Latest news with #RosannaMaietta
Hospitality Net
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
AHLA Statement on the U.S. House-Passed Reconciliation Package
WASHINGTON - The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), the leading voice representing all segments of the hotel industry, today issued the following statement from AHLA President & CEO Rosanna Maietta following the inclusion of key tax provisions critical to the hospitality industry in the U.S. House-passed Budget Reconciliation package: This is a win for Main Street businesses. We commend lawmakers for including critical tax provisions in the budget reconciliation bill that will prevent a tax increase on American workers and the small businesses that are the backbone of America's hotel and lodging industry. This is a critical step to stave off the expiration of important tax provisions that will provide our members, the majority of whom are small business owners, the level of certainty they need to effectively operate their businesses. We urge the U.S. Senate to swiftly pass this legislation and send it to President Trump's desk. Additional Background AHLA supports the House's inclusion of permanency for Small Business Deduction (Section 199A) and applauds the increase of the Qualified Business Income deduction. The majority of hotel owners are bona fide small business owners who license the name and standards from nationally recognized hotel brand companies. These are the entrepreneurs who own real estate, acquire capital, employ workers and undertake financial risk. The expiration of the small business deduction would significantly increase their taxes – inhibiting their ability to reinvest back in their employees and businesses. The majority of hotel owners are bona fide small business owners who license the name and standards from nationally recognized hotel brand companies. These are the entrepreneurs who own real estate, acquire capital, employ workers and undertake financial risk. The expiration of the small business deduction would significantly increase their taxes – inhibiting their ability to reinvest back in their employees and businesses. AHLA supports the House's preservation of the Like-Kind Exchange (Section 1031). Maintaining Internal Revenue Code Section 1031, allowing for like-kind exchanges, as it currently exists, is critical. Any limits, caps or efforts to repeal the current law would significantly reduce new investments and inhibit job creation. This provision allows real estate owners to defer capital gains taxes if the proceeds are employed to purchase another property and, in the process, create new jobs, improve their community and promote economic activity. Maintaining Internal Revenue Code Section 1031, allowing for like-kind exchanges, as it currently exists, is critical. Any limits, caps or efforts to repeal the current law would significantly reduce new investments and inhibit job creation. This provision allows real estate owners to defer capital gains taxes if the proceeds are employed to purchase another property and, in the process, create new jobs, improve their community and promote economic activity. AHLA welcomes the House's extension of bonus depreciation at 100% for almost 5 years. Bonus depreciation incentivizes hotel industry members to make capital improvements that support jobs across a myriad of sectors, enhance existing properties and draw in new guests with modern updates. About the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the largest hotel association in America, representing more than 30,000 members from all segments of the industry nationwide – including iconic global brands, 80% of all franchised hotels, and the 16 largest hotel companies in the U.S. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support, and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. Learn more at Rosanna Maietta AH&LA View source
Hospitality Net
19-05-2025
- Business
- Hospitality Net
Hoteliers Descend on Capitol Hill for Critical Industry Discussions
This week, members of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) – the leading voice of the U.S. hotel industry – traveled from across the country to meet with congressional leaders and discuss pressing legislative priorities vital for the hospitality sector. During the ongoing Budget Reconciliation and tax negotiations, more than 250 AHLA members held meetings with lawmakers across the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. AHLA members flooded Congressional offices this week to share their on-the-ground insights and advocate for legislation to bolster the hotel industry. Over the course of our meetings across the House and Senate, we successfully conveyed the implications of tax, trade, and labor policies lawmakers are considering. It's clear that a strong tourism sector is on the radar of both Congress and the Administration. Rosanna Maietta, AHLA President & CEO AHLA members shared key concerns and significant challenges facing the U.S. hospitality industry, including the implications of tax and trade policies on hotel operating costs and travel demand. Legislative priorities critical to alleviating these pressures and protecting America's small business hoteliers, jobs, and economic growth include several tax provisions in the House Ways & Means Committee's tax portion of the Budget Reconciliation bill. These include making the Small Business Tax Deduction permanent, extending Bonus Depreciation, preserving the Like-Kind Exchange, reinstating Expanded Business Interest Deductibility, launching a second round of Opportunity Zones, and 'No Tax on Tips' to help thousands of hotel employees keep more of their hard-earned income. AHLA members also discussed measures to expand and upskill the hospitality workforce, such as adjusting the H-2B visa program cap and protecting the franchise model, which supports over half of all U.S. hotels and 2.8 million jobs. During the 'fly-in,' several policymakers received AHLA's 'Spirit of Hospitality Award' for their efforts to advance the travel and tourism industry: Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI-05), and National Labor Relations Board Chair Marvin Kaplan There's no state that appreciates the hotel industry as much as Florid. The economic impact of this industry cannot be overstated. Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL) It was an honor to be presented the Spirit of Hospitality Award by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which plays a pivotal role in facilitating tourism across the country so people can see the greatness and beauty of America. We must work together to roll back onerous regulations that create uncertainty for the industry, such as the burdensome joint employer rule, which threatens job creation and limits entrepreneurship. We must also strengthen workforce development efforts to fill the demand for skilled individuals in industries like the travel and tourism industry. By addressing these challenges, we can ensure that the travel and tourism industry can continue to grow and thrive. Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI-05), Chairman of the House Education & Workforce Committee Additional information on the hotel industry's policy priorities can be found in AHLA's 2025 Policy Guide. About the AHLA Foundation AHLA Foundation, the charitable arm of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, works to support the hotel and lodging industry's greatest asset – our people. By connecting employees, employers, and their communities, we seek to continuously nurture a culture of professional growth and belonging. When the people who work in our industry thrive, the industry thrives along with them. The Foundation is funded by grants and charitable contributions from generous individuals and organizations who want to support individuals seeking opportunities to thrive in the hotel and lodging industry. Learn more at View source
Travel Daily News
19-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
AHLA members meet Congress about hotel industry priorities
AHLA members discussed key tax and workforce provisions to protect small businesses and promote industry growth. WASHINGTON – Last week, members of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) – the leading voice of the U.S. hotel industry – traveled from across the country to meet with congressional leaders and discuss pressing legislative priorities vital for the hospitality sector. During the ongoing Budget Reconciliation and tax negotiations, more than 250 AHLA members held meetings with lawmakers across the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. 'AHLA members flooded Congressional offices this week to share their on-the-ground insights and advocate for legislation to bolster the hotel industry,' said Rosanna Maietta, AHLA President & CEO. 'Over the course of our meetings across the House and Senate, we successfully conveyed the implications of tax, trade, and labor policies lawmakers are considering. It's clear that a strong tourism sector is on the radar of both Congress and the Administration.' AHLA members shared key concerns and significant challenges facing the U.S. hospitality industry, including the implications of tax and trade policies on hotel operating costs and travel demand. Legislative priorities critical to alleviating these pressures and protecting America's small business hoteliers, jobs, and economic growth include several tax provisions in the House Ways & Means Committee's tax portion of the Budget Reconciliation bill. These include making the Small Business Tax Deduction permanent, extending Bonus Depreciation, preserving the Like-Kind Exchange, reinstating Expanded Business Interest Deductibility, launching a second round of Opportunity Zones, and 'No Tax on Tips' to help thousands of hotel employees keep more of their hard-earned income. AHLA members also discussed measures to expand and upskill the hospitality workforce, such as adjusting the H-2B visa program cap and protecting the franchise model, which supports over half of all U.S. hotels and 2.8 million jobs. During the 'fly-in,' several policymakers received AHLA's 'Spirit of Hospitality Award' for their efforts to advance the travel and tourism industry: Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL), Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI-05), and National Labor Relations Board Chair Marvin Kaplan 'There's no state that appreciates the hotel industry as much as Florida,' said Senator Ashley Moody (R-FL). 'The economic impact of this industry cannot be overstated.' 'It was an honor to be presented the Spirit of Hospitality Award by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, which plays a pivotal role in facilitating tourism across the country so people can see the greatness and beauty of America,' said Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI-05), Chairman of the House Education & Workforce Committee. 'We must work together to roll back onerous regulations that create uncertainty for the industry, such as the burdensome joint employer rule, which threatens job creation and limits entrepreneurship. We must also strengthen workforce development efforts to fill the demand for skilled individuals in industries like the travel and tourism industry. By addressing these challenges, we can ensure that the travel and tourism industry can continue to grow and thrive.'
Travel Daily News
12-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Power takes the stage in Atlanta at ForWard Conference 2025
ForWard 2025 gathered 1,000 professionals in Atlanta to empower women in hospitality through leadership tools, bold dialogue, and industry networking. ATLANTA, GA – The power of women in the hotel and lodging industry was on full display as the AHLA Foundation's flagship ForWard Conference made its Atlanta debut this week, bringing nearly 1000 hospitality professionals to the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. With a theme centered on recognizing, accessing, and amplifying power, the two-day event delivered bold conversations, practical leadership tools, and high-impact programming – all designed to elevate women in hospitality. Featuring top industry executives and immersive experiences, ForWard 2025 marked a continued investment in building a more inclusive and dynamic future for the hotel and lodging industry. While women represent the majority of the hospitality workforce, that majority isn't reflected in leadership positions. The ForWard initiative, which extends well beyond this annual conference, continues to address this imbalance through targeted professional development and networking opportunities. 'Our industry thrives on connection,' said Kevin Carey, President & CEO of the AHLA Foundation. 'By bringing ForWard to Atlanta, we placed this important dialogue in the heart of a major hospitality hub, allowing us to engage with a broader audience and drive meaningful change.' 'Forward has become a force in this industry, bringing women and men together to champion the next generation of leaders,' noted Rosanna Maietta, President & CEO of AHLA. 'There is power in this movement. I'm thrilled to see how our industry has embraced this conference and is meaningfully showing up for women in our industry.' The conference featured executive speakers from across the industry, and select speakers from adjacent industries, including Jennifer Hyman, CEO & Co-Founder of Rent The Runway; Lamiaa Laurene Daif, Worldwide Strategy Leader at Apple; and Grammy-nominated songwriter Makeba Riddick. Notable sessions included: Negotiations Workshop with Kathryn Valentine , CEO of Worthmore Strategies, sharing tactics specifically designed for hospitality contract and vendor relationship management , CEO of Worthmore Strategies, sharing tactics specifically designed for hospitality contract and vendor relationship management The Future of Guest Expectations panel featuring Heather Balsley , IHG Chief Commercial Officer; Mary Ellen Jelenek , American Express ; and Monica Xuereb , Loews Hotels , moderated by Kristie Goshow , Chief Commercial Officer of Peregrine Hospitality , IHG Chief Commercial Officer; , ; and , , moderated by , Chief Commercial Officer of Unlocking AI: The Power of the Right Prompts conducted by Steve Berrey , Global Head of AI & ML Solutions at Onix , Global Head of AI & ML Solutions at Hidden Careers in Hospitality panel exploring non-traditional leadership paths within the industry Hotels as Local Hubs discussion on strengthening community connections as a competitive advantage The 2025 ForWard Conference was sponsored by American Express, DIRECTV Hospitality, Ecolab, Encore, and RTRX.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Amid Trump trade war, L.A. urged to hold off on wage hikes for tourism workers
Five months ago, the Los Angeles City Council endorsed a plan to boost wages for airport and hotel workers to $30 per hour by 2028 — just in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the city — while also requiring new healthcare payments. For some in L.A.'s tourism industry, that moment feels like another era. Since then, President Trump has launched a trade war, which in turn sparked a major drop-off in travel from Canada and other nations. The city experienced a catastrophic wildfire, then a massive budget crisis. By the end of March, passenger traffic at Los Angeles International Airport had fallen nearly 5% compared with the same period the prior year. Now, with the first of several wage hikes scheduled to go into effect on July 1, a coalition of L.A. business leaders is urging the council to hold off on the minimum wage increases, saying they will devastate an industry that was already struggling. "Two hotels have closed. More are starting to reduce services and lay off workers," Rosanna Maietta, president and chief executive of the American Hotel and Lodging Assn., said at City Hall last week. "If this ordinance is enacted, we expect more hotels to close." Stuart Waldman, president of the Valley Industry and Commerce Assn., offered an equally dire warning, saying the wage increases will cause "irreversible damage" to local tourism. With the entertainment industry in crisis and construction of new homes down 57% this year, L.A.'s political leaders cannot afford to lose another sector of the local economy, he said. "L.A. has destroyed housing production. Now they're coming for tourism," Waldman said in an interview. Despite those warnings, the council's economic development committee signed off on the tourism wage ordinance Tuesday, setting the stage for a vote by the full council this month. If the proposal is approved without changes, airport workers and employees of hotels with 60 or more rooms would see their hourly minimum wage climb to $22.50 in July, $25 in 2026, $27.50 in 2027 and $30 in 2028. Read more: L.A. City Council backs $30 minimum wage for hotel and LAX workers in 2028 In addition to those increases, the proposal would require that, starting Jan. 1, those same workers would receive $8.35 per hour for their healthcare coverage. (Employers already providing healthcare would need to make sure the coverage has a value of $8.35 per hour, or else make up the difference.) Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez, a onetime hotel union organizer who now serves on that committee, said he sees no reason to change course. "I understand things look different than they looked a year ago," he said in an interview. "But the reality is, we live in a city people cannot afford. They don't have health insurance. The effect it has on their family and children and their quality of life has been going on for way too long." Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, said it was hypocritical for business leaders to fight wage increases at the same time they were pressing the council to spend tens of millions of dollars preparing for a renovation of the Los Angeles Convention Center. That vote was cast only last month. Hotel owners at unionized properties already showed last year that they could afford higher wages, with some providing increases of $10 per hour during contract negotiations, Petersen said. "They just don't want to pay their workers, that's what it is. So they come up with every excuse in the book to keep the money to themselves," he said. Los Angeles has four municipal minimum wage laws. Hotel workers have the highest wage — $20.32 per hour — compared with the basic minimum wage for the vast majority of workers, $17.28 per hour. Employees of contractors at LAX, such as airlines and concession businesses, have a $19.28 hourly minimum wage. However, they also receive a minimum healthcare payment of $5.95 per hour, which boosts their overall hourly rate to $25.23. Under the council's proposal, workers at hotels with 60 or more rooms would see their minimum wage go up by 48% over 3½ years. At LAX, skycaps, cabin cleaners and other workers would receive a minimum wage increase of nearly 56%. Hugo Ortega, a line cook for Hilton Garden Inn LAX and Holiday Inn LAX, said the package of pay increases will help him pay the rent and provide for his three children. Ortega, 52, works 70 hours a week as a cook and a maintenance engineer. "I have to be doing two jobs to keep my family going," he said in an interview. Backers of the higher wage have repeatedly pointed to a city-commissioned study finding that higher incomes for tourism workers would stimulate the region's economy. In recent months, the fight over the minimum wage has run headlong into the crisis over the city budget, which relies each year on more than $300 million in hotel tax revenue to pay for basic services such as police, firefighters and paramedics. Mayor Karen Bass, faced with a nearly $1-billion shortfall for 2025-26, recently recommended laying off about 1,600 city workers, including staffers at the Los Angeles Police Department, the Bureau of Sanitation and the Department of Transportation. Since then, some council members have warned that a dramatic hike in wages will lead to fewer hotels overall — and diminished tax revenues. "We are moving forward a 50% increase in wages and healthcare costs while our entire tourism economy is underwater," said Councilmember Traci Park, the only committee member to vote against the wage hike Tuesday. "And that is directly impacting our sales taxes, our business taxes, our [hotel] taxes and everything else that is impacting our city budget." In recent months, the council's budget committee has been hearing increasingly gloomy assessments of the city's tourism and aviation industries. City Administrative Officer Matt Szabo, a high-level budget official, warned the committee last week that flight bookings to the U.S. from major European cities have dropped by double digits this year. Read more: Bass proposes laying off about 1,650 city workers, a quarter of them civilians at LAPD Szabo, citing figures from aviation data provider OAG, said bookings from Canada were faring even worse, dropping by more than 70% this year. 'Nowhere are we seeing the impacts of federal policies more immediately than in tourism,' he said. Trump, shortly after taking office, hit Canada and Mexico with steep tariffs, some of which remained in place even after he announced a 90-day pause on his trade war. Canadians, furious over Trump's threats to annex their country, began boycotting American products and canceling travel to the U.S., including to popular winter destinations such as Palm Springs. On Monday, the budget committee heard from John Ackerman, the top executive at Los Angeles World Airports, who reported that concession businesses at LAX are experiencing major financial distress — and may need additional financial help from the city. "If they can't succeed, I think it's going to be challenging to replace them with someone who is miraculously going to do better," Ackerman told the committee. "So it could put us in significant jeopardy. For us, long term, that would likely lead to less airline flights and less revenue, and it becomes kind of a downward spiral." Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday that Visit California, the tourism marketing nonprofit, is forecasting a 1% drop in visitors to the state this year, the first decrease since the pandemic. Much of that is being driven by a projected 9.2% decline in international visits, the agency said. The tourism group attributed the reduction in large part to "weakening consumer sentiment" and a strong U.S. dollar that makes travel more expensive for tourists from other countries. Elisa Valencia, who works for the airline catering company Flying Food Group, said her $20.76 hourly wage is not nearly enough to provide for her three children in Michoacán, Mexico. Valencia, 34, rejected the idea that turmoil in the travel industry is a reason to deny workers a wage boost. "Tariffs are affecting everybody, not just companies," she said. "Buying everyday food and gas is getting more expensive." Times staff writer Sandra McDonald contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
