U.S. Hotel Trade Group Warns D.C. of Further Industry Calamity After Dismal Summer
Photo Credit: Limited profits made from summer leisure travel aren't enough to sustain the U.S. hotel industry through the winter, the American Hotel & Lodging Association warned Monday. Wikimedia / יום-טוב
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The American Hotel & Lodging Association continues to outline why it needs Washington to help the struggling hotel sector. The next four weeks are a make-or-break moment for dealmaking on Capitol Hill until after the U.S. presidential election.
The U.S. hotel industry is still in a state of catastrophe six months into a global pandemic and at the end of what would normally be the busiest months of travel.
Hotel reservations heading into the upcoming Labor Day U.S. holiday weekend are down 65 percent compared to last year, reports travel technology company Amadeus. Roughly 40 percent of U.S. hotel employees are still without a job.
The industry needs federal assistance to survive the crisis and get through years of uncertain travel demand, according to a report released Monday by the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
“If we don’t see help soon, all our worst fears are going to be realized,” American Hotel & Lodging Association CEO Chip Rogers said. “It’s more critical than ever. We see summer winding down and a number of places where leisure activity is beginning to wane.”
While the AHLA report notes the hotel industry has
