NEW YORK — The Hotel Association of New York City today announced the selection of Niki Franzitta as its new Vice President of Member Relations and Development. A veteran labor relations attorney with substantial experience in the hotel industry, Ms. Franzitta will focus on growing the Association’s membership base and providing member hotels with resources and expertise relating to a broad range of labor and regulatory issues.
Vijay Dandapani, President and CEO, Hotel Association of NYC said: “We are pleased that Ms. Franzitta will bring her considerable talents and skills to the Hotel Association as we continue to serve as the go-to resource for New York City’s thriving hospitality industry. In this new position, she will provide valuable counsel and will help us strengthen an already robust membership of our city’s finest hotels.”
With nearly 15 years of experience as an attorney at Kane Kessler, P.C., Ms. Franzitta represented hotels and other clients in a variety of complex labor and employment related matters and participated in several negotiations for the widely acclaimed 2014 Industry Wide Agreement. As Regional Director of Labor Relations for Hyatt Hotels since 2014, she oversaw all labor relations matters for unionized hotels in Hyatt’s regional portfolio and was lead negotiator at collective bargaining agreements. Besides her breadth of labor relations experience, Ms. Franzitta is well versed in human resources, OSHA, ADA, and federal and state labor law issues.
For the Hotel Association, Ms. Franzitta will focus on labor relations issues with a city-wide focus on human resource development including member training and recruitment seminars. She will also head development and professional networking efforts for growing the Association’s membership.
Ms. Franzitta said: “The Hotel Association is well known throughout the industry as a trusted and venerable institution, and it’s an honor for me to join its team of recognized hospitality leaders. I look forward to this exciting opportunity.”
Established in 1878, the Hotel Association of New York City, Inc. is one of the oldest professional trade associations in the nation. Its membership includes 275 of the finest hotels in New York City, representing more than 76,000 rooms and 50,000 employees. hanyc.org