In case you missed it, Nexstar Media Group ran a story last week featuring Chip Rogers, President and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and Congressman Van Taylor (TX-03) highlighting the pain the hotel industry is feeling this travel season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a syndicated segment that aired on more than 100 local network affiliates last week.
From the segment: “Chip Rogers with the American Hotel and Lodging Association says more than 8,000 U.S. hotels could be forced to close in September. “If business travel doesn’t pick up by this fall, and the PPP funding has run out, then the really bad problem that exists today is going to result in massive foreclosures for hotels,” Rogers says. Rogers is asking Congress to step in and help before it’s too late. “Give them a low-interest loan, give them something where they can just stay afloat because that is all they are asking for,” Rogers says.”
The segment and article ran in markets across the United States including San Francisco, Washington D.C., Honolulu, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Denver, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Austin, and San Diego among others. Hoteliers in cities like these and towns throughout the nation have made clear that Congress needs to prioritize aid to the hospitality industry in the next phase of relief.
Below is the online article:
Over 8,000 U.S. Hotels May Be Forced To Close In September Without Help
Anna Wiernicki
July 9, 2020
What should have been a busy travel season could now be the last for some hotels.
Chip Rogers with the American Hotel and Lodging Association says more than 8,000 U.S. hotels could be forced to close in September.
“If business travel doesn’t pick up by this fall, and the PPP funding has run out, then the really bad problem that exists today is going to result in massive foreclosures for hotels,” Rogers says.
Rogers is asking Congress to step in and help before it’s too late.
“Give them a low-interest loan, give them something where they can just stay afloat because that is all they are asking for,” Rogers says.
Texas Republican Congressman Van Taylor says he has a plan to keep hotels operating — and the eight million Americans working in those hotels employed.
“If I don’t have hotels, I don’t know how my community functions,” says Taylor.
Taylor and 105 members of Congress wrote a letter to the Treasury Department asking for money that would go directly to hotels that are struggling to fill their rooms.
Taylor says that would help get hotels through the fall. But to survive the pandemic, he plans to introduce legislation soon that would provide a more permanent fix.
To view the full article and segment, click here.
