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MICHAEL A. LEVEN TO RECEIVE ALIS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Washington, 2012-09-19 — /travelprnews.com/ — Michael A. Leven, president/CEO, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, will be honored with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS), January 22-24, 2013, in Los Angeles.Leven is a veteran hospitality executive with more than 50 years in the business who holds a distinguished and well-recognized record of success. Prior to joining the Las Vegas Sands Corporation, he was the president/CEO of U.S. Franchise Systems, Inc., a company he founded in 1995 that developed and franchised the Microtel Suites and Hawthorn Suites hotel brands.

Leven has served with many industry organizations throughout his career, including co-founding the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, which started with 12 members in 1989 and now has more than 9,300 members. Additionally, he is the former international president of the Hotel Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), and former chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Government Affairs Committee.

Leven is a recipient of the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers Lifetime Achievement Award and was previously named to HSMAI’s Hot List of 25 Most Extraordinary Sales & Marketing Minds in Hospitality & Travel. He has also received the American Jewish Committee Selig Distinguished Service Award, UJA Federation of New York Hotel and Hospitality Award, and the Georgia Hospitality & Travel Association Spirit of Hospitality Award.

Leven currently serves as a board member for the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas and the Birthright Israel Foundation. He is also a member of the Georgia Aquarium Board of Directors, and a trustee of the Marcus Foundation.

“We are thrilled to honor such an industry icon,” said Jim Burba, president, BHN, and chair of ALIS. “Not only was he a pioneer in the area of franchising, but he has made numerous contributions to the hospitality industry and the community during a career that has spanned more than 50 years.”

Co-hosted by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and Burba Hotel Network (BHN), the two-and-a-half-day ALIS event features an extensive array of seminars and panels hosted by leading experts and investors discussing important trends and identifying new opportunities. The conference attracts the lodging industry’s leading hotel executives, investors, lenders, developers and professional advisory community. Proceeds from ALIS benefit the educational, research, and training missions of the American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation (AH&LEF), AH&LA’s nonprofit affiliate. For information on the Foundation, visit www.ahlef.com.

Early bird registration is $1,700 and ends September 27. Online registration is available via the ALIS Website. For general event information and sponsorship opportunities, contact BHN conference manager Jodi Braverman at jbraverman@burba.com.

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Serving the hospitality industry for a more than century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all sectors and stakeholders in the lodging industry, including individual hotel property members, hotel companies, student and faculty members, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides members with national advocacy on Capitol Hill, public relations and image management, education, research and information, and other value-added services to provide bottom line savings and ensure a positive business climate for the lodging industry. Partner state associations provide local representation and additional cost-saving benefits to members.

AH&LEF is the charitable fund-raising and endowed fund-management subsidiary of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. Founded in 1953, AH&LEF is the premier organization for scholarships, professional certification, and instructional material as well as funding for hospitality industry research.

BHN is the worldwide leader in developing and organizing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. With more than two decades of experience, more than 100 events completed or in production to-date, and more than 70,000 international delegates, BHN conferences have become “must attend” events for industry leaders who come together to network, conduct business and to learn about the latest trends.

BHN events include: the Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles; the ALIS Summer Update in Dallas; the Caribbean Hotel & Resort Investment Summit (CHRIS) in Miami; the Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific (HICAP) in Hong Kong; HICAP UPDATE in Singapore; the Hotel Investment Forum India (HIFI) in Gurgaon Delhi N.C.R.; the Hotel Opportunities Latin America (HOLA) conference in Miami; and the Hotel Investment Conference Europe (Hot.E) in London.

The BHN website at www.Burba.com is the gateway for information about the conferences BHN produces, as well as a direct link to important players in the hospitality investment world.

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