Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

AAHOA, ORLA monitor city’s hotel tax revenue proposals

The city of Salem had planned to use the tax dollars to fill library funding gaps but now will use other revenue sources

AAHOA, ORLA monitor city’s hotel tax revenue proposals

SALEM, OREGON, RECENTLY changed its plan to use transient lodging tax funds for library funding gaps. AAHOA and the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association have been closely monitoring the municipality's attempts to divert the protected revenue from its intended purpose, promoting tourism.

Instead, the city will use funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. Hotel taxes diverted from tourism could diminish funding for year-round visitor attraction efforts, AAHOA said in a statement.


"AAHOA and ORLA were proactive in ensuring appropriate use of the transient lodging tax in the city of Salem," said Taran Patel, AAHOA’s Northwest regional director. "This is a great example of the importance of AAHOA members being active in advocacy at the local levels of government."

AAHOA said that the Oregon state legislature set forth specific guidelines in 2003 for cities regarding the use of funds for tourism promotion and related facilities. Notably, a portion of hotel taxes must be allocated to promoting tourism and enhancing tourist destinations. Any rise in hotel tax revenue must assign 70 percent to tourism promotion, leaving the remaining 30 percent at the city's discretion, the association added.

AAHOA recently appointed Viral Patel as Central Midwest regional director and Nilesh Patel as director at large for the Eastern Division to its board of directors for the 2024-2025 term.

More for you

ESA Launches Client Connect: All-in-One Business Travel Hub

ESA launches ‘Client Connect’ for business travel

Summary:

  • Extended Stay America launched “Client Connect”, a business travel program for extended-stay travelers.
  • The program includes account management, long-stay savings, flexible policies, streamlined booking and a Direct Bill Program.
  • Client Connect leverages ESA’s 700+ locations offering amenities for extended stays.

EXTENDED STAY AMERICA launched "Client Connect", a business travel program for extended-stay travelers. The platform was developed for business travelers needing stays of weeks or months, with solutions for construction crews, traveling nurses, military personnel and others with long-term needs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wyndham & Grubhub Offer Free Delivery to Guests & Staff

Wyndham, Grubhub offer free delivery to guests, staff

Summary:

  • Wyndham Hotels & Resorts is partnering with Grubhub to offer free product delivery to guests and staff at nearly 6,000 U.S. hotels across 20 brands.
  • A Grubhub account is required to activate the complimentary Grubhub+ membership; no credit card is needed and the membership does not auto-renew.
  • Wyndham recently deployed Elavon’s cloud payments interface to more than 6,000 U.S. and Canadian franchisees.

WYNDHAM HOTELS & RESORTS and Grubhub, an online ordering and delivery platform, will offer item delivery to guests and staff with no delivery fees and other benefits. The service is available at nearly 6,000 U.S. hotels across 20 brands, with orders placed through the Grubhub app on-site or by scanning a hotel QR code.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. Hotel Construction Hits 20-Quarter Low in June

CoStar: Hotel construction drops in June

Summary:

  • U.S. hotel rooms under construction fell year over year for the sixth straight month in June, hitting a 20-quarter low, CoStar reported.
  • About 138,922 rooms were under construction, down 11.9 percent from June 2024; the luxury segment had 6,443 rooms, up 4.1 percent year over year.
  • Lodging Econometrics recently said Dallas led all U.S. markets in hotel construction pipelines at the end of the first quarter, with 203 projects and 24,496 rooms.

THE NUMBER OF U.S. hotel rooms under construction declined year over year for the sixth straight month in June, reaching a 20-quarter low, according to CoStar. Additionally, more than half of all rooms under development are in the South, mostly outside the top 25 markets.

Keep ReadingShow less
G6 Hospitality Launches 24/7 Guest Support From August 1
Photo credit: G6 Hospitality

G6 launching 24x7 guest support on Aug. 1

Summary:

  • G6 Hospitality will launch 24x7 guest support on Aug. 1, expanding the current 18-hour window.
  • Escalations from phone, email and social media will be handled promptly by trained staff.
  • The service supports G6’s tech and service investments, including the AI-powered My6 app.

G6 HOSPITALITY, PARENT of Motel 6 and Studio 6, will launch a 24x7 customer support service for guests starting Aug. 1. The service extends the previous 18-hour window to full-day availability via phone, email and social media.

Keep ReadingShow less
U.S. travelers using mobile devices to book independent boutique hotel stays with personalized offers and smart tech in 2025

Study: Personalization boosts independent hotel bookings

Summary:

  • Around 95 percent of U.S. travelers are more likely to book independent hotels with personalized offers, according to TakeUp.
  • 59 percent plan more travel in 2025, with 78 percent favoring weekend getaways and 65 percent domestic trips.
  • Top booking deterrents are few reviews at 39 percent, unclear cleanliness or quality at 38 percent and inflexible cancellations at 29 percent.

PERSONALIZED OFFERS BASED on interests would make 95 percent of U.S. travelers more likely to book at an independent hotel, according to TakeUp, a revenue management platform for independent hotels. About 85 percent are open to technologies such as smart check-in, recommendations and AI-based pricing.

Keep ReadingShow less