Washington, D.C. – May 18, 2016 – The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) today issued the following statement on the Department of Labor’s (DOL) final overtime.

“Our industry is ripe with opportunity and has a tremendous track record of providing the training and resources our employees need to move up through the ranks to more senior positions. However, we are concerned that the significant increase in the rumored salary threshold will have a profound negative impact on small and independent business owners who will face real challenges trying to implement this rule.

“With roughly half the hotels in the U.S. owned and operated by small or independent property owners, this regulation could force many hoteliers to reduce hours and flexibility or cut jobs altogether in order to stay in business. Regrettably, it will ultimately harm the very employees that it purports to help, preventing employee advancement and reducing opportunities in the workplace while impeding industry growth and job creation.” -- Brian Crawford, AH&LA Vice President of Government Affairs 

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Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.9 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, bed and breakfasts, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry of more than 53,000 properties generating $176 billion in annual sales from 5 million guestrooms.