Indian-American represents hoteliers at White House speech by President Trump

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The Indian-American vice chairman of Asian American Hotel Owners Association, AAAHOA, Biran Patel, joined other small business owners in standing with President Donald Trump during a Rose Garden announcement about the administration’s new rules governing health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs) on Friday, June 14.

Patel and President Trump spoke briefly about the new health care options’ implications for hoteliers following his remarks, a press release from AAHOA said.

“America’s hoteliers are grateful to the administration for creating more health care options that small business owners can offer to their employees,” Patel is quoted saying in the press release.

“The competitive labor market and the labor shortage affecting our industry mean that hoteliers must be more creative in assembling benefit packages to attract and retain employees,” Patel added, noting that HRAs are yet another tool that could be used to ensure hotel employees have access to affordable healthcare and that allows thus enabling the industry to remain competitive in the benefits offered.

“These new rules will allow hoteliers to focus more on business and on creating good jobs in their communities rather than managing and navigating complex bureaucratic health plans,” Patel contended.

According to AAHOA, The new rules make it easier for employers to use HRAs to help employees purchase plans under the Affordable Care Act. Small business owners can set aside pretax funds to assist their employees who purchase coverage from the exchanges, the organization said.

This hotel and motel owners association is dominated by Indian-Americans and encompasses an estimated fifty percent of the U.S. hospitality industry.

According to AAHOA, it is the  largest hotel owners association in the world. The over 18,500 AAHOA members own almost one in every two hotels in the United States, it says.

“With billions of dollars in property assets and hundreds of thousands of employees, AAHOA members are core economic contributors in virtually every community,” the press release says, adding, “AAHOA is a proud defender of free enterprise and the foremost current-day example of realizing the American dream.”