AHLA CEO Chip Rogers Resigns

American Hotel & Lodging Association president and CEO Chip Rogers resigned his position on Friday “to pursue other professional interests,” the association announced Wednesday. Rogers will be replaced on an interim basis by senior executive vice president and COO Kevin Carey, according to AHLA.

AHLA said its board of directors “is in the process of forming a committee to identify and evaluate potential replacement candidates and will be retaining an executive search firm” to replace Rogers on a permanent basis. 

Rogers joined AHLA in January 2019 after a five-year stint as president and CEO of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association. The Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath marked Rogers’ time as head of the association, during which he helped usher in AHLA’s Safe Stay cleanliness standards and pushed for federal aid for the struggling industry. After the pandemic waned, Rogers and AHLA pursued initiatives like the partnership with the Hotel Association of Canada to bring its Green Key hospitality sustainability certification program to the United States. 

Rogers was named to BTN’s annual 25 Most Influential list in 2020 and 2023.

Carey will report to AHLA’s board of directors as interim president and CEO, according to the association. He has served as AHLA COO since 2017, and before that worked for 25 years with American Express, according to AHLA, which said Carey has “helped accelerate the association’s growth and expansion.” 

“Kevin’s deep knowledge of AHLA’s operations and his relationships with hospitality stakeholders throughout the industry make him the right leader for AHLA during this transition,” AHLA board chair Kevin Jacobs said in a statement.