WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (June 6, 2023) — The Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association (IHLA) has announced that Omkar Bhatt, Owner/Operator of the Sol Inn and the Executive Inn in Marshalltown, has joined the recently-formed Association’s Board of Directors.
Bhatt immigrated to the US from India as a teen and began working in his uncle’s Fort Dodge hotel. He attended William Penn University, and upon graduation, worked in hospitality groups across the country, studying best practices and operational strategies before returning to Iowa to launch his Leo Hospitality. He took ownership of his first hotel in 2021 and added a second in 2023.
“Omkar represents the next generation of hoteliers,” said IHLA Board Chairman Scott Math, of Heart of America. “He will be a strong advocate for the entire hospitality industry, especially on issues and topics entrepreneurs deal with day-in and day-out.”
Bhatt is a resident of, and active community member of, Marshalltown. Like his fellow IHLA board directors, he serves as an elected volunteer who collaborates with other members to determine and communicate the Association’s state legislative agenda to local, state, and federal lawmakers. He is also a member of the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) whose mission is to advance and protect the business interests of hotel owners through advocacy, industry leadership, and professional development.
About the Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association
Founded in 2022, the Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association represents the state’s nearly 1,000 hotel and lodging establishments. In its first eighteen months, nearly 150 hotel properties have already joined the IHLA’s ranks — representing 15% of the state’s lodging establishments. The organization helped significantly expand the number of Iowa hotels to complete the state’s human trafficking-prevention certification. The group was also an integral partner in the administration of Meet in Iowa, a program funded through the Iowa Tourism Office to help increase overnight hotel stays across the state. Since its roll-out in May 2022, the Meet in Iowa program is credited with increasing a confirmed 4,500 additional hotel room night stays across the state with thousands more expected in the coming twelve months.
For more information on the Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association, visit hotellodgingiowa.com.
For more information on the Meet in Iowa program visit meetinia.com.
