The American Hotel & Lodging Association and important advisory firm Oxford Economics presented Economic Impact of the US Hotel Industry report.
The study, which includes a breakdown of the hotel industry’s economic impact in every state (check Nevada’s situation here) and congressional district, provides a comprehensive look at how hotels are contributing to communities across the nation. It finds that in 2022 alone:
a) Hotel guests spent a total of more than USD 691 billion on lodging, transportation, food and beverage, retail and other expenses.
b) For each USD 100 of spending on lodging, hotel guests spent another USD 220 during their trip.
c) Hotels paid employees more than USD 104 billion in wages, salaries, and other compensation, and supported USD 463 billion in total wages, salaries, and other compensation.
d) Hotels directly generated USD 72.4 billion in federal, state, and local tax revenue and supported nearly USD 211.2 billion in total federal, state, and local tax revenue.
The top five states in 2022 for hotel guest spending were:
The top five states in 2022 for hotel wages, salaries, and compensation were:
The top five states in 2022 for hotel-generated federal, state, and local tax revenue were:
This hotel-related economic activity is resulting in unprecedented career opportunities for current and prospective hotel employees. As of March 2023, national average hotel wages were among the highest ever at more than USD 23 per hour. Since the pandemic, average hotel wages have increased faster than average wages throughout the general economy. Hotel benefits and flexibility are better than ever.
To help hotels fill open jobs and raise awareness of the hotel industry’s 200+ career pathways, the AHLA Foundation’s “A Place to Stay” multi-channel advertising campaign is now active in 20 cities.
About this research, Chip Rogers, President & CEO, AHLA, stated: “Hotels are investing in our workforce to create good jobs that power local economies, and this analysis is proof of that. To continue supporting millions of good-paying jobs and generating billions in tax revenue in communities across the nation, hotels need to hire more people. The good news is that there’s never been a better time to build a lifelong hotel career, with average hotel wages at near-record levels, better benefits than ever before, and unprecedented opportunity to move up the ranks.”