AHLA Focuses on Reigniting Travel Through New Campaign

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) announced the relaunch of its Hospitality is Working campaign.

Hospitality is Working was designed to reignite travel nationwide and showcase the economic and community benefits hotels provide in neighborhoods across the United States.

The AHLA’s campaign will include television and digital advertising, as well as events around the country alongside local hoteliers, economic development organizations and community groups.

As travel continues to rebound from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, hotels have embarked on an unprecedented hiring spree to recruit more than 100,000 workers for more than 200 career pathways.

“In every American city, hotels support employees and their families and serve our communities,” AHLA President Chip Rogers said. “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,” Rogers continued. “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.”

Before 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.

Data from a 2019 Oxford Economics report found that a representative hotel with 100 occupied rooms supported nearly 250 local jobs and generated $18.4 million in guest spending.