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Source: Montgomery County Business Portal
This Hotel Grant Relief Program provides financial assistance to hotels and other lodging entities located in Montgomery County, MD. Hotels and other lodging entities have been extremely hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and will have a long recovery. Montgomery County announced this relief program to continue stabilization efforts of the local hospitality industry in the County. Grant awardees will receive $500 per sleeping room under this program. Any hotel with ten or more sleeping rooms, or a Bed and Breakfast with five or more rooms, located in Montgomery County, are encouraged to apply. Applications will be accepted from July 1 through July 22, 2022. Prepare to apply
Grantees are allowed to use funds for:
The following documents will be required at the time of application:
Applications will be reviewed for eligibility based on the criteria listed above. Applications will be accepted July 1, 2022 through July 22, 2022. Hotel Relief Grant Program Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions, please email info@visitmontgomery.com The Maryland Small Business Retirement Savings Program and Trust, designed to create a mandate for certain private-sector employers in the state to establish a retirement savings plan for eligible employees, was passed in May 2016 and took effect July 1, 2016. The program will launch in early September 2022.
As stated in the bill's fiscal note, "Covered employers” are nongovernmental for-profit and nonprofit employers in the State that (1) pay employees through a payroll system or service; (2) have been in business for at least the last two years; and (3) do not currently offer, or have not offered in the previous two years, an employer-offered savings arrangement. Employers may elect to establish alternative savings arrangements for their employees rather than participate in the program; participation in the program does not create a fiduciary obligation of the employers who do so. Specifically, employers are not liable for an employee’s decision to participate or to opt out of the program or for their investment decisions, and they are not responsible for program design, administration, investment, or performance. Employers may visit www.MarylandSaves.org for more information on the program. Click here to sign up for updates from Maryland's Retirement and Savings Program. Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for our Annual Golf Outing at Whiskey Creek Golf Club on Monday, September 19, 2022. We are thrilled to have Ecolab as Title Sponsor for the 8th consecutive year. More detailed information about sponsorship opportunities and registration will be coming soon. We look forward to seeing you there! 28 winners and two scholarship recipients announced at 32nd annual event honoring exceptional hotel properties and frontline employees from across Maryland Click the following links to view photo galleries. To save a high resolution image: 1) Open the image full screen. 2) Right click and "save as". Photo Credit: Eric Stocklin Photography Awards: https://ericstocklinphoto.smugmug.com/Events/MHLA422Awards/ Group Photos: https://ericstocklinphoto.smugmug.com/Professional/MHLA422Groups/ Annapolis, Md. (April 29, 2022) – On April 26, 2022, the Maryland Hotel Lodging Association (MHLA) hosted more than 350 guests – including owners, managers, frontline employees, and partners from Maryland’s statewide lodging industry – at its 32nd annual Stars of the Industry Awards Luncheon and Annual Meeting. Held at the Sheraton Baltimore North in Towson, the celebration recognized deserving hotels and team members who have gone above and beyond this year to provide excellent service to their guests and communities. Nominations were submitted by MHLA members, and 28 winners were announced in 11 categories celebrating the contributions of every hotel department, including managers, general managers, and frontline staff. A full list of Stars of the Industry winners is included below. During the event, MHLA also announced each winner will receive an additional Secretary's Citation of Excellence from the Maryland Department of Commerce Office of Tourism as part of its new “Citation of Travel and Tourism Excellence” program. This partnership between Maryland’s Office of Tourism and statewide tourism industry organizations including MHLA, the Maryland Tourism Development Board, the Maryland Tourism Coalition, and the Restaurant Association of Maryland will celebrate exceptional employees at local county Destination Marketing Organization meetings throughout the upcoming year. MHLA also celebrated the industry’s next generation of talent by presenting $2,000 scholarships to two recipients on behalf of the Maryland Tourism Education Foundation. Managed by MHLA, the Maryland Tourism Education Foundation serves to expand the potential of Maryland’s tourism workforce and ensure an economically successful future for the industry. This year’s scholarship recipients are Grace Schuler, a Hospitality Management major at Drexel University, and Brandon Adams, who is pursuing a Master of Science in Hospitality Management at Morgan State University. “This year’s Stars of the Industry are all extraordinary individuals who have demonstrated their innovation, professionalism, and enthusiasm for their work,” said Amy Rohrer, President & CEO, MHLA. “These are the people who make Maryland’s hotel industry so special, and the reason we have persevered through the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. These team members have risen to every challenge and remained committed to providing outstanding service to their guests, properties, and the community at large, and we are especially proud to celebrate their accomplishments.” 2022 MHLA Stars of the Industry Winners (NOTE: Division 1 = properties with 250 rooms or less; may have both a select service and full-service winner. Division 2 = full-service properties with more than 250 rooms.) PROPERTY AWARDS Innovation Award:
Emerging Leader of the Year
The Maryland Hotel Lodging Association (MHLA) is a trade-based membership organization representing Maryland’s $8 billion-dollar lodging industry with more than 700 hotels and 80,000 rooms across the state. MHLA provides advocacy, information, recognition, and networking opportunities that benefit lodging industry owners, managers, associates, related businesses and communities in Maryland. To learn more, please visit www.mdlodging.org. # # #
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lindsay Hebert, 443-471-5103; lhebert@devaney.net Maryland Hotel Lodging Association Hosts 2022 Government Affairs Kickoff Maryland hotel industry leaders gather virtually to preview 2022 Maryland General Assembly; emphasize engaging with legislators and promoting career opportunities as pandemic recovery continues. Annapolis, Md. (January 11, 2022) – On January 6, 2022, members of the Maryland Hotel Lodging Association (MHLA) – including owners, managers, associates, and partners from Maryland’s statewide lodging industry – gathered virtually for the 2022 MHLA Government Affairs Kickoff. As the Maryland General Assembly prepares to open its 2022 session on January 12, MHLA briefed its members on the state of the industry as it continues to adjust to and recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and previewed the key issues the association’s Government Affairs Committee and lobbyists will be closely monitoring in Annapolis this year. “An industry of hope”: Thomas Penny, Donohoe Hospitality president, says promoting career opportunities is key to industry recovery With many hotels still experiencing decreased revenue because of the pandemic, and the entire industry coping with a nationwide worker shortage, workforce will continue to be a major concern for MHLA members this year. MHLA is committed to showcasing how its members are applying innovative solutions to attract both former and future talent and raising awareness for the many fulfilling job opportunities and career paths that exist in hotels in every region of the state. Thomas Penny, president of Donohoe Hospitality, was MHLA’s featured speaker at the Government Affairs Kickoff and, like many in the industry, has experienced these opportunities firsthand. Born and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., Penny shared his personal journey during his 30-year career, getting his start as a hotel dishwasher while a senior in high school and today overseeing one of the largest independent hotel management companies in metropolitan D.C. Penny emphasized it is important to engage with elected officials as much as possible to create solutions that benefit both the industry and local communities. As an example, he cited how one Donohoe hotel, Canopy by Hilton Baltimore Harbor Point, is working in partnership with Baltimore City to develop a rigorous training program that will enable the City’s squeegee kids to apply their entrepreneurial skills to earn entry-level positions in local hotels. “Our industry is an industry of hope. And hope is going to play a critical part as we build back from this pandemic. My story is consistent with the experiences of many people in our industry. We need to educate our elected officials on the kinds of opportunities that exist within our business, because too often people define it as just making beds and serving tables,” said Penny. “The strength of our industry has always been the security we afford our employees. The pandemic obviously disrupted that, and now going forward, we need to rebrand our industry to welcome back more team members.” MHLA Government Affairs Committee previews 2022 session and asks for member support MHLA lobbyists Frank Boston and Ari Plaut from Boston Plaut: Attorneys at Law previewed the upcoming Maryland General Assembly, which will be conducted virtually until at least February due to the recent COVID-19 surge. MHLA will be closely monitoring all proposed legislation that may impact the state’s lodging industry, including a pre-filed bill on human trafficking and anticipated bills on Right of Recall and raising Maryland’s minimum wage. MHLA’s position and actions on these issues and others are guided by its Government Affairs Committee. Consisting of a diverse group of representatives from hotel brands across the state, the committee meets weekly to actively advance the interests of MHLA members and engage with lawmakers to advocate for legislation that is favorable to the industry. The MHLA Government Affairs Committee is currently co-chaired by Jason Curtis, general manager, Hotel Indigo Baltimore, and Jim Starke, general manager, Best Western Plus BWI Airport-Arundel Mills. MHLA lodging members can support the Government Affairs Committee by participating in weekly meetings, volunteering to testify as a subject matter expert, or sharing any connection with local representatives which may help facilitate dialogues on important issues. To learn more, please contact MHLA at mhla@mdlodging.org. “We are nearly two years into this pandemic, and it certainly has been an uneven recovery for hotels across the country and here in Maryland,” said Amy Rohrer, President and CEO, MHLA. “But we are very confident in the resiliency of our industry and are committed to advancing the interests and legislation that best supports our continued recovery. We are extremely grateful to our members who volunteer tirelessly to our Government Affairs Committee – their invaluable perspective and experience make our advocacy possible.” The MHLA Government Affairs Kickoff was presented by the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), the largest hotel owners association in the nation, and benefactor sponsor Marriott International. Supporting sponsors included the Maryland Center for Hospitality Training, Best Western Plus BWI Airport Hotel, and the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association. “This continues to be an extremely challenging time for our industry, and we are honored to support MHLA’s Government Affairs Committee to ensure the voices and concerns of Maryland’s hoteliers are heard by the state’s leaders,” said Priti Patel, AAHOA ambassador and MHLA Government Affairs Committee advisory member. “The MHLA Government Affairs Committee plays an essential role in ensuring Maryland’s hotel industry is well represented in Annapolis, and Marriott is proud to support their advocacy efforts,” said Travis Cutler, director of State Government Affairs, Marriott International. MHLA to honor Stars of the Industry April 26 MHLA announced it is planning an in-person celebration April 26 at the Sheraton Baltimore North in Towson to present the 2022 Stars of the Industry Awards. There has never been a better time to honor and celebrate those front-line workers and properties who have gone the extra mile for their guests and communities. Nominations of deserving recipients will be accepted through March 4 at https://www.mdlodging.org/stars-of-the-industry-awards.html. About The Maryland Hotel Lodging Association The Maryland Hotel Lodging Association (MHLA) is a trade-based membership organization representing Maryland’s $8 billion-dollar (pre-pandemic) lodging industry with more than 700 hotels and 80,000 rooms across the state. MHLA provides advocacy, information, recognition and networking opportunities that benefit lodging industry owners, managers, associates, related businesses and communities in Maryland. To learn more, please visit www.mdlodging.org. # # # MHLA announces 2022 Government Affairs Committee; Lodging Members invited to join Committee Calls12/16/2021
We are pleased to announce Voting and Advisory Members who have been named to the MHLA 2022 Government Affairs Committee. Click here to view Committee Members. This group will guide the Association’s position and actions on proposed legislation on behalf of Maryland’s lodging industry through the 2022 Maryland General Assembly session. We are grateful for the members who are donating their time and expertise to actively engage on this important committee.
For the sake of transparency and information sharing during a fast-paced session, MHLA member hotels / corporations are invited to join the Committee and participate in calls as Non-Voting Members. Meetings will take place via zoom as needed throughout the session which convenes January 12, 2022 and adjourns “sine die” on April 11, 2022. Additional information was sent to members was sent to members via email. Additionally, we will hold a virtual Government Affairs Kickoff to provide a preview of MHLA’s advocacy priorities and initiatives as well as issues we expect to face in 2022. REGISTER HERE for the event taking place from 10:00-11:00 A.M. on January 6, 2022. Please contact our office with any questions. In holding with tradition, members and friends came together for MHLA's Annual Golf Outing on October 6, 2021 at Whiskey Creek. We saw tremendous support with golf selling out and sponsorship at its highest level, including Ecolab as our Title Sponsor for the 7th year in a row and Live! Casino & Hotel as our Presenting Sponsor. We even had a golfer score a hole in one on Hole #3. Congratulations to Craig Derrick from Normandy Carpet!!
The success of the MHLA Golf Outing enables us to give back to the industry. We are proud to announce a $7,500 donation to be given this year to the Maryland Tourism Education Foundation in support of hospitality scholarships. With this donation, a total of $27,000 in MHLA golf proceeds has been donated for scholarships in the past five years. Canisha Pope joined the event as a 2021 scholarship recipient, and we look forward to helping Canisha and others to further their career in hospitality. A listing of all of our volunteers, donors and sponsors may be found on the MHLA Golf Outing page on our website. The success of the outing would not be possible without all of them. Click here to view photos from the day. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Amy Rohrer, 410-974-4472, Maryland Hotel Lodging Association REPORT: Maryland HOTELS PROJECTED TO END 2021 DOWN $892M IN BUSINESS TRAVEL REVENUE Click here for a state-by-state breakdown Annapolis, MD (September 15, 2021) – The hotel industry in Maryland is projected to end 2021 down nearly $892M (-71%) in business travel revenue compared to 2019, according to a new report released today by the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Kalibri Labs. Business travel is the hotel industry’s largest source of revenue and has been slow to return since the onset of the pandemic. Business travel includes corporate, group, government, and other commercial categories. Business travel revenue is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2024. The new analysis comes on the heels of a recent national survey by AHLA, which found that most business travelers are canceling, reducing, and postponing trips amid rising COVID-19 cases. The lack of business travel and events has major repercussions for employment, and underscores the need for targeted federal relief, such as the Save Hotel Jobs Act. Hotels are expected to end 2021 down nearly 500,000 jobs nationally compared to 2019. For every 10 people directly employed on a hotel property, hotels support an additional 26 jobs in the community, from restaurants and retail to hotel supply companies—meaning an additional nearly 1.3 million hotel-supported jobs are also at risk. “Maryland is expected to lose nearly 7,500 hotel jobs in 2021 due to ongoing effects of the pandemic”, said Amy Rohrer, President & CEO of the Maryland Hotel Lodging Association. “It’s essential for Maryland and for our employees that we work with Congress and local government to provide relief and change the trajectory. MHLA continues to advocate and represent the state’s lodging industry to help recover fully from the pandemic”. “While some industries have started rebounding from the pandemic, this report is a sobering reminder that hotels and hotel employees are still struggling,” said Chip Rogers, president and CEO of AHLA. “Business travel is critical to our industry’s viability, especially in the fall and winter months when leisure travel normally begins to decline. Continued COVID-19 concerns among travelers will only exacerbate these challenges. That’s why it’s time for Congress to pass the bipartisan Save Hotel Jobs Act to help hotel employees and small business owners survive this crisis.” COVID-19 is the worst economic event in the history of the U.S. hotel industry. Despite being among the hardest hit, hotels are the only segment of the hospitality and leisure industry yet to receive direct aid. Hotels and their employees have displayed extraordinary resilience in the face of unprecedented economic challenges, and the industry needs support from Congress to achieve a full recovery. About Maryland Hotel and Lodging Association The Maryland Hotel Lodging Association (MHLA) is a trade-based membership organization representing Maryland’s 6 billion dollar lodging industry with more than 78,000 rooms in 700 hotels across the state. MHLA provides advocacy, information, recognition and networking opportunities that benefit lodging industry owners, managers, associates, related businesses and communities in Maryland. www.mdlodging.org. About AHLA The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the U.S. lodging industry. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AHLA focuses on strategic advocacy, communications support and workforce development programs to move the industry forward. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospitality industry was the first industry impacted and it will be among the last to recover. That is why AHLA is committed to promoting safe travel while also creating a standardized safety experience nationwide through the Safe Stay initiative. With an enhanced set of health and safety protocols designed to provide a safe and clean environment for all hotel guests and employees, hotels across America are ready to welcome back travelers when they are ready to travel. Learn more at www.ahla.com. About Kalibri Labs Kalibri Labs evaluates and predicts hotel revenue performance with its next-generation tech platform to support hotel owners, operators, brands and real estate investors. Kalibri Labs enables users to improve underwriting accuracy and to benchmark, execute plans and assess results for a hotel’s profit contribution targets. The Kalibri Labs database is comprised of guest transactions, including cost of sales and source of business information, from almost 35,000 hotels dating back more than 7 years and updated weekly to give an expansive view of the U.S. hotel industry. MHLA is partnered with the American Hotel & Lodging Association for advocacy on federal issues, and freezing of per diem rates was among the issues we advocated for during the federal Legislative Action Summit last month. Thank you to all of our members who helped to achieve this win!
Click here to view FY 2022 Per Diem Rates. AHLA STATEMENT ON GSA FY2022 PER DIEM RATES WASHINGTON (August 12, 2021) – American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) President and CEO Chip Rogers released the below statement after the General Services Administration (GSA) announced it would freeze FY2022 federal per diem rates for government travel in the Continental United States at FY2021 levels, which are based on pre-COVID-19 rates. “AHLA thanks the General Services Administration (GSA) for setting fair FY2022 per diem rates that recognize the devastating impact COVID-19 continues to have on hotel employees and small businesses. This is a big win for hoteliers across the country, as government travel supports tens of thousands of jobs and billions in travel spending, and many private sector organizations also base travel reimbursements on federal per diem rates. Freezing per diem rates at pre-pandemic levels is vital to the hotel industry as we continue down the long and uneven road to recovery. We are grateful for GSA’s work to ensure reasonable per diem rates for FY22, and we look forward to welcoming back our government guests as travel resumes.” BACKGROUND ON PER DIEM RATES Each year, the General Services Administration (GSA) sets a per diem rate to reimburse employees’ lodging expenses for official travel within the continental U.S. Normally, GSA calculates per diems based on the average daily rate (ADR) from the previous fiscal year, less five percent. As a result of pandemic-related shutdowns, capacity restrictions and safety precautions, calculating per diem rates the normal way would have led to an artificially low rate that would have only exacerbated the economic crisis facing hoteliers. The FY22 CONUS per diem rate is $151, which includes $96 for lodging and $55 for meals. This is the same as FY21. The FY22 rates will be available on the GSA website tomorrow morning. Source: MarylandReporter.com
Several of the state’s biggest jurisdictions reinstated mask mandates today, hoping to curb the rapidly increasing spread of the Delta variant, Johanna Alonso reports for The Daily Record. Baltimore’s mandate goes into effect at 9 a.m. on Aug. 9 and Montgomery County’s goes into effect at midnight the morning of Aug. 7.
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