AH&LA Press Room 

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Media – you’re one click away from quotable industry experts shaping all sectors of the hospitality community, timely data on current trends, and official AH&LA statements on a variety of industry topics.  For breaking news, follow AH&LA on Twitter.

Members – utilize this members-only site for your own research, to formulate a dedicated communications strategy, and more.

Current Lodging Issues and AH&LA Action

Fraudulent Packages Sent to Hotels
People selling expensive items on Craigslist are contacted via email by a person who is wanting to buy the item (mostly expensive jewelry).  The seller is then instructed to ship the item to a local hotel and told the item will be paid for upon delivery (COD) with a cashier's check.
 
The criminal makes a reservation at the hotel for a future date, prior to instructing the victim to make the shipment.  The criminal then sends a letter to the hotel instructing the hotel personnel to accept a COD package on his behalf and pay for it with the check that is included in the letter, which is counterfeit.  Once the package is received, the criminal has a courier service pick up the package.  He never shows up at the hotel.

It is recommended that you evaluate your property's package delivery process to avoid this scam.

May Sweepsweeks
Inside Edition aired a segment May 4 in which they visit at least three hotels in the Dallas/Fort Worth area who have registered sex offenders in their employment with access to guests' room keys and personal information.  Some of these employees were given responsibilities ranging from driving the shuttle vans (requiring access to the cell phone numbers of guests) to working unsupervised on the night shift at the front desk.  Although the reporters tracked down these employees via public records in Texas, they remarked that registered sex offenders are working in hotels throughout the country.  Click here to read AH&LA's statement on hiring sex offenders.

Additionally, several media outlets, including those located in Los Angeles and Tennessee, are airing investigative reports on hotels housing registered sex offenders.  They are able to locate these guests through various online portals, including the National Alert Registry.  In many cases, people (including sex offenders) are being paroled and given vouchers to check into hotel properties – usually extended stay properties.  Many times they are placed in residential housing relatively quickly, due to costs.  Click here to read AH&LA’s statement on security.

AH&LA reacts to Arizona immigration law
With Arizona's recent enactment of a law aimed at identifying, prosecuting and deporting illegal immigrants, which would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime and give the police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally, AH&LA has issued the following statement:

AH&LA fully supports the Arizona tourism and hotel industry.  We do not support in any way a boycott of one of Arizona’s biggest industries because these ill-advised actions hurt the state’s 1,110 lodging properties and their 52,000 employees and their families.   Attempting to score political points on a serious issue like immigration reform by hurting the livelihood of thousands of our employees is not a constructive way to solve one of the nation’s most vexing issues.  We encourage visitors to travel to Arizona to support the state’s hospitality industry, and leave state politics to its residents. Additionally, AH&LA held its annual Summer Summit in Phoenix, June 15-16, to show our association’s strong support of Arizona’s hoteliers and their employees.”

Latest News from AH&LA

All press releases from AH&LA and its subsidiaries can be accessed here:

AH&LA Press Releases
American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute (EI)
American Hotel & Lodging Educational Foundation (AH&LEF) 

Check back regularly for more industry news, or click here to sign up to receive AH&LA press releases via email.

AH&LA in the News

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Lights, Camera, Check in
Hotel Interactive

A little help goes a long way 
USA Today 

The Latest From the Gulf Coast 
Corporate Meetings & Incentives

We Have the Resources to Help You

As the voice of the nearly $134 billion lodging industry, AH&LA serves as the primary resource for timely hospitality news, statistics, and expert comment.  With approximately 11,000 members representing all sectors of the hospitality community, AH&LA can provide a comprehensive, national perspective on the state of the lodging industry, and has the connections to put you in touch with experts on a wide variety of topics.

Please contact Kathryn Potter, senior vice president of marketing & communications, at kpotter@ahla.com or (202) 289-3130.