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United States hotel leisure travel revenue is expected to end this year 14 percent above 2019.
Hotel business travel revenue, according to a press release, is expected to come within 1 percent of 2019 levels.
The new analysis from the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), headquartered in Washington, D.C., and Kalibri Labs does not include adjustments for inflation, and real revenue recovery will likely take several more years.
“The hotel industry continues its march toward recovery, but we still have a way to go before we fully get there,” AHLA President & CEO Chip Rogers said in the press release. “That’s why AHLA remains focused on working with members, lawmakers and stakeholders in markets that are rebounding more slowly to ensure the full return of meetings, conferences, and group travel in addition to leisure and business travel. At the same time, we are continuing to grow the industry’s talent pipeline by highlighting the unprecedented career opportunities hotels are offering. Thanks to higher wages, better benefits, and more flexibility and opportunities for advancement, there has never been a better time to work at a hotel.”
Post-pandemic recovery is uneven, especially in many major cities and destinations where business travel continues to remain at levels below what was seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Eighty percent of the top 50 U.S. markets are projected to see hotel leisure travel revenue exceed 2019 levels. Forty percent are expected to reach that milestone for business travel revenue.
More than 115,000 hotel jobs are open thanks to the uptick in revenue, according to the analysis. Hotels are offering various incentives: 81 percent have increased wages, 64 percent offer greater flexibility with work hours and 35 percent have expanded benefits, according to a September 2022 AHLA member survey.
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Rebecca Barnabi
