Established in its initial form in 1839, the AHA is an organisation of employers registered under the Workplace Relations Act 1996.

The National Office is located at 24 Brisbane Avenue, Barton, Canberra, ACT. The National Board of the AHA, the governing council, is formed by delegates from each of the Branches, the number of delegates being determined by the number of hotels in each state and territory. The Board meets once a year.

The President of each Branch together with the President of the Accommodation Hotels Division constitute the National Executive, which meets regularly to formulate strategies and determine action between the Annual Meetings of the National Board