The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) announced yesterday the launch of the Hospitality is Working (HIW) campaign at the U.S. Conference of Mayors winter meeting. As part of the HIW commitment, AHLA’s foundation, the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AHLEF), will award $500,000 to community-based organizations in six key markets where the labor market is tight.
Working in conjunction with community leaders, AHLEF will award funds this year to the communities of Orlando, Dallas, Baltimore, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to support the recruitment and placement of Opportunity Youth, 16-24-year-olds who are out of both school and the workforce, in the hospitality industry to fill the industry’s critical labor shortage. Over the next five years, AHLA expects to train and certify 8,000 Opportunity Youth in these high-demand markets and connect them to potential employers in the hospitality sector.
“When you’re in the business of helping people, that starts with investing in your own,” said Rosanna Maietta, president of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation and executive vice president of communications at AHLA.
Today’s announcement builds on AHLA’s decades-long investment in workforce development, including a commitment over the next five years to enroll 50,000 apprentices into new and existing AHLA apprenticeship programs, certify 125,000 job seekers and current employees with industry certifications, help 5,000 employees earn college degrees at no cost to them and award more than $5 million in scholarships.
On safety and security, AHLA recently announced the 5-Star Promise, a pledge to provide hotel employees with safety devices and commit to enhanced policies, trainings and resources aimed at enhancing safety. The industry also partners with national organizations to address issues such as harassment and human trafficking.
Hotels are a driving force in the U.S. economy and an integral part of the communities we serve. The industry supports eight million jobs across the country with ample room for advancement. Seventy percent of mayors surveyed in 2017 said hotel jobs provide the most opportunity, good benefits and wages within the tourism industry. A typical hotel supports more than 250 local jobs, and 61 percent of hotels are small businesses.
AHLA and America’s mayors have long recognized that a single hotel can make a huge difference to growing a community. For years, hoteliers have partnered with mayors to grow and strengthen our cities and make them even more vibrant.