Association of Lodging Professionals

The Leading Trade Association for Independent Lodging Professionals

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Advocacy

The Association of Lodging Professionals (ALP) is a non-profit 501(c) 6 membership-based trade association governed by a Board of Directors. A key component of our mission statement is Advocacy. We build relationships with key industry leaders to lobby for legislation that fairly deals with the needs of small lodging properties. We also seek up to date information to offer our members that will help them navigate the many issues they face in the operations of their business.

ADVOCACY EFFORTS

The word ADVOCACY often brings to mind writing letters or contacting a legislator in support or opposition of a proposed law. While that is true, at ALP, ADVOCACY simply means this: your concerns are our concerns! We focus on YOUR issues and your challenges as an independent lodging property owner in an ever-changing travel and legal landscape.

Members of ALP deal with many challenges in their daily operations. Keeping up with concerns such as ADA compliance, Online Travel Agent (OTA) platforms, and the increase in short-term rentals can consume a great deal of time. We seek to offer tools, including best practices, that have been helpful in mitigating some of the concerns caused by these issues.

Please click on each box for more information and resources.(Members)

(Additional OTA Information Coming Soon!)
Please provide us with your key lodging issues and concerns at advocacy@alplodging.org

Human trafficking is estimated to be a 150 billion dollar industry impacting the. lives of an estimated 27.6 million victims worldwide. Traffickers exploit their victims by compelling them to perform labor at little or no pay or to engage in commercial sex. This illegal activity is in every region of the United States and has infiltrated legitimate businesses.
The hospitality sector is especially vulnerable to this illicit activity. Traffickers feel they will go unnoticed while carrying out their nefarious activities. Human trafficking is not only a violation of human rights, but it also presents a great risk to the safety of travelers. Although our industry is vulnerable to human trafficking, we are also uniquely positioned to identify the signs and report the activity.
More states are legislating mandatory training for lodging employees, which does not apply only to hotels. The law varies from state to state regarding required signage, training, and the size of lodging subject to such requirements. Some states are requiring training for lodging establishments as small as two rooms.

California, Minnesota, Illinois, Florida, Maryland, and Connecticut mandate training for hotels. (links to statutes included)

Texas requires training for lodging over ten rooms

New York recently enacted legislation that mandates training employees of lodging establishments with six rooms or more.

Virginia mandates training for all commercial lodging, including Bed and Breakfasts, defined as two or more rooms.

Some states, such as Iowa, while not making the training mandatory, require a certificate in training, and lodging providers that have not completed this certification are not eligible to receive public funds as payment for services. That means government employees, including educators, can only stay in certified lodging when traveling for work or organizing conferences. The definition of a lodging provider includes a rooming house and cabins.

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/80.45A.pdf

https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/code/423A.2.pdf

The legislation regarding human trafficking signage and training is constantly changing. Check your state for specific laws. See link below.

Laws by state as of July 2022. https://etactics.com/blog/human-trafficking-training-for-hotels