WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) relaunched its Hospitality is Working campaign, seeking to reignite travel nationwide and showcase the economic and community benefits hotels provide in neighborhoods across the country.
Hospitality is Working showcases the broad range of benefits hotels provide the communities they serve while highlighting the industry’s strong commitment to investing in its workforce, providing quality career opportunities, and protecting employees and guests as more and more Americans begin to travel.
The campaign will include television and digital advertising as well as AHLA events around the country alongside local hoteliers, economic development organizations, and community groups.
Prior to the pandemic, hotels generated $186 billion in federal, state, and local taxes annually, and guests spent $278 billion per year on transportation, dining, shopping, and other activities at local businesses during their stays, according to a 2019 analysis by Oxford Economics. The analysis found that a representative hotel with 100 occupied rooms supported nearly 250 local jobs and generated $18.4 million in guest spending.
With travel ramping back up, hotels have embarked on an unprecedented hiring spree to recruit more than 100,000 workers for more than 200 hotel career pathways.
“In every American city, hotels support employees and their families and serve our communities,” said AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers. “Hotels are investing in our workforce to create good jobs that power local economies. We’re keeping guests and employees safe. Six in ten hotels are small businesses, and they’re creating opportunities for other small companies to grow and thrive. Hotels also help fund vital government services through local, state, and federal taxes. Hotels are a net benefit to the communities we serve, and as we seek to reignite travel, we look forward to growing together.”
