News
Supreme Court ruling upholds cities’ ability to regulate advertising signage
City regulations governing business signage have a big impact on hotel construction, remodeling, and general operations. A case recently came before the United States Supreme Court which had the potential to affect a city’s ability to regulate commercial signage...
Federal news: Supreme Court blocks federal vaccine mandate for large employers; OSHA pulls down emergency rule
Following a January 13, 2022 U.S. Supreme Court blocking OSHA's vaccine emergency temporary standard (ETS) from taking effect for employers with 100 or more employees, OSHA formally withdrew the ETS on January 25th. The Supreme Court decision and OSHA’s...
Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Training: January Update
Training Programs: As THLA previously reported, Texas’s new human trafficking prevention training requirement for hotel employees formally took effect on January 1st. The new law is administered by the Texas Office of the Attorney General (OAG), and it requires...
Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Training Law Takes Effect
As we previously reported, a new law requiring annual human trafficking prevention training for commercial lodging industry employees takes effect on January 1, 2022. The Texas hotel industry, in coordination with the major hotel brands and the American Hotel...
Child Care Scholarships- Opportunities for Hospitality Workers
The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is providing extra help to the service industry, which was hit hard by the pandemic, by providing 12 months of free child care to low-income parents who are employed in the service industry. TWC has an existing child care...
The Third Legislative Session Ended with a Big Win for the Texas Lodging Industry
We are pleased to report that in Section 2 of SB 8, the Texas Legislature appropriated $180 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to the Governor’s office on Economic Development and Tourism for the purpose of funding grants to tourism, travel, and...
September 2021 COVID-19 Federal Vaccine Mandate: Things to know
October 11th Update: Governor's Executive Order On October 11th, Governor Abbott issued an executive order that states, “No entity in Texas can compel receipt of a COVID-19 vaccine by any individual, including an employee or a customer, who objects to such...
THLA proposes bylaws amendment
THLA proposes bylaws amendment Texas Hotel & Lodging Association’s board of directors and THLA members in attendance will consider and vote on a minor amendment to the THLA bylaws at the October 26, 2021 annual business meeting the Hilton Palacios del Rio Hotel in...
Hurricane Ida
Hurricane Evacuees making their own travel reservations: Click here for telephone and website contact information for hotel brands with hotels located in Texas. Updated: August 29, 2021 Hurricane Ida update: Hurricane Ida came ashore in Southeast Texas overnight...
Federal Per Diem Rates Maintained at FY2021 Levels
Each year, the General Services Administration (GSA) sets a per diem rate to reimburse employees’ lodging expenses for official travel within the continental United States. Normally, GSA calculates per diems based on the average daily rate (ADR) from the previous...
Grants available for EV Charging Stations- Deadline Approaching
We are excited to inform you about a state and federal grant/tax credit opportunity for hotels that are interested in installing “charging stations” for electric vehicles. Electric Vehicles (EV’s) are rapidly becoming a significant share of the new car...
July 30th – Raise Awareness of Human Trafficking
This Friday, July 30, is the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking of Persons. This day raises awareness of human trafficking, which is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel people into labor or commercial sex acts. The International Labor Organization...
THLA & TWC Roundtable on Labor Shortages
In response to the current labor shortage, THLA hosted a virtual meeting with the Texas Work Force Commission on June 3, 2021 to discuss strategies to attract more workers to our industry. The meeting included a diverse group of representatives from the hotel industry...
2021 Legislative Report
June 2021 Overview The 2021 Legislative Session produced very important results for the Texas lodging industry. THLA offered and passed tourism public improvement district (TPID) legislation that provided much needed clarity on how Texas cities with a TPID can...
Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation Signed by Governor Abbott
THLA is pleased to announce that Governor Abbott has signed into law House Bill 390 (authored by Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston) relating to annual human trafficking awareness and prevention training for hotel employees. THLA supported this important...