The National Restaurant Association (NRA) and the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) have finalized and executed an agreement for the largest foodservice trade association in the world to acquire the training business assets and products of the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute (AHLEI). AHLEI is recognized as the training and certifying body for the hospitality industry.

“We are excited and welcome the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute into the National Restaurant Association family. This evolution combines two outstanding teams committed to excellence in the restaurant, foodservice and hospitality industries,” said Dawn Sweeney, president & CEO, National Restaurant Association. “By adding the AHLEI and their business lines to our offerings, we will increase our reach and enhance our credibility as the acknowledged leader in industry training and certification – while extending our expertise to the hotel and lodging industry.”

Given the nature of the hospitality industry and the fundamental sharing that goes on between the restaurant and lodging sectors, NRA and AHLA saw a unique opportunity to combine resources to produce an even more robust training program – that will benefit employees in their career development and improve overall consumer satisfaction.

“At the heart of America’s hotel and hospitality industry are our people. As such, a core part of AHLA’s mission has centered on providing employees with the best career opportunities through training and development. With AHLA’s unprecedented and dynamic growth over the last few years, this exciting new partnership with the National Restaurant Association will allow us to maintain our focus on delivering top-notch training and development to the hotel workforce under AHLA-branded products while sharpening our focus on advocacy, industry research, and advancing our industry story,” said Katherine Lugar, president & CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

AHLEI’s core mission is to provide employees with the best career opportunities through training and development. Recognizing important partnerships that help us achieve our goals has been and continues to be critical to the industry’s success. This new partnership effective on February 1, 2017, gives us the opportunity to focus on what we do best, providing the training and resources necessary to offer pathways to upward mobility for our talent and the future generation of hospitality leaders by maintaining the certifications program.