WASHINGTON—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) hosted a two-day joint Legislative Action Summit (LAS) on May 17-18 that brought nearly 500 hoteliers from across the country to the nation’s capital to raise awareness to congressional leaders about the issues and concerns of the hotel and lodging industry. According to event organizers, this is the second year AH&LA and AAHOA joined forces in a move to showcase the industry’s unity and strength.
“The power of our industry lies in the opportunities hotels create for men and women seeking jobs that pay competitive wages, offer good benefits and provide a path toward upward mobility to long-term, successful careers,” said Katherine Lugar, AH&LA president and CEO.
Members were taught how to effectively lobby on behalf of the industry. Participants took a “Lobbying 101” course to learn the nuances of lobbying and reinforce key issues. “Together we will be stronger,” said Lugar of joining with AAHOA to tackle industry concerns. The following day, participants descended upon Capitol Hill and advocated for small business growth and entrepreneurialism. The sector employs nearly two million Americans and contributes nearly $1.4 trillion in travel and tourism revenue. “Small business is great for the country. We are helping people realize the American dream, if done right, can be achieved,” said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AAHOA.
Part of the American dream is having a business climate that promotes free enterprise, which is why hoteliers advocated for policies that encourage business growth and entrepreneurial opportunities, according to Rogers. They also urged lawmakers for more transparency on short-term rental platforms, such as Airbnb. According to the organizations, the event’s key topics included protecting consumers from the rise of online hotel booking scams; supporting the hotel workforce by knocking down the Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed change to overtime and restoring the former joint-employer standard; and stopping drive-by lawsuits, where some attorneys are suing hotel owners based on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
AH&LA and AAHOA representatives were encouraged to “be themselves” and share their stories and hotel experiences with members of Congress and their staff.
“Hotels are interwoven into the fabric of each community across the country, and telling those stories of promoting our employees, creating jobs, building partnerships with local leaders, and answering our guests’ needs to members of Congress define who we are as an industry. As a guest-centric industry that focuses on opportunities and experiences, we are proudly an industry of people, from our guests to our workers,” said Lugar.
LAS participants heard speeches from Washington insiders and hoteliers alike, including Jim Abramson, chair AH&LA; Bruce Patel, chair of AAHOA; Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Report, a political news report; Steny Hoyer, the House Democratic Minority Whip; Ed Walter, president and CEO of Host Hotels & Resorts, who spoke about fundraising in the hotel and lodging industry; and Cory Gardner, Colorado’s freshman senator who sits on the Senate Commerce Committee.
Hoyer, during his speech, called hoteliers “an important group of people” and said the lodging industry continues to be an economic engine for U.S. commerce. Each day, nearly five million people check into a hotel, raising $141.5 billion in business travel tax revenue annually. As an employer, the sector is one of the largest in the U.S. Nine out of 10 frontline jobs in the industry pay above minimum wage and more than 99% of employers provide medical insurance for non-exempt workers. According to the event’s planners, hotels and lodging have made more than six years of consecutive job creation and expect the same for the next years.
Extensive coverage of the Legislative Action Summit will be featured in the June 7th issue of Hotel Business.
—Katherine Klahn