He is very conscious of the tasks he must accomplish

By Ela Dutt

Long Beach, Calif: As the incoming chairman of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), Hitesh Bhakta is very conscious of the tasks he must accomplish. Even as others talk of AAHOA’s achievements, Bhakta, in an interview with News India-Times, stressed the issues he will be focusing on. The Zambia-born and raised Bhakta, who is a law graduate from England and was a criminal lawyer in Zambia, moved to southern California in 1984 and practices real estate and business law.

“I think we are one of the pre-eminent organizations, but more work is needed in political action, for instance. We don’t have a full-time lobbyist in Washington,” he said. “We are small business owners around the country. We should be able to go to the State capital and lobby.”

He believes AAHOA would become even more effective if it could support its members to reach a City Council, for instance. And, with the town-hall meetings last year, as well as regional conferences, the organization has made a start. “We need initiatives that immediately help members in cutting costs,” he said, pointing to the database effort AAHOA has begun to gather information about the insurance needs of its members reeling under high premiums post-9/11. “AAHOA members deserve preferred treatment. This database will allow us to approach insurance companies to get lower cost insurance, or in the alternative ---- organize self insurance.”

Bhakta, who served as AAHOA treasurer in 2000 and as general secretary in 2001, became vice chairman in 2002. AAHOA members pay some $200 million in premiums annually, he calculated. “Insurance companies may look at us as a group. I believe we can show that our loss runs are lower ---- we can therefore be eligible (for preferred rates) because we are onsite businesspeople.”

Some of his other ideas include building a “virtual warehouse,” an “electronic marketplace” that permits allied members to put products for sale at preferred prices. Despite the low use of AAHOA’s Web site service by members, Bhakta hopes such a virtual market will drive them to the dotcom site.

“I intend also to appoint a Task Force to review our 12-point Fair Franchise Initiative,” he said. The initiative was drafted several years ago and Bhakta feels it should be revisited. “I am perplexed why most licensing contracts have high liquidated damage provisions. I am hoping this Task Force will be able to look into this.” This was one of the major complaints voiced by members during the convention at Long Beach. “We intend to appoint a vice president for Fair Franchising and Government Affairs to act as a watchdog ---- charged with helping members form local political action committees (PACs),” Bhakta said.

Bhakta has served on various committees, including chair of the Code of Professional Ethics & Bylaws Committee; co-chair of AAHOA’s Industry Relations Committee; and member of the Women’s Committee. He is member of the board of directors of the Indian Medical Association of southern California and the South Asian Sheriffs’ Advisory Council.

California, he noted, has now the largest regional representation in AAHOA with 1,200 members. But even with more than 6,000 members and 18,000 properties, Bhakta felt, there is work to be done in the membership field. “Maybe membership should be seen not any more for themselves but for their children,” he said of Indian-American hoteliers. As for independent hoteliers, he said, “We still don’t see a voice, but we hope local PACs can help.”

And he has his eye on the youth ---- the future hoteliers. “I am very mindful of them. I intend to put a young hotelier on our board and we want them to be visible.” Bhakta announced his choice at the final gala dinner. He lauded the women hoteliers who, he said, are becoming an increasingly powerful force within AAHOA. “We are proud to see that and are hoping the future hoteliers will see the same growth.”

During his career, Bhakta has been closely involved in his family businesses. A second-generation hotelier, he owns and operates with his family a number of hotels in California and Texas.