The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) has named Folio as the official technology platform of the AAHOA Marketplace, introducing an updated experience that combines procurement with financial operations tools. The enhanced platform, developed in collaboration with Avendra International, is expected to roll out later this year.
The AAHOA Marketplace, which leverages the association’s collective buying power to offer discounted products and services, will retain its procurement foundation while adding new capabilities across purchasing, billing and payments. The update was first announced at AAHOACON25 and formally introduced ahead of this year’s conference in Philadelphia.
“We have been blown away by the passion and dedication that AAHOA members have for their guests and their operations, and we are honored to support their work,” said Kate Adamson, CEO, Folio. “The custom-built version of Folio will not just help accelerate the delivery of savings in the AAHOA Marketplace, but also give a vital segment of the industry access to powerful operating and payments technology.”
The new platform will include centralized purchasing across suppliers, mobile functionality, rewards programs and automated accounting tools powered by AI. According to Adamson, the integration of financial operations into the procurement-focused marketplace reflects how hotel teams actually manage their businesses.
“We’ve learned from the thousands of users on Folio that actual purchasing is half of the story,” she said. “Financial, billing and payment tools help manage all the moving pieces that flow downstream from purchasing. The platform is effectively a toolkit of agents and assistants that help teams prevent errors, and go to work to help properties manage buying, billing and payments in one place.”
That approach is designed to address operational inefficiencies that many owners face. AAHOA members often navigate multiple supplier systems, manually reconcile invoices and manage payments across different platforms. By consolidating those functions, Folio aims to reduce both time and labor costs.
Adamson pointed to three areas where automation and AI are expected to have the most immediate impact: centralized purchasing, invoice processing and digital payments. The platform’s integrations allow users to build orders across multiple suppliers in one place, while AI-driven invoice processing enables faster approvals and automatic reconciliation with purchase data. At the same time, expanded digital payment capabilities are intended to bring more transactions into a single, managed system.
“Overall, one place to buy and pay is a game-changer for hotel owners,” she said, noting that the platform is designed to function like “a buying and accounting assistant in their pocket.”
The updated marketplace also reflects an effort to make enterprise-level tools more accessible to smaller and independent owners within AAHOA’s membership base. While Folio’s broader platform supports complex, highly configurable environments, the marketplace version is being tailored for ease of use and faster onboarding.
“What we can share now is that the new AAHOA Marketplace will be more ‘off the shelf’ than the full range of complexity, controls, and configurability that Folio delivers to our enterprise partners,” Adamson said. “There can often be greater utility in simplicity.”
The streamlined setup will include preconfigured spend categories and default settings, allowing owners to begin using the platform quickly. At the same time, those who require more advanced capabilities will have the option to transition into a more fully featured enterprise version of Folio while maintaining access to Marketplace pricing and supplier agreements.
AAHOA leadership emphasized that the partnership builds on the organization’s focus on delivering value to its members through both procurement and technology. Avendra’s network of more than 5,000 contracted suppliers will continue to underpin the Marketplace, with Folio providing the technology layer to enhance usability and efficiency.
“The AAHOA Marketplace demonstrates our mission to help hoteliers manage and grow their businesses,” said Jesse Messitte, VP, strategy and business operations, Avendra International. “We are proud to bring together our extensive network of 5,000+ contracted suppliers and competitive pricing with Folio’s technology solutions to enhance AAHOA members’ procurement experience.”
AAHOA leadership stressed the value of combining procurement and technology for its members. “AAHOA members deserve the best technology, as well as the best procurement; Folio gets us closer to achieving that,” said Kamalesh (KP) Patel, chairman, AAHOA. “With their powers combined, Folio and Avendra will make it even easier for our members to save both time and money.”
Rahul Patel, AAHOA vice chairman, added, “This is a huge win for our members. The technology and procurement solutions offered by Folio and Avendra have typically been reserved for the largest hotel groups. Together, we are all building something custom for AAHOA members.”
“AAHOA has been laser-focused on finding great collaborators to co-create programs that support our members,” said Laura Lee Blake, president/CEO, AAHOA. “It is clear how Avendra and Folio, together, will be able to deliver an easier and more efficient procurement experience. The planned updates to the platform will help members easily find more supplier deals and more member savings.”
