Introduction of the Association

The Association was established through a fusion of two entities: HO.RE.KA CR - Association of entrepreneurs in hospitality and tourism and the National federation hotels and restaurants of the Czech republic, two dominant players in the hotel and gastronomy field, after the decisions were adopted by their respective General Assemblies which met at the hotel Pyramida Praha OREA Hotels on 25th October 2006.

The creation of a joint, consolidated organization is an important milestone for the further development and representation of the industry, both within the Czech Republic and internationally, and at the same time a clear declaration of the ability of the entrepreneurs in the area of hotel and gastronomy businesses to agree and to jointly promote their interests.

At present, the Association represents accommodation and gastronomic establishments which generate a total turnover of approximately 20 billion CzK, with 39 thousand rooms and over 50 thousand table seats. 

Strategic goals of the AHR CR:

• Optimization of the entrepreneurial environment in the hotel and gastronomic fields
• Restoring the good name of the industry, especially in the area of gastronomy, and strengthening its social prestige
  
• Corresponding position of the Association on the national and international levels – with the Association being the main partner in dealings with state administration and other organizations, both locally and abroad
  
• Establishing authority for the regional sections to assert the interests of the gastronomy and hotel spheres in the specific conditions of travel industry, relative to the government administration
• Development of activities in the Czech regions and in professional sections
  
• Remedying the conditions for business competition  compared to other industries, combating unfair competition
• Synergic marketing activities, media cooperation and public presentation of the activities pursued by the Association and its members
• High quality service  for members (information, protection, counseling, monitoring)
  
• Development of permanent educational activities for members and non-members
  Support to quality of services and products by their presentation at events and in printed materials
  

AHR CR membership:

The participation at dealings of international organizations, committees and councils obliges the Association to communicate the ideas, suggestions and findings of the hotel and gastronomy industries into the Czech Republic to inform about the development trends, to implement them and to influence the developments in order to better protect the needs of local entrepreneurs active in this line of business.

The members advocate application of the Ethics Code  of the AHR CR, through which they identify themselves with supporting sound and voluntary competition and with the observance of ethical norms concerning the consumers and partners they deal with on a professional basis, in compliance with the Global Ethics Code adopted by the World Tourism Organization.

• member with an observer status of HOTREC – Confederation of national hotel associations of the European Union countries
• member of the Confederation of trade and tourism of the CR

Objectives of the Association:

• to represent, promote, advocate and protect, on both the national and international levels, the interests of AHR CR members, while maintaining relationships with, and dealing with, governmental, non-governmental and other organizations, as well as to respond to the creation of new legal norms and standards;
• to steer its members towards the escalation of the standard of quality of services rendered in the area of hospitality and tourism on the national and international levels. By doing this to preserve and further shape the positive image of this industry in the eye of the general public and of the representatives of economic and political life of the state;
• to endeavor to create suitable outer economic conditions facilitating the entrepreneurial activities of its members  and the competitiveness of the industry;
• to collect, analyze, process and make accessible for its members any information, recommendations, important findings and experience from within the hospitality and local and international tourism sectors, and to popularize and communicate these in such a manner that they can be exploited serviceably in the day-to-day operations;
• to inquire into law interrelations between accommodation and gastronomic facilities, their clients, travel agencies and additional mediators, and to take such steps that will ascertain their transparence and correctness;
  to offer counseling to the members of the AHR CR, to publish useful professional and trade information;
to buy, obtain, hire, sell or administrate such items as they may be regarded necessary or useful for the achievement of aims of the AHR CR, inclusive of real estate property; to help create conditions for the improvement of qualifications and for the re-skilling of workers in the industry, to organize or co-organize training sessions, courses and vocational seminars introducing topical and substantial information from within the industry;
• to administer a databank of members conformable with the legal regulations dealing with the area of personal data protection;
• according to actual and future needs, to negotiate with the organizations active in the areas related with gastronomic and accommodation services and the services in tourism area, e.g. with copyright organizations, and to enter into agreements with them;
• to offer informative, analytical, consultancy, legal, advisory and additional services in terms of the authority of AHR CR and of the prescribed scope;
  to coordinate with additional subjects from within the pool of suppliers and subcontractors in order to create mutually beneficial conditions facilitating the running of entrepreneurial activities;
• to organize events of a professional and social nature, Internet discussion forums, to present the activities of its members, etc.;
  to support activity, initiative and social prestige of the members;
  by its activity to stimulate  interest in membership within the AHR CR among entrepreneurial subjects and so to achieve a growth of the number of members and their activation;
• to establish collegiate relations with professional organizations, institutions and trade associations locally and abroad in order to co-operate and exchange experience.