The American Hotel & Lodging Association named Brett Horton to the newly created role of chief advocacy officer, effective Dec. 1, the organization announced Wednesday.
Horton will join the association after serving as chief of staff to U.S. House of Representatives Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., for the past decade.
In the role, Horton will oversee AHLA’s comprehensive advocacy, political engagement and government affairs strategies “to advance the hotel industry’s priorities at the federal, state and local levels,” according to a news release. Specifically, he will lead AHLA’s direct lobbying efforts and coalition building, per the association.
AHLA, which represents roughly 32,000 member properties, has several key priorities for leadership and advocacy in 2026, president and CEO Rosanna Maietta told Hotel Dive earlier this week ahead of her one-year anniversary in that role.
“I am thrilled to welcome Brett to the AHLA team,” Maietta said in the release. “He is an experienced policy leader with deep political insight and a proven record of working at the highest levels of government navigating Congress and the Administration.”
Horton joins other members on AHLA’s advocacy team, including Chirag Shah, Troy Flanagan, Marilou Halvorsen and Matt Carrier.
Earlier this year, the association appointed Chief Operating Officer Kevin Carey to lead its charitable arm, AHLA Foundation.
