Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 21, 2026 15 Wayne McLellan is the general manager of the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, which is now a member of the newly expanded Connecticut Restaurant & Hospitality Association. HBJ Photo | Dave Krechevsky One Voice CT restaurant association adds hotel members to expand reach, lobbying clout nesses "need dedicated representation, particularly on the legislative and regu- latory issues" unique to the industry. CLA Executive Director Suzanne Cahill said the organizations neverthe- less share interests and could collabo- rate 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 By David Krechevsky davidk@hartfordbusiness.com W hen 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 organi- zation 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 restau- rants 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 hospi- tality?'" Dolch said. A broader group CRHA formally announced its expan- sion 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 organi- zation 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 organi- zations 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 busi- Scott Dolch Continued on next page

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