It’s Been a Tough Year for the Industry

In the last year, demand has not kept up with rising costs. And yet, decisions made in Washington don’t always reflect your own lived experience as hoteliers. 

In Washington, showing up matters. And the most effective way to get results is to get in front of members of Congress and tell them what’s on your mind and what’s going on in your hotel(s). 

Hotels on the Hill, our industry’s premier advocacy event, is taking place May 12–13, 2026, in Washington, D.C., and with the volume of activity happening in D.C., it’s critical that we show up in force and talk about how franchising, rising labor costs and staff shortages, visa needs, and trade policies impact our industry and your bottom line. 

Direct Advocacy Results in Change

AHLA hosted numerous fly-ins last year, and we secured wins: 

• The Resort Committee met with key appropriators to discuss the need for the release of supplemental visas. Because of their direct advocacy, DHS released an additional 35,000 H-2B visas at the end of the year, after initially refusing our requests. 
• The Independent and Boutique Committee met with leaders on the House Ways and Means and Senate Finance Committee, expressing the significance of tax permanency for the hotel industry. This directly resulted in the passage of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. 
• Several industry leaders met with the White House to discuss the impact tariffs would pose on operations and ongoing projects, adding another barrier for our members to continue serving guests. As a result of their engagement, at the beginning of the new year, the Administration announced a crucial one-year delay on tariff increases to furniture, vanities, and kitchen cabinets. 

It is essential that we show up strong, united, and en masse. Please send at least two leaders from across your executive and operational teams. 

To remove barriers to participation, I’m pleased to share that registration will be completely free for AHLA members this year. This is an advanced registration event, so we strongly encourage you to register quickly to secure your place. Register here.

Prioritize this event and commit to sending a delegation from your organization and we’ll take care of the rest, making sure they are prepped and prepared to advocate with us. Together, we can present a clear, unified voice for the hotel industry and get results.