WASHINGTON—U.S. hotels support 8.3 million jobs, which is equivalent to nearly one in 25 U.S. jobs, according to an economic analysis released by the American Hotel & Lodging Association and Oxford Economics.
The study, which includes a breakdown of the hotel industry’s economic impact in every state and congressional district, provides a look at how hotels are contributing to communities across the nation. It found that in 2022:
- Hotel guests spent a total of more than $691 billion on lodging, transportation, food and beverage, retail, and other expenses.
- For each $100 of spending on lodging, hotel guests spent another $220 during their trip.
- Hotels paid employees more than $104 billion in wages, salaries, and other compensation, and supported $463 billion in total wages, salaries, and other compensation.
- Hotels directly generated $72.4 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue and supported nearly $211.2 billion in total federal, state, and local tax revenue.
This hotel-related economic activity is resulting in career opportunities for current and prospective hotel employees. As of March, national average hotel wages were among the highest ever at more than $23 per hour. Since the pandemic, average hotel wages have increased faster than average wages throughout the general economy. And hotel benefits and flexibility are better than ever.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of April, hotel employment is down by more than 250,000 jobs compared to February 2020. Hotels are looking to fill many of the jobs lost during the pandemic, including more than 100,000 hotel jobs currently open across the nation.
To help hotels fill open jobs and raise awareness of the hotel industry’s 200+ career pathways, the AHLA Foundation’s “A Place to Stay” advertising campaign is now active in 20 cities, including Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, San Diego, Tampa, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit, Washington, Seattle, and Boston.
“Hotels are investing in our workforce to create good jobs that power local economies, and this analysis is proof of that,” said AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers. “To continue supporting millions of good-paying jobs and generating billions in tax revenue in communities across the nation, hotels need to hire more people. The good news is that there’s never been a better time to build a lifelong hotel career, with average hotel wages at near-record levels, better benefits than ever before, and unprecedented opportunity to move up the ranks.”
