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6/30/2022 7:17:35 PM

GHLA eNews

ENews You Can Use - June 2022


News You Use		June 2022

GHLA News & Events

$150 Million "Save Georgia Hotels" Grant Will Assist Georgia's Hotels in Much-Needed Recovery
As you know by now, Gov. Brian Kemp has announced a $150 million grant to make funds available to support the recovery and future success of Georgia's hotel and lodging industry. The Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association (GHLA) dedicated more than a year investing in research and working with state leaders and private partners to champion the process of securing these funds to bring much-needed financial relief to an industry severely impacted by the pandemic.

GHLA's program, Save Georgia Hotels, is an American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) Negative Economic Impact grant that will help hotel operators and hotel employees return to work. All awarded funds must be used at Georgia properties. Funds used according to the rules and oversight of the ARPA will be a grant, not a loan requiring repayment.

Georgia's hotel industry has lost generations of skilled employees. Now, we must educate new generations on the opportunities in hospitality — opportunities where Georgians can start at an entry level position and advance to management, building a rewarding, lifelong career. Funds awarded through the Save Georgia Hotels grant must be dedicated to specific uses that rebuild Georgia's hotel and lodging workforce. Uses include workforce incentives such as additional pay, accelerated wage scales and bonuses; enhanced safety and security on lodging property; and employee training and career development.

The GHLA team is hard at work with state officials and others to finalize the Save Georgia Hotels grant criteria and process. Email notifications will be sent in the coming week to hoteliers throughout the state to provide insight on the application process. If you are receiving this newsletter, you will be on the list of those who are notified when the grant process is open for applications. If you would like to add others in your organization to also receive future information on the Save Georgia Hotels grant, please visit grants.ghla.net to add them to the list.

"The application process will be fair and data-driven to get critical funds into the right hands efficiently," says GHLA Executive Director, Jim Sprouse. "We are honored to lead the way in providing much-needed relief and support to an industry that employees so many Georgian and contributes significantly to our state's economic success."

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Industry News & Know-How

Hospitality Climb Exceeds Earlier Projection
CBRE has joined the upward trend of hotel performance forecasting, citing various factors including first-quarter results, inflation, and a positive outlook for employment. The commercial real estate services and investment company predicts 29.7% growth in average daily room rates and a 75.06% increase in revenue per room this year.
Click here to read the entire CRE article.

Best-ever RevPAR Highlights Rising Hotel Performance
U.S. hotel revenue per room reached a record high of $109.76 this month while the top 25 markets overall produced their best metrics since the pandemic, STR reports. Average daily rate and occupancy also improved, with the latter approaching 2019 levels in several markets.
Click here to read the entire Hotels Magazine article (free registration).

Returning Group Demand Meets New Trend in Rate Premium
As industry recovery has progressed, the focus has been less on overall performance metrics and more on the detailed demand composition of recovery. Transient demand has led the way through the past two years.
Click here to read the entire Lodging Magazine article.

10-Year Outlook for Travel, Tourism: $2.6B, 6M Jobs
Travel and tourism are projected to swell the US gross domestic product by more than $2.6 billion over the coming 10 years in a new data analysis. The World Travel & Tourism Council's Economic Impact Report forecasts a 9.2% share of the overall economy for the industry and estimates the addition of 6 million jobs.
Click here to read the entire Travel Pulse article.

Adapting to Digital Tipping Operations
The pandemic forced the acceleration of cashless, digital payments, and some of the U.S. population now uses a form of digital wallet. For onsite restaurants, the shift towards digital payments resulted in many hotel guests not knowing how to tip.
Click here to read the entire Lodging Magazine article.

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Legal Q & A
GHLA receives dozens of inquiries each week for information and clarification of laws, standards, and benchmarking ideas. We thought you might benefit from some of the recent questions and answers, and are including them in this newsletter.

Q: Considering the recent SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and that the State of Georgia will soon have strict rules on abortion rights, what do I need to know about employees taking leave to obtain these services in another state? Do I have a right to terminate their employment?

A: There are some rules that continue to exist at the federal level that you must be mindful of when making employment decisions. Remember that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bans employment discrimination based on color, national origin, race, religion, and sex. The Pregnancy Discrimination Act also bans discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions. Therefore, firing someone for having or considering having an abortion pursuant to the EEOC is prohibited. In addition, if your company wants to assist with travel benefits for purposes of employees seeking an abortion in a state that allows abortion rights, you should consult with your attorneys to make sure your decisions follow federal and state laws regarding abortion coverage and/or travel access. As for allowing the leave from work, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act may also come into play so seek guidance before making any policies.

Diana S. Barber, JD, CHE is a consultant and speaker focused on hospitality law, a lecturer at Georgia State University, a co-author of "Hospitality Law: Managing Legal Issues in The Hospitality Industry" (5th Edition), a member of GHLA and "Of Counsel" with Berman Fink Van Horn, P.C., the general counsel for GHLA. The answers to questions presented in this section are general information. They are not designed to be and should not be relied on as your sole source of information when analyzing and resolving a specific legal issue. Each fact situation is different; the laws are constantly changing. If you have specific questions regarding a particular fact situation, we urge you to consult with competent legal counsel.

Welcome New GHLA Members
The following hotel and allied firms have recently joined the ranks of GHLA membership. Please join us in welcoming these new members aboard!

Bear Robotics - Redwood City, CA
Mr. Charlie Kempton - Territory Account Manager - GA & SC

Budget Inn - Madison
Mr. Himanshu Bhatwala - General Manager/Owner

Cyberweb Hotel, LLC - Tampa, FL
Hiten Bhuta - CEO

Gainesville CVB - Gainesville
Ms. Regina Dyer - Sales and Marketing Manager

GHLA eNews is published by:
Georgia Hotel & Lodging Association
233 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 1400
Atlanta, GA 30303
Email: Jim Sprouse
Phone: (404) 771-2995
Web: http://ghla.net