Hospitality Council Meeting Notes s1

1130 Washington Ave. 1st Floor North Miami Beach, FL 33139 EMAIL: [email protected] WEB: www.gaybizmiami.com OFFICE: 305-673-4440 FAX: 305-673-8883

A Not –For-Profit Corporation

Hospitality Council – Meeting Notes

Attendees – Peggy Benua, Henry Flores, George Neary, Wendy Kallergis, Thibaut Asso, Alison Colberg, Stephen Ginez, Kevin Tobe, Eddie Calderon, Juan Torres, Linda Villafane, Eric Strom, Anne Posschelle, and Brent Machant.

STAFF: Jorge Richa, Steve Adkins, Scott Bader

Hospitality Council – Meeting Agenda

April 21, 2016 – 4 pm (Kimpton Surfcomber – THANK YOU!!!)

Agenda

1. Welcome & Introductions (5 mins) 2. GMBHA Update – Wendy Kallergis  Convention Center Hotel & Discussion (5 mins)  Short Term Rental Update 3. MBVCA Update – Grisette Roque (5 mins) 4. MDGLCC Hospitality Council Session work-thru  Landing Page for HC  PluggedIN E-Newsletter (weekly/monthly) 5. Pink Flamingo Hospitality Certification Program  Training Schedule through summer  Roll-out of enhancements

Notes From Meeting

ISSUES - #1 - Air BnB (economic impact and lack of resort tax collections) – ACTIONS – City of Miami Beach has taken action (higher fee penalties and more aggressive pursuit of violators) and plans to work with HOA and Condo Associations to work on neighbors turning in neighbors. GMBHA is lobbying State of Florida and formulating a position on this issue. Await written recommendations from GMBHA and tie our position to theirs.

#2 – GMBHA Update – Wendy presented on #1 above and discussed other lobbing efforts on behalf of the local hospitality community. ACTION - We discussed coming up with language for our LGBT Organizations who put on events to place in their communications/website to discourage travelers from staying in non- licensed short-term rental properties. ONGOING Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce EMAIL: [email protected] OFFICE: 305-673-4440

#3 - MBVCA Update and summary – Grisette spoke about tax collection trends, grants funded, upcoming opportunities and, API usage. ACTION – Help to promote grant opportunities within the funding categories to bring tourism to Miami Beach. Chamber and LGBT Visitor Center include in their communications (and web linkage) current quarter VCA grant opportunities.

#4 - MDGLCC Hospitality Initiatives – Landing page on website & PluggedIN e-newsletter ACTION– As part of MDGLCC’s 2016/17 planning process, both of these items will be designed and implemented by final quarter 2016. Chamber to provide proposed templates of both items and will share with Council in October 2016. Goal is to launch prior to 2017 “season.”

#5- Pink Flamingo Training Schedule Action – Trainings are ongoing and targeted to take place at applicant’s location. A Quarterly training calendar will be established for such properties which do not have the established minimum of 10 employees. These sessions will take place at the LGBT Visitor Center.

Newly Certified Property – Como by Metropolitan South Beach In Process – Seminole Hard Rock & Casino (entire 3800 employees will go through training); South Beach Group of Hotels; Provident Doral at the Blue Hotel

Actionable Steps

#1 – Next Meeting Date (if you are interested in hosting, please let me know) – Please select from the following:

Thursday July 28th @ 4 pm – The Betsy Hotel (downstairs meeting room to the left of the bar); thank you Jeff Lehman for hosting