by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Fri December 27, 2024
As the year turns to a close, we often look forward while looking back at all the things that happened this past year—and there were a lot of things that happened this past year, especially when it comes to hotels and resorts!
The nation's largest hotel worker strike, historic fines for security data breaches, and an end to the Choice-Wyndham hotel takeover are just some of the main stories impacting hotels and resorts this year.
Curious to see the biggest stories?
An End to the Choice Hotels-Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Corporate Feud
Choice Hotels headquarters. (Courtesy Choice Hotels)
Remember when Choice Hotels wanted to force Wyndham Hotels & Resorts to merge earlier this year? Well, the monthslong story ended in March after about five months of corporate battles when Choice Hotels failed to gain enough support from Wyndham shareholders to allow the acquisition to go through. Choice had originally offered $8 billion for the hotel corporation, but Wyndham officials had rejected the bid, citing undervaluation and antitrust risks.
Hospitality Worker Shortage Continued in 2024
A housekeeper places single-use toiletries in a hotel bathroom. (Photo Credit: Drobot Dean / AdobeStock)
The hospitality worker shortage that began during and after the COVID-19 global pandemic still continued to impact the industry this year in the United States, despite a record pay increase of $5 billion more in 2024 than in 2023.
In May and June, the domestic hospitality industry added 700 jobs each month, but it’s still lacking about 200,000 necessary jobs for all hotels in the nation to function properly.
Beyond expanding benefits and raising wages, the hospitality industry advocated for the Department of Homeland Security to expand the H-2B temporary nonagricultural worker visa, which allows workers from other countries to reside and work in hotels and restaurants, often seasonally, and lobbied Congress to pass the Closing the Workforce Gap Act of 2024 and the Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act.
Sustainability Programs Improve for Hotels and Resorts
The Hotel Sustainability Basics verification scheme. (photo via World Travel & Tourism Council Media)
Sustainability was a continuing goal for hotels and hospitality companies across the globe this year, and we saw big inroads for hotels of all sizes. One of the biggest acts of progress was the growth of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Hotel Sustainability Basics program, which is a free resource and program for hotels of all sizes.
Though it launched in 2023, it saw major growth this year: in January, it had a total of 1,700 members across 70 countries; by May, that number was 3,200; by August, that number totalled over 5,000 in over 80 countries.
Beyond that specific program, another first: the United States’ first-ever carbon positive hotel. Populus, which opened this year in Denver, Colorado, utilized sustainable construction methods and has a plan to offset the hotel’s entire emissions so it helps sequester more carbon than it will ever emit. Talk about a positive impact!
Hotel Giants Leverage Partnerships & Growth in 2024
AutoCamp in the Catskills. (Photo Credit: Matt Kisiday)
This year, the hotel giants saw a record number of partnerships, charting growth beyond typical new build or conversion properties. Hilton partnered with Small Luxury Hotels of the World and AutoCamp to offer their unique lodgings on Hilton’s loyalty platform and booking channels. It also acquired Graduate Hotels. Marriott Bonvoy launched the MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy. Hyatt’s acquisition of Mr & Mrs Smith added over 700 boutique and luxury properties to its portfolio, and its recent acquisition of Standard International added even more.
Sandals Resorts also celebrated the opening of its newest all-inclusive resort this year: the Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The News Impacting the Hospitality Industry in 2024: Legislation, Fines and Strikes
US Capitol Building in Washington, DC. (Photo Credit: Patrick Clarke)
The hospitality industry saw a lot of challenges and changes in 2024. The first was the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s announcement that its president, William “Chip” Rogers, was resigning from his position. Rosanna Maietta will succeed him.
The next was the House of Representatives’ passage of the No Hidden FEES Act on June 11, which requires lodgings of all kinds to be more transparent about any extra fees that may be associated with booking a hotel or lodging. In a year when hotel fee revenue is at an all-time high, the legislation is necessary and would save travelers millions each year. It has yet to be passed in the Senate.
The nation saw the largest hotel worker strike in American history, with over 12,000 striking at hotels across the nation during the Labor Day Weekend, from Boston to Hawai’i, and often after the busy travel weekend, too. They sought higher wages, better benefits and better working conditions as hotel corporations report great profits, but workers remain struggling with a high cost-of-living crisis. While many strikes have since ceased, the issue is far from over.
Lastly, Marriott was hit with a $52 million fine in October after the Federal Trade Commission found the hotel giant’s poor data security plans led to security breaches that compromised the personal information of 344 million people from 2014 to 2020.
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