Thank You to Our Back of the House Sponsors
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Vacation Ownership Council Raises Funds for
Hospitality Career Exploration For Local Students
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This week, the CFHLA Vacation Ownership Council finally hit the links, with their third annual Mini Golf Tournament taking place at the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Orange Lake Resort (Thank You, Jorge Reyes).
Thank you to our corporate sponsors, along with all of our hole sponsors and everyone who joined us for a fun evening of networking and fellowship, as we navigated putts along the twist and turns of the Sand & Surf courses.
All of the proceeds from the mini golf fundraising tournament went to support the CFHLA Foundation and the Vacation Ownership Council's initiatives. This includes providing transportation for our local high school students to visit a variety of timeshare properties and resorts across the Central Florida region and explore future career opportunities within the hospitality industry.
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Congratulations to our winning teams:
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CFHLA would also like to thank our Vacation Ownership Council's Mini Golf Corportate and Hole Sponsors including:
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Register Today for the 2025 CFHLA Hospitality Gala
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Don't forget to register for our 2025 CFHLA Hospitality Gala that'll take place on Saturday, December 13, 2025.
This “Black-Tie” event features more than 1,000+ Hospitality Executives and we will be recognizing our Lodging and Allied Member of the Year awards, along with the Engineer of the Year and the Charles Andrew’s Memorial Hospitality Award for Community Leadership.
📅 Date: Saturday, December 13, 2025
📍 Location: Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress Resort
🏨 Address: One Grand Cypress Blvd, Orlando, FL 32836
⏰ Time: 6:00 PM – 11:00 PM
💵 Registration: $180 per person or $1,800 for a Table of 10
👉 Click here to register
We hope to see you there!
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City of Orlando Election Results Are In - CFHLA Endorsed Candidates are Victorious in District 3 and 5
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On behalf of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association, we would like to congratulate the winners of Tuesday's City of Orlando Elections.
In total, the CFHLA PAC and PC had supported three candidates and two of them including Roger Chapin for District 3 and Shan Rose (Incumbent) for District 5 were victorious on November 4th.
Both candidates were endorsed by the CFHLA PAC and PC and we look forward to working with Commissioner Shan Rose in her next term. Commissioner Shan Rose won with 51.84% of the vote.
Additionally, Roger Chapin (34.01% of the vote) will go to a runoff election with Mira Tanna (recieved 33.83% of the vote), since neither candidate earned over 50% of the vote. The runoff election will be held on Tuesday, December 9th.
On election night, our CFHLA President/CEO Robert Agrusa, CFHLA Government Affairs Manager Zack Brodersen, CFHLA Board Chair Chris Mueller, CFHLA Board First Vice Chair Jon McGavin, and CFHLA Second Vice Chair Jay Leonard all had the opportunity to attend the election night watch party in support of both candidates.
Congratulations to all the winners and we look forward to working together on issues that are important to our industry!
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CFHLA Welcomes our Newest Board Members
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CFHLA is proud to welcome two of our newest members to the CFHLA Board of Directors including Chris Akoury, General Manager of Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek, and Bill Fink, General Manager of the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort.
Both leaders joined us this week for our New Board Member Orientation, where they had the opportunity to begin their service to the Central Florida hospitality community.
Please join us in congratulating and welcoming Chris and Bill - we look forward to their leadership and contributions in the year ahead!
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Developing Resilient Leaders at Final Leadership Development Seminar of 2025
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This week, we hosted the final seminar of this year’s Leadership Development Series.
This seminar featured an interactive presentation by Louis Robbins, where he discussed effective strategies for navigating crisis management and cultivating a positive work environment. Attendees also participated in a self-assessment to identify their own leadership styles and learn how to improve their resilience moving forward.
Thank you, to Tom Drury, and the team of Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista for hosting us. And thank you also to Louis Robbins for presenting and Dr. Fevzi Okumus for your time and partnership in this entire seminar series!
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Sheriff Mina Speaks at Tourist Intel Training Meeting
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Thank you again to Sheriff John Mina for joining us this week at the monthly Tourist Intelligence Crime Meeting.
CFHLA sincerely appreciates the continued partnership between the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Orlando, Florida and our dedicated hospitality security professionals. By working together, we’re able to keep Central Florida’s vibrant tourist corridor safe for all who visit and work here.
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Show Your Pride – Orlando Pride Hosts Quarterfinal Playoff Match Tonight!
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Our very own Orlando Pride have officially clinched a Quarterfinal Home Playoff Match for tonight, Friday, November 7th at 8:00 p.m. against Seattle Reign FC — and they need your support to help create an unforgettable home-field advantage right here in Orlando!
As a valued CFHLA Member, you have access to exclusive discounted tickets to cheer on the Pride as they continue their incredible run toward another Championship title.
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE MEMBER-EXCLUSIVE TICKETS
We encourage you to share this opportunity with your team members, colleagues, and Board so they can also take advantage of the discounted pricing and join in the excitement.
Your support — whether from the stands or by helping spread the word — makes all the difference.
Let’s stand together and show our PRIDE this Friday night! 💜
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Partners In Action – Hilton Orlando Spreads Halloween Cheer at Palm Lake Elementary
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As part of their Q4 community engagement activity, the Hilton Orlando team hosted a festive “Trunk or Treat” event for the students - and while the candy was plentiful, it was the donuts that truly stole the show!
Thank you again to the Hilton Orlando team for your generosity, teamwork, and commitment to making a positive impact in the community. We look forward to seeing your continued impact through our Adopt-A-School program during the upcoming holiday season!
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Partners In Action – Coco Key Celebrates Halloween with Meadow Woods Elementary
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Coco Key Hotel & Water Resort - Orlando joined the Meadow Woods Elementary Trunk-or-Treat, bringing festive fun, their resort mascot, and plenty of smiles to students and families as part of their Adopt-A-School partnership.
Thank you to the CoCo Key team for helping make Halloween extra special for the school community!
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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR
MEMBERS OF THE MONTH
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Meet Our November Members of the Month
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CFHLA is proud to recognize our November Lodging Member of the Month, Frank Dolley, General Manager at Coco Key Hotel and Water Resort - Orlando. Frank's outstanding partnership and leadership on the CFHLA PAC/PC Board of Directors, the CFHLA Board of Directors and on the Governmental Affairs Committee are truly invaluable to our association. We also appreciate his contributions for last weeks Halloween Golf Open which helped make this signature CFHLA event a tremendous success.
We are equally proud to recognize our November Allied Member of the Month, Nicole Ailes, Business Development for Yellowstone Landscape. Nicole’s outstanding involvement as a Silver Partner Member, active participation in CFHLA signature events, dedicated service on numerous committees, and support of community-wide initiatives exemplify her commitment to strengthening Central Florida’s hospitality industry.
It is through these positive contributions and continued partnership that we are eager to recognize both of them this month!
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To nominate a future CFHLA Allied and/or Lodging Member of the Month, please CLICK HERE.
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Check out the latest hospitality employment opportunities in Central Florida.
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About CFHLA
6675 Westwood Blvd #210, Orlando, FL 32821
The mission of the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association is to represent the Central Florida Hospitality Industry, by setting the standard of excellence through advocacy, collaboration, education, recognition, and service.
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