CT restaurant association adds hotel members to expand reach, lobbying clout

When Wayne McLellan introduced himself to Connecticut Restaurant Association (CRA) President and CEO Scott Dolch at a New Haven event last year, he mentioned that he previously served on the board of a Florida trade group representing both restaurants and hotels. Dolch’s reaction caught him by surprise. “He was just like, ‘Wait, what?’” McLellan recalled. “‘Say that again.’” McLellan’s timing couldn’t have been better. The CRA was preparing to expand into the lodging industry and recruiting hotel executives to its board. McLellan, who had recently become general manager of the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, joined the board in December. Less than a year later, the organization has publicly unveiled its new identity as the Connecticut Restaurant & Hospitality Association, or CRHA. Dolch said the change is about more than a new name and logo. CRHA is seeking to extend the membership services, workforce programs and lobbying operation it built for restaurants to hotels and inns, creating a larger hospitality organization with more influence at the state Capitol. Dolch, who has led the organization for more than eight years, said he began considering the model after seeing restaurant associations in other states that also represented hotels. “We started to look at this and say, ‘Why can’t we be one voice for hospitality?’” Dolch said. A broader group CRHA formally announced its expansion into hotels in February, and earlier this month unveiled branding to reflect its broader mission. The organization now has about 65 to 70 hotel properties as members, representing roughly 7,000 of the approximately 36,000 hotel rooms in Connecticut, Dolch said. His goal is to eventually enroll about half of the state’s nearly 400 hotel properties. Hotels offer another avenue for growth for an organization that has already expanded significantly on the restaurant side. Membership has increased from about 370 when Dolch took over to more than 2,000 today. During that period, staffing grew from one full-time and one part-time employee to six full-time association employees and one full-time employee for its charitable foundation. Dolch said he hopes continued membership growth will eventually support a staff of more than 10. CRHA, however, is not the only organization seeking to represent Connecticut hotels. The group’s expansion creates some overlap with the Connecticut Lodging Association (CLA), which represents hotels and other lodging businesses in the state. The two organizations discussed a possible merger but did not reach an agreement, Dolch said. Meri Wick, president and chair of the CLA, said his group’s board decided against a merger because lodging businesses “need dedicated representation, particularly on the legislative and regulatory issues” unique to the industry. CLA Executive Director Suzanne Cahill said the organizations nevertheless share interests and could collaborate on issues affecting Connecticut’s hospitality industry. McLellan said the Omni New Haven belongs to both organizations and that he does not view them as competitors, although he believes CRHA has more resources to provide member services and advocate at the Capitol. The CRHA reported $1.12 million in revenue and $968,211 in assets in 2024, while the lodging association reported $119,125 in revenue in 2025, according to each organization’s most recent publicly available federal 990 tax form. Stronger voice McLellan said he saw the combined restaurant-and-hotel association model work in Florida, where it gave members greater lobbying influence and access to services. He said hotels and restaurants also have considerable operational overlap. For example, at the Omni New Haven — which has a restaurant, bar, coffee shop and banquet operation — more than half of his employees work in food and beverage. CRHA’s expansion is also intended to give smaller lodging businesses a stronger voice. Amanda Arling, president and partner of Heidenreich Hospitality Group, operates the 55-room Whaler’s Inn and the Shipwright’s Daughter restaurant in Mystic, as well as the Mystic Fish Camp fast-casual restaurant and The Barber Room event space. Arling, who serves on CRHA’s executive committee and is its legislative chair for hotels, said joining the expanded association was a “no-brainer” because she had already seen the value of its restaurant resources. She opened the Shipwright’s Daughter in 2020, during the pandemic, and said the association’s support helped the business survive an extraordinarily difficult period. She believes hotel operators could benefit from similar support as they contend with rising costs, minimum wage requirements, labor regulations and staffing shortages. “We speak a lot louder when we’re together than when we’re bifurcated,” she said. Arling said she also believes CRHA can represent independent operators alongside larger hotel companies. Legislative agenda With its expanded membership, CRHA is planning to focus on a number of key issues during the 2027 legislative session. Increasing state funding for tourism promotion will be one priority, Dolch said. The issue has already received attention at the Capitol, where lawmakers this year established a working group to study Connecticut’s investment in statewide marketing and tourism and recommend ways to better position the state as a destination for leisure and business travelers. Connecticut spent about $4.5 million on tourism marketing in fiscal 2024, according to figures cited by lawmakers during debate on the legislation. Dolch said CRHA would like to see the state spend about $20 million annually. The association also plans to renew its push to prohibit credit and debit card “swipe” fees from being charged on the sales tax portion of transactions. CRHA also expects to become more involved in state and federal debates over short-term rentals offered through platforms such as Airbnb and Vrbo. Hotel operators have argued that short-term rentals should face comparable tax, safety and regulatory requirements. Hoteliers also want lawmakers to reduce the state’s 15% hotel occupancy tax and limit the types of charges subject to that rate, McLellan said. They argue that ancillary expenses, such as parking, should not be taxed at the same rate as a hotel room. “Why should you have to pay the same occupancy tax on your parking that you pay for your hotel room?” McLellan asked. Dolch said one of CRHA’s most effective lobbying tools is its membership. Legislators often respond differently when hundreds of restaurant and hotel operators contact them, or when business owners explain how proposed legislation would affect companies in their districts. For Dolch, that makes growth in hotel membership about more than just additional dues revenue. Success, he said, ultimately will be measured by whether lodging operators believe they have a stronger voice, receive useful services and see legislative results. Arling shared a similar view. “Success is going to be ensuring that there’s real value to all members,” she said.