Seattle Hotel Association

What Seattle Hotel Association does

The Seattle Hotel Association (SHA) is a nonprofit, voluntary trade association founded in 1986 that represents 80-plus member hotels in Seattle, Washington. Its core mission is to promote the economic well-being of the Seattle hospitality industry through legislative and regulatory advocacy, industry coordination, and community engagement. The association operates with a small staff of approximately 5 employees and is closely affiliated with the Washington Hospitality Association, which handles administrative functions including email and communications. Its board is composed of general managers from member properties spanning luxury (Fairmont Olympic, W Seattle), upscale (Renaissance Seattle, Embassy Suites), and select-service (Hyatt Place, Travelodge) segments.

SHA's core offerings include government affairs and advocacy, regular membership meetings and CEO roundtables, the annual Evening of Hope Gala (which has raised over $10.43 million for Seattle charities since 1996), and limited industry research initiatives. The organization does not develop technology products; its "products" are membership services delivered through events, advocacy, and partnerships with organizations such as Visit Seattle, the Downtown Seattle Association, the Seattle Restaurant Alliance, and BEST. Revenue is generated through membership dues from hotel properties, with no publicly disclosed pricing or revenue figures. Recent strategic activity has focused on coalition-building for infrastructure (Future Tracks), social issues (anti-trafficking campaign with BEST, Plymouth Housing exploration), and arts/culture partnerships (Cannonball Arts).

Name

Seattle Hotel Association

Legal name

Seattle Hotel Association

Website

https://seattlehotelassociation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Seattle Hotel Association is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1986 that represents 80-plus member hotels in Seattle through legislative advocacy, industry coordination, and the annual Evening of Hope Gala.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The association generates revenue through membership dues from member hotels in Seattle. As a nonprofit voluntary organization, membership fees fund advocacy efforts, events, and operational activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Seattle Hotel Association (SHA) is a nonprofit, voluntary trade association comprised of 80+ member hotels in Seattle. It provides legislative and regulatory advocacy on lodging and tourism matters, coordinates government affairs at city and state levels, hosts member meetings, CEO roundtables, and networking events, and runs the annual Evening of Hope Gala that has raised over $10 million for local charities since 1996.

Product overview

The Seattle Hotel Association is a nonprofit trade organization offering a unified portfolio of membership services for Seattle's hospitality industry. The core offerings include membership advocacy and government affairs representation, regular member meetings and CEO roundtables, annual philanthropy through the Evening of Hope Gala, and industry research surveys. The association serves as a unified voice for hotel members on legislative, regulatory, and economic matters affecting the Seattle hospitality sector.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Seattle Hotel Association Membership Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised $10.43 million for Seattle charities since 1996 through Evening of Hope Gala
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 January 2026SHA launched an 'Anti-Human Trafficking Game Plan' campaign in partnership with BEST in advance of summer 2026 soccer events. BEST provides training and resources to counter human trafficking for hotels and public-facing businesses.
• Washington Hospitality AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SHA's umbrella organization at the state level. A SHA representative is a voting member on the WHA Board. The SHA president serves as an advisory board member of Visit Seattle. Administrative functions including email ([email protected]) are handled through WHA.
• Visit SeattlecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHA partners with Visit Seattle on tourism promotion and issues affecting hospitality businesses. The SHA president serves as an advisory board member of Visit Seattle. Visit Seattle provides economic insights and forecasts through annual Data Symposium.
• Downtown Seattle AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHA partners with the Downtown Seattle Association on issues affecting tourism and business in downtown Seattle, including public safety and economic revitalization efforts.
• Washington Association of Convention and Visitors BureausminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization representing convention and visitor bureau interests in Washington State.
• Seattle Restaurant AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHA works closely with the Seattle Restaurant Alliance on shared advocacy issues including the 'One Seattle Day of Service' community events and political endorsements through Seattle Hospitality for Progress.
• Future TracksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of more than 30 Seattle organizations advocating during Sound Transit Ballard Link Extension construction. SHA hosted presentation on Future Tracks at fall 2025 membership meeting.
• Plymouth HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit focused on eliminating homelessness through housing. SHA exploring collaboration opportunities with member hotels to support Plymouth Housing's mission.
• Cannonball ArtsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNewly opened organization celebrating Puget Sound creative community. Presented at SHA fall 2025 meeting as downtown activation partner.
• StolenYouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal nonprofit committed to ending child sex trafficking in Washington state. SHA designated StolenYouth as philanthropy beneficiary for three years starting 2019, with $579,000 raised at 2019 gala.
• Mary's PlacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit empowering women, children, and families experiencing homelessness. SHA's Evening of Hope Gala benefited Mary's Place for multiple years, raising over $940,000 in 2018 alone. SHA works with Mary's Place on housing and support services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• American Hotel & Lodging Association: National U.S. trade association for hotels and lodging. SHA is a local affiliate member of this broader umbrella and shares the same member-funded advocacy model serving the lodging industry.

Direct peers

• Washington Hospitality Association: State-level hospitality association that serves as SHA's umbrella organization and even administers SHA's email and operations. Directly comparable as a dues-based association representing hotels and restaurants in Washington.
• Hotel Association of New York City (HANYC): City-level hotel trade association serving NYC hotels with advocacy, labor relations, and member services — structurally the closest analogue to SHA but at much larger scale.
• California Hotel & Lodging Association: Statewide trade association for California hotels offering advocacy, education, and member benefits — comparable membership/dues model and legislative-representation focus.
• Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association: State-level hotel trade association providing advocacy, workforce training, and member services to Illinois lodging properties — directly comparable business model to SHA.
• Greater Houston Hotel & Lodging Association: Regional hotel trade association representing Houston-area hotels with advocacy and member programming — same city/region-level membership structure as SHA.
• Massachusetts Lodging Association: Statewide trade association for Massachusetts lodging properties offering legislative advocacy and member services — comparable dues-funded trade-association model.
• Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association: State-level lodging trade association for Georgia hotels with advocacy, education, and networking programs — directly comparable membership-association structure.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Seattle Hotel Association