As a result of the Kari's Law petition and recent industry action to address emergency services dialing, Katherine Lugar, president/CEO, of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) issued the following statement:

"The safety and security of our guests and employees is paramount to hoteliers. The ability for guests to dial 911 directly from a guestroom is a top priority, and AH&LA has moved quickly to convene an industry taskforce of more than 50 lodging executives with expertise in telecommunications and security to address this goal.

"Thousands of hotels already utilize direct dial or are aggressively implementing that option. We are encouraging the remaining properties to examine their internal procedures and telecommunications systems to address the issue. AH&LA has developed an industry recommendation and is creating resources to assist properties in ensuring direct 911 dialing procedures.

"Moreover, AH&LA will continue to work closely with our members, the Federal Communications Commission, Congress, and other stakeholders, as the industry aggressively takes action."

Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, AH&LA is the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.8 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry generating $155.5 billion in annual sales from 4.9 million guestrooms.