The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) today announced the appointment Matthew MacLaren as senior vice president of member relations. In this new role, MacLaren will oversee membership, partner state association relations, allied partnership and legal issues. Additionally, new executive staff changes were also announced at AH&LA and the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI).
“Matthew is no stranger to our industry and knows well the challenges and opportunities our industry faces,” said Katherine Lugar, president and CEO of AH&LA. “His insights and skills will be invaluable as we seek to ensure that our 20,000-strong membership is equipped to deal with the mounting issues we face at the local, state and federal levels.”
MacLaren, who will join the association on November 1, comes to AH&LA from the Ohio Hotel & Lodging Association (OH&LA), where he served as president and CEO. In this role, he was responsible for providing strategic direction, management and oversight of all departments. Prior to joining OH&LA, in 2004, MacLaren worked as communications director for the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants.
A native of Akron, MacLaren is a graduate of The Ohio State University where he studied political science and business, and a graduate of Capital University Law School. He earned his Juris Doctor degree in December 2005 and received his license to practice law in Ohio in May 2006.
