No group of hoteliers like to have a good time as do the members of Americas Best Value Inn. The nearly 600 members of the chain partied hard last night as part of the group's annual conference at the Monte Carlo Casino Hotel in Las Vegas.
Most chain conventions I attend have some element of intrigue, typically with various factions of franchisees plotting against each other or, much more frequently, against the "suits" at franchise headquarters. That kind of atmosphere rarely lends itself to anything more than quiet cordiality at chain-wide conventions.
At ABVI meetings like the one this week, there's no intrigue, no in-fighting and no animosity toward headquarters or chain officials. As a result, the event's opening reception became a party full of food, drink and a good-natured karaeoke contest. It's that kind of conviviality that builds a community out of a company. It's just too bad I don't see it at more chain conventions I attend.