Skift Take
The hotel industry needs to up the ante on lobbying and centralized messaging if it ever wants a bigger piece of the pie. It's that simple.
Flickering hopes of a comprehensive coronavirus economic relief measure ahead of the election next month were snuffed out Tuesday after President Donald Trump told Republican leaders to prioritize confirming his nominee to the Supreme Court.
Travel industry leaders quickly issued various statements of disappointment over the decision and its catastrophic impact on employment and the struggling economy.
But Trump later called on Congress via Twitter to pass a $25 billion industry-specific measure for airlines — a fresh reminder not all travel sectors are created equal in the eyes of the federal government. The airlines package going through is not a given, particularly since House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said Thursday she would not support that deal as a standalone.
But the fact that airlines could get even that far with this kind of special consideration raises the question: What happened to hotels along the way?
Congressional reticence on providing the hotel industry, which has significantly higher unemployment than the national average, with direct economic relief may come down to political theater and poor marketing.
The hotel industry largely qualified for Paycheck Protection Program small business loans under the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package passed in March. But hotel owners like Ashford Hospitality Trust quickly came under fire for tapping into those loans.
The industry chalked up some of the bad press to the general public not recognizing hotels are generally small businesses that pay to affiliate with a major brand
