Business & Finance

HLA of Greater Houston Names Stephanie Haynes President

Replacing the Retiring Joan Johnson

January 4, 2010 - The Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston (HLAGH), a non-profit organization representing one of the largest industries in Southeast Texas, has selected Stephanie Haynes as its new president, the first time the office has changed hands in 10 years. The announcement was made by Jim Mills, HLAGH Board Chair and General Manager of the Houstonian Hotel, Club & Spa.

Ms. Haynes, whose career spans 25 years in the hospitality industry and related fields, was selected by the HLAGH Board of Directors following an extensive search to replace Joan Johnson, who announced she was retiring from the position several months ago. Ms. Haynes has been serving as HLAGH Director of Programs & Special Events since 2003.

As President, Ms. Haynes will oversee an organization with more than 250 hotels and industry related businesses representing over 32,000 guest rooms in the City of Houston. The organization is made up of general managers and owners of hotels and lodging facilities, suppliers, service companies and consultants who sell and service the hospitality industry. This industry, which provides more than 89,000 jobs and $327 million in payroll, is one of the top contributors to the Houston economy.

Serving as the voice representing the hotel and lodging industry in the Houston area, HLAGH is active in governmental affairs, education, tourism and charitable efforts.

Ms. Haynes attended the University of North Texas while working at United Inns, where she held several positions in Operations and Convention Services. Using her BBA in Marketing, Stephanie spent four years honing her skills as a sales manager and a meeting planner for Krisam Group. She later moved to Meeting Protocol where she organized European Conferences for national and international pharmaceutical and clinical base of clients. In September of 1999 she returned home to become Project Manager of events for Excel Communications, planning multi-day conferences for up to 8,000 attendees. She was awarded the company’s Circle of Stars denoting her as one of the top 20 employees out of 1,500 people eligible for the aware. In her six years at HLAGH, she has worked closely with the President in planning and organizing local and state meetings, events and projects.

Ms. Johnson was named President of what was then the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston in 1999, which had less than 100 members. During her tenure, she has been credited for making the HLAGH the largest municipal hotel association in the state during a period when the local industry faced some of the most challenging times in its history. Through her leadership, the organization has become a powerful voice for industry concerns and a ready source of information for decision-making and times of crisis. It was during her time of leadership the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington brought on some of the most mammoth changes in the travel industry in its modern history, and she worked closely with members to acquire and distribute information to help adapt. During Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike, she and Ms. Haynes worked tirelessly with area emergency agencies to keep them informed of lodging availability for volunteers and evacuees. She has also spearheaded efforts to work far more closely with the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as other civic and government groups involved with area business and leisure travel.

Ms. Johnson said she decided to step down from the office in order to “pursue my retirement.” She will continue to live in Houston.

For more information, call the HLAGH at 713-437-5250 or visit its web site, www.houstonhotels.org.

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