CEO Signs Five Year Contract with PAII

The board of directors of the Professional Association of Innkeepers International (PAII) is pleased to announce an agreement with Jay Karen, CAE, to continue serving and leading the organization through 2017 as its president and chief executive officer.

"Membership numbers are up, relationships with allied B&B associations are strong, vendor support is solid and great work for innkeepers in our industry has been done," says Kristie Rosset, owner of Lookout Point Lakeside Inn in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and chair of the PAII board of directors. "We are extremely pleased with the progress under Jay's leadership and are thrilled he will be with us, as we continue to navigate our way forward on behalf of the industry."

Since Karen came on board in 2007, several accomplishments can be noted, including

• Introduction and publication of the industry's trade magazine,Innkeeping Now
• Creation of the industry's first consumer campaign, Better Way to Stay
• Establishment of new educational offerings, including regional conferences, webinars and Inntensives
• Contributions with legislative and policy matters impacting B&Bs and the travel industry on the local and federal level
• Initiated dual-membership partnerships with several state B&B associations
• Established the Key Supporter program to build and recognize vendor support

"I am the envy of my association executive peers," says Karen. "I have a hard-working, loyal staff, incredibly supportive corps of volunteer leaders, I work in a dynamic industry, and I get to surround myself with people working in hospitality. It doesn't get much better than this, and yet we have so much more work to do for PAII and the industry."

Karen was hired by PAII in 2007 after ten years with the National Golf Course Owners Association, where he served as director of membership for the last seven years. As a member of the American Society of Association Executives, Karen has spoken at several ASAE conferences and has written for their publications. In addition, Karen is a Certified Association Executive and sits on the board of directors of the United States Travel Association.