Hospitality technology solutions association Hospitality Technology Next Generation will become part of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the two organizations announced Thursday. The move has been approved by the boards of both AHLA and HTNG. 

The closing of the integration agreement, which both associations have signed, is expected to be complete before the end of April. At that time, AHLA will retain the HTNG brand with current staff transitioning to AHLA, according to AHLA. HTNG also will have representation on the AHLA board of directors and executive team.

HTNG currently has more than 400 corporate and individual members from hospitality companies, hospitality technology vendors, consultants, media and academic experts, according to the organization. It “fosters the selection and adoption of existing open standards and also develops new open standards to meet the needs of the global hospitality industry, ” according to the group.

“AHLA and HTNG have developed a close partnership and have collaborated to champion evolving technologies that provide guests and operators with the best solutions and experience,” said AHLA president and CEO Chip Rogers in a statement. “This focus is more important than ever with the rapid transformation of technology and the rise in technology-related public policies we’ve seen in the last year alone. By aligning ourselves with the HTNG community and their invaluable knowledge, we deepen our technology expertise and advance our strategic direction.”

Combining forces with AHLA “will truly serve as a positive stride in the natural evolution of our organization,” said HTNG CEO Michael Blake in a statement. “This shift will allow us to leverage AHLA’s membership and advocacy platforms, and I couldn’t think of better individuals to advance our mission with.”