INDUSTRY NEWS

Lodgingmagazine.com

By:  Steve Kirby, Managing Principal, Mumford Company

In 2019, the United States enjoyed the unprecedented 11th year of economic growth since the “Great Recession.” Economists predicted an economic downturn; the only question was what would be the cause?

Lodgingmagazine.com

By: Lodging Staff

WASHINGTON—Hotels are projected to pay a record amount of wages and generate a record level of tax revenue in 2024, according to the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s 2024 State of the Hotel Industry report.

Costar.com

By: Rachel Abbey McCafferty

Heading into a new year, hoteliers say the labor environment remains challenging, albeit not to the levels seen in recent years.

Costar.com

Hotel News Now

By: Trevor Simpson

Employment in the leisure and hospitality industry reached its highest monthly level since February 2020 last month, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Lodgingmagazine.com

By: Dennis Nessler

The keynote panel at ALIS brought together executives from a variety of different segments of the travel industry to address some of the current trends and potential challenges to further growth and a key focus of the discussion was leisure and international travel.

Costar.com

Hotel News Now

Sean McCracken

Many historically have viewed the hotel industry as lacking in tech innovation, but 2024 is likely to be a year of significant change.

Costar.com

Hotel New Now

By: Bryan Wroten

A new law in Los Angeles could have a dramatic effect on hotel development in the city — that is, if hotel developers didn’t already feel constrained by the overall environment there.

Lodgingmagazine.com

By: 

George Seli

On Jan. 1, 2024, Kevin Jacobs, chief financial officer and president, global development for Hilton, began his tenure as 2024 AHLA board chair, succeeding Leslie Hale in the position. Jacobs has been involved with AHLA since 2019, when he helped restructure the organization’s revenue model, and he became a member of AHLA’s Executive Committee in 2020. His participation in the association has also included service as secretary/treasurer in 2022 and vice chair in 2023. Jacobs recently spoke with LODGING on his goal of helping AHLA build on last year’s successes while continuing to bring its Strategic Plan to fruition, particularly in regard to protecting the franchise model, improving the availability of labor, and enhancing diversity within the U.S. hotel industry. Jacobs also offered his outlook on 2024 travel trends and insights on the current hotel financing and development environment, drawing on expertise from a nearly 16-year career with Hilton.

Costar.com

Hotel News Now

By: Laura Koss-Feder

Hotel revenue managers are going to have more tools at their disposal this year, as they navigate the changes in the hotel industry and prepare for an influx of business and group guests.

Hotelsmag.com

By: Kathakali Nandi

The U.S. House of Representatives voted to repeal the federal labor board’s joint employer legislation on Friday, which would treat companies as employers of contract and franchise workers and make it mandatory for them to bargain with workers’ unions. The rule was supposed to take effect in February.

The House voted 206-177 to overturn the National Labor Relations Board’s rule, according to a Reuters report. In the next step, this Congressional Review Act resolution will go to the Senate floor for a vote.

Earlier this week, the White House said President Biden would veto the resolution if it passed both houses of Congress. A two-thirds majority will be needed to overcome a White House veto.

The regulation, which revives a President Obama-era rule, has been severely criticized by business groups. Welcoming this move, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) said the House vote was a “victory for common sense.”

Claiming that the regulation will destroy the franchise model, which supports millions of small-business jobs, AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers said neither companies nor their employees wanted the “job-killing” regulation.