In a bid to ensure the quality of hospitality finance and technology education within the hospitality industry worldwide, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP) has announced that it has formed a strategic alliance with the British Association of Hospitality Accountants (BAHA) to combine synergies that will increase their respective members’ access to quality education, networking and first class certification programs.

“BAHA welcomes the relationship with HFTP,” said Carl Weldon, chief executive of BAHA. “Both associations bring critical knowledge, excellent reputations and educational experience to the strategic alliance. Because both of our organizations are ‘not for profit’ associations, our respective members have access to some of the industry`s best knowledge sharing – provided by their peers at very low costs. This education is possible because it is provided as a service to the industry, rather than trying to profit from it personally.”

The strategic alliance will allow the associations to expand member benefits – including reduced cross-membership rates; greater access to publications and research; and increased visibility for both organizations. The alliance partners will also work jointly on projects relating to financial accounting standards, authoring industry texts and educational conferences. In addition, the certification review courses for HFTP’s Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) and the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP) certifications will be offered in the UK through BAHA as part of their educational program alongside the current BAHA ETP qualifications. BAHA is an authorized test administrator for the HFTP exams.

“The strategic alliance between HFTP and BAHA is important for the hospitality industry worldwide,” said Frank Wolfe, CAE, CEO of HFTP. “Our members represent the very best in hospitality finance and technology. While there are many organizations that offer hospitality finance and technology education in the UK, this alliance guarantees that attendees at BAHA/HFTP events will be hard pressed to find better education on our topics anywhere else in this space.”

The first joint educational opportunity will be at the 2nd BAHA Hospitality Finance and IT Professionals Conference & Exhibition – to be held from 8 to 9 November 2007 at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, Heathrow in London. The two-day conference will include informative sessions for finance and IT professionals, the opportunity to network with colleagues and an exhibition showcasing the latest hospitality technology available in the UK. Included in the conference will be a presentation on technologies from the 2007 version of GUESTROOM 2010, a futuristic, model hotel room that HFTP developed as part of its HITEC conference in the US.