would stand apart in order to raise the most money for this charitable cause and we’ve found a winner,” said Bill Fortier, senior vice president development Americas, Hilton Worldwide and chairman of LHA.   “It is heartening to see the top brand groups weighing in with their support this event.” 

“This will be a fun event, but we are taking all the necessary steps to make sure that our boxers are well prepared,” said Angela Gonzales-Rowe (top right photo), LHA president and founder. 

 “Former two-time World Champion ‘Jesse’ James Leija (top left photo) has signed on to help supervise the training of our fighters and offer expert guidance based on his 16-year professional boxing career.”  Leija was on hand at the event to make sure the boxers didn’t decide to start their matches early.

 Additional information is available at the association’s website, http://www.latinohotelassociation.com/.

Contact: Jerry Daly, Chris Daly, Daly Gray Public Relations, (703) 435-6293


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