INDUSTRY NEWS

Chicago Business Journal

By:  Ashley Fahey

Nearly two full years after the Covid-19 pandemic began to impact the U.S. economy, some aspects of the hotel market have yet to come back.

Lodging Magazine

By: Lodging Staff

HotStats reports that as the world was slowly emerging from the COVID-19 Delta variant, along came Omicron. HotStats notes that there is an assumption that COVID-19 will become an endemic disease, meaning it will exist in perpetuity, like the flu, which means that variants will continue to arise.

Chicago Business Journal

By: Wendell Hutson

The Chicago Restaurants Coalition is seeking $60 billion in grants from the U.S. Restaurant Revitalization Fund to ensure local restaurants are ready on Monday to implement Chicago’s new proof-of-vaccination mandate.

Hotel News Now

By: Dan Kubacki

The day-to-day operations of a hotel are quite different today than before the pandemic.

Lodging Magazine

By: Lodging Staff

WASHINGTON—The AHLA Foundation announced it is awarding $175,000 in total to community-based organizations that help change the lives of opportunity youth by preparing them for future careers in hospitality. Through a combination of continued and newly started partnerships, the AHLA Foundation will join forces with organizations in Los Angeles, New Orleans, Orlando, and Washington D.C. to help train an estimated 370 youth for hotel jobs.

Lodging Magazine

By: Lodging Staff

WASHINGTON—The U.S. Travel Association and Tourism Diversity Matters announce a new strategic partnership that will strengthen the association’s focus and support of the industry on issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and provide greater access to Tourism Diversity Matters’ subject matter expertise, research, and resources.

Chicago Business Journal

By: Ty West

A federal appeals court has lifted the temporary stay that blocked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Covid-19 vaccine rule that will require large employers to mandate the vaccine or require weekly testing of unvaccinated workers. Shortly afterward, OSHA shed new light on its enforcement plans.

Lodging Magazine

By: Robin McLaughlin

As positive COVID case numbers wax and wane, variants evolve and change, and health-conscious fears subside and rise, traveler behaviors are constantly shifting, and hoteliers might find it difficult to keep up. In response, Hilton released a consumer trends report called “The 2022 Traveler: Emerging Trends and the Redefined Traveler, a report from Hilton” that focuses on what the company expects from travelers next year and following the pandemic. Across its findings, Hilton noticed four themes that the report forecasts for the future of travel, which the company shared during a virtual meeting event hosted in November 2021.

Lodging Magazine

By: Lodging Staff

WASHINGTON—The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) announced a new strategic relationship, effective January 1, 2022, with the shared goal of further elevating the voice and visibility of asset owners in the advocacy efforts of the U.S. hotel industry.

Hotelmags.com

By: Jeff Weinstein

Third-party management giant Aimbridge Hospitality is adding some 48 more properties (9,021 rooms) to its portfolio with Tuesday’s announced acquisition of Dallas-based Prism Hotels & Resorts, which is well known for its receivership and turnaround services. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.