The American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) new study elucidates on COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on the hospitality industry. About 9 in 10 hotels had to thus lay off or furlough employees, according to the July 23-27 survey of more than 1,200 AHLA members. Only 37% of hotels have been able to retrieve at least half of their full-time employees. 36% have been unable to bring any of their furloughed or laid-off workers back to full-time employment.
More than half of 600 hoteliers are now in danger of losing their property
AHLA’s study also showed that less than 24% of respondents are back to a minimum of 60% of their pre-COVID staffing levels and almost 29% are still at or below 20% staffing. More than half of the 600 hotel owners that responded indicated that they might lose their property to foreclosure by commercial real estate lenders. Thus, AHLA is advising hoteliers to reach out to their local lawmakers for relief, with July 29 being declared a National Day of Action to Save Hotel Jobs.
AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers stated, “It’s hard to overstate just how devastating the pandemic has been for the hotel industry. We have never seen a crisis of this magnitude. We are encouraged to see many of AHLA’s industry priorities included in the Senate package released this week. We urge Congress to direct help to the industries and employees that need it the most, and to move swiftly to support them.”
“It is critical that Congress hear directly from hoteliers so that you get the help you need. Hotels have a presence in every congressional district in America, building strong local economies and supporting millions of jobs. Every Member of Congress needs to hear from us about the urgent need for additional support so that we can keep our doors open and bring back our employees.” Rogers added. AHLA has been demanding government relief for months now, mentioning how the hotel industry was on the “brink of collapse”.
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