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DAVID KONG, THE recently retired president and CEO of Best Western Hotel Group, is the inaugural recipient of the Arne Sorenson Social Impact Leadership Award. The award, sponsored by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the American Hotel & Lodging Foundation and The BHN Group, is named after the late Arne Sorenson, the former president and CEO of Marriott International who passed away in February. Kong will be recognized during the AHLA Foundation's fundraising gala, the Night of a Thousand Stars on Jan. 23, as well as during the 21st Annual Americas Lodging Investment Summit in Los Angeles on Jan. 25, according to a press release from AHLA. The award will be presented annually to a senior-level executive in the lodging industry to recognize their leadership and community engagement. Nominations are reviewed by AHLA's executive committee and representatives from ALIS.

U.S. HOTELS WILL generate $46.71 billion in state and local tax revenue, more than ever before, according to a survey from the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Oxford Economics. Occupancy is expected to continue its recovery, the report said, but challenges remain. Average U.S. hotel occupancy is projected to reach 63.8 percent in 2023, just under 2019's level of 65.9 percent, according to AHLA. However, the labor shortage is expected to continue this year as hotels seek to fill jobs lost in the pandemic. As of December, national average hotel wages were at historic highs of more than $23 an hour and hotel benefits and flexibility are better than ever. Nearly 100,000 hotel jobs are currently open across the nation, according to job search site Indeed. "Hotels are making significant strides toward recovery, supporting millions of good-paying jobs and generating billions in state and local tax revenue in communities across the nation," said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO. "To continue growing, we need to hire more people. Fortunately, there's never been a better time to be a hotel employee, with wages, benefits, flexibility and upward mobility better than ever before."

THE AMERICAN HOTEL & Lodging Association recently renamed its On the Road series of regional events to The Hospitality Show, providing networking opportunities and industry updates to hospitality professionals nationwide. The events enable hoteliers, suppliers, and service providers to connect and stay informed on market data and policies at federal, state, and local levels, AHLA said in a statement. The events, accessible to all individuals in the hospitality industry, will expand The Hospitality Show brand, the primary industry event launched last year, slated for Oct. 28 to 30 in San Antonio, the statement said. "After the phenomenal success of The Hospitality Show last year, we're bringing the best-in-class networking and learning opportunities from this industry-leading event to hospitality professionals in cities all across the country," said Kevin Carey, AHLA's interim president and CEO. "We can't wait to connect with stakeholders from Boston to California."

AS THE LABOR shortage continues, hotels are offering more incentives to attract new employees, according to a survey by the American Hotel & Lodging Association. They include higher wages, more benefits and greater scheduling flexibility. AHLA's Front Desk Feedback survey of more than 500 hoteliers, conducted Jan. 10 to 17, found that 79 percent of responding hotels were experiencing staffing shortages. Also, 71 percent of respondents are increasing wages, 64 percent are offering greater flexibility with hours and 33 percent are expanding benefits. Despite that, 81 percent said they are still unable to fill open positions. Also, 79 percent of respondents are experiencing a staffing shortage, severely so for 22 percent. The most critical staffing need is housekeeping, with 43 percent ranking it as their top hiring need. At the same time, in September, 87 percent of respondents said they were short staffed, 36 percent severely, with 43 percent ranking housekeeping as their top hiring need at the time. Respondents are attempting to fill an average of seven positions per property, down from 10 vacancies per property in September. "Recruiting enough workers continues to be the top challenge for many hoteliers, and this is leading to historic career opportunities for hotel employees," said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO.

U.S. HOTELS ADDED 1,200 jobs in April, recent government statistics showed, yet employment levels in the industry still lag significantly behind pre-pandemic levels, according to American Hotel & Lodging Association. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also noted that there are currently about 1.92 million people employed in hotels, representing a decrease of 193,600 compared to February 2020. The association is advocating for policy changes to address hospitality industry's labor shortages. AHLA urged the Department of Homeland Security to issue around 65,000 additional H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visas, as authorized by Congress in the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act. "Hotels are doing all they can to attract and retain workers, but the nationwide workforce shortage is preventing our industry from reaching its full potential," said Kevin Carey, AHLA's Interim president and CEO. "AHLA members need help filling open jobs so they can maintain and expand operations. The DHS can provide vital assistance by making available nearly 65,000 additional H-2B visas. Meanwhile, we are urging Congress to pass three important bills to help grow our nation's workforce: the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act, the H-2 Improvements to Relieve Employers Act and the Closing the Workforce Gap Act."

THE U.S. SENATE voted to block the National Labor Relations Board's final definition of joint-employer status, following up on a similar bill passed by the House. President Biden is expected to veto the bill, but opponents of the NLRB joint employer rule, such as the American Hotel & Lodging Association, claim the Senate's resolution was a "win for hoteliers." After the House passed its Congressional Review Act against the NLRB rule in January, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas also issued an order blocking the NLRB rule. AHLA supported both efforts to block the NLRB rule, calling the current joint employer definition a threat to the hotel franchise model. "Today's bipartisan Senate vote is a win for hoteliers and small business owners everywhere, and shows the rule is out of step with Congress, the courts, and America's job creators. Lawmakers from both parties in the House and Senate realize the administration's joint-employer rule would acutely suppress job creation for hoteliers and other businesses, and therefore it needs to be abandoned," said Kevin Carey, AHLA Interim president and CEO.

THE LEADERS OF national hotel organizations, including the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers, and the Latino Hotel Association, came together to commemorate the second annual National Hotel Employee Day on Sept. 1. AHLA and the National Day Calendar established National Hotel Employee Day in 2022 to honor the nearly two million employees in the hotel industry, celebrated each year on Sept. 1. AHLA president and CEO Chip Rogers highlighted the essential role of employees in hotels and emphasized the establishment of NHE Day as a way to express gratitude to America's nearly two million hotel professionals, recognizing their dedication and service.

THE U.S. SENATE and House passed a $1.5 trillion government-funding package last week that includes some much-needed relief for the hospitality industry, two associations said. However, the spending bill also missing some elements industry advocates have pressed Congress and the administration to pass. The omnibus spending bill passed on a 68-31 vote in the Senate and is now awaiting President Biden's signature, according to government focused news agency RollCall. com. At 2,700-pages, the omnibus contains all 12 fiscal 2022 spending bills and has been in negotiations for five months. The bill includes the Restoring Brand USA Act that will provide $250 million in relief funding to the destination marketing organization that promotes travel to the U.S. The U.S. Travel Association welcomed that fact in a statement from Roger Dow, USTA president and CEO.

THE HOTEL INDUSTRY is poised for a fairly strong year in 2023 despite remaining concerns about a downturn, according to a pair of reports. Continuing demand is expected to overcome extra labor costs and economic vagaries to propel performance above pre-pandemic levels, according to the reports from the American Hotel & Lodging Association and STR. The state of the industry AHLA's 2023 State of the Hotel Industry Report projects that demand, nominal room revenue and state and local tax revenue all are well on the way to recovery. Operational challenges, such as staffing shortages and economic factors will replace COVID as hoteliers' top concerns, the report predicts. "Three years after the unprecedented hardships our industry faced due to the pandemic, hotels continue to make significant strides toward recovery," said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO. "2022 saw one of the strongest summer travel seasons ever, and this year we expect hotels to reach new heights in terms of room revenue, room-night demand and state and local tax revenue. But when inflation is taken into account, our industry likely won't see full recovery for several more years. Nevertheless, hotel performance is trending in the right direction - great news for our industry and our employees, who are enjoying better pay, more career opportunities, upward mobility and flexibility than ever before."

PRESIDENT BIDEN'S STATE of the Union address before Congress on March 7 touched on several issues hotel industry associations have been advocating for a while. AAHOA and the American Lodging and Hotel Association both issued responses to the speech and AAHOA held its 2024 Spring National Advocacy Conference during the week of March 14. The issues at hand include the extension of tax credits, handling of junk fees for greater disclosure and transparency and raising the federal minimum wage. During SNAC, more than 200 AAHOA leaders and members spent two days in Washington, D.C. The conference opened with a legislative learning session at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, followed by an evening Congressional Reception at the Cannon House Office Building and then a full day of Congressional meetings. "Each year we continue to see the relationships grow between our AAHOA Members and their elected officials," said Laura Lee Blake, AAHOA president and CEO. "Our twice-yearly advocacy conferences are quickly becoming the foundation for shaping and driving national policy, and our members are making it happen."

THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC may be waning, but other factors are leading many people to stay home this holiday season, according to a survey commissioned by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and conducted by Morning Consult. High gas prices are a major reason given for opting out of Thanksgiving and Christmas journeys. AHLA's survey found that only 29 percent of Americans are likely to travel for Thanksgiving and 33 percent are likely to travel for Christmas. That is still a 21 percent and 24 percent increase respectively from 2020. The survey questioned 2,200 adults between Oct. 30 to Nov. 1. "While vaccines have helped travelers feel more comfortable, rising gas prices and continued concerns about the pandemic are making many Americans hesitant to travel during the holidays," said Chip Rogers, AHLA's president and CEO. "Despite a slight expected uptick in holiday travel this year, hotels will continue to face economic fallout from the pandemic, underscoring the need for targeted federal relief, such as the Save Hotel Jobs Act, to support the industry and its workforce until travel fully returns." Most of those who do plan to travel, 68 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and 64 percent of Christmas travelers, will be driving, the survey found. For Thanksgiving,11 percent plan to fly while 14 percent will take to the skyways for Christmas.

AS 2022 BEGINS, many of the issues U.S. hoteliers faced in 2021, primarily related to the COVID-19 pandemic, are likely to continue. The year past also saw other changes, such as new leadership at AAHOA and a new administration in Washington, D.C. Below are the top stories covered by Asian Hospitality during 2021. They also include ongoing economic relief as the hospitality industry continued its struggle to recover from the pandemic; the return to in-person conventions; and powerful natural disasters. The year began with some optimism that the end of the pandemic was near. Several kinds of vaccines were announced in December 2020, and the rollout continued into 2021. Hoteliers did what they could to promote vaccination, including AAHOA's "Pledge to Protect Our Guests, Employees, and Businesses" initiative. Hoteliers who sign the pledge will provide time, reduce barriers and consider incentives to encourage their employees to get vaccinated when they are available. They also will encourage COVID-19 safety precautions, including wearing masks and social distancing. "Thanks to AHLA's ongoing efforts, the CDC has updated its guidelines prioritizing hotel workers under Phase 1c of the COVID-19 vaccines distribution. This is a significant achievement that directly impacts the health and safety of hotel workers across the country. It also recognizes that hotel employees continue to be on the front lines of the pandemic," Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO said at the time.

THE BUSINESS TRAVEL revenue of U.S. hotels is expected to drop $20 billion this year, down 23 percent when compared to 2019, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Kalibri Labs. It is already reported that hotels lost an estimated $108 billion in business travel revenue during 2020 and 2021 combined. The report said that business travel revenue, the largest source of revenue in hotel industry, will take significantly longer to recover. However, leisure travel is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year, the report added. "While dwindling COVID-19 case counts and relaxed CDC guidelines are providing a sense of optimism for reigniting travel, this report underscores how tough it will be for many hotels and hotel employees to recover from years of lost revenue," said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. "The good news is that after two years of virtual work arrangements, Americans recognize the unmatched value of face-to-face meetings and say they are ready to start getting back on the road for business travel."