The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.8 million-employee lodging industry, issued the following statement following the announcement of the delay in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) employer mandate for mid-sized businesses of fewer than 100 employees, as well as modifications to the mandate for larger employers:

"Today's announcement by the Treasury Department that the ACA's employer mandate will be delayed until 2016 for businesses with fewer than 100 employees is very welcome news," said Katherine Lugar, AH&LA president/CEO. "We are also pleased that this delay provides greater flexibility and additional time for employers with more than 100 employees to provide coverage to their workforces. This demonstrates the Administration's growing understanding of the lingering uncertainty and concern among hotels and other businesses about implementation of the healthcare law- many areas of which are still being finalized. This further delay provides our industry with additional opportunities to engage with Administration officials and provide input on the regulatory process to ensure the concerns of hoteliers are taken into account when additional rules are finalized, as well as work with Congress and the Administration on targeted, legislative fixes, such as adjusting the ACA's full-time employee definition upward from 30 hours."