The American Hotel & Lodging Association and other hotel trade groups are urging Congress to end the government shutdown, claiming that the U.S. hotel industry has lost $650 million in business so far because of it.
The AHLA and more than 30 other hotel and lodging associations sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson and the House and Senate majority and minority leaders. The letter said that each day of the shutdown costs the economy $31 million in activity that would've been generated by hotel stays.
In a statement, AHLA CEO Rosanna Maietta called the shutdown's impact on hotels "devastating."
"Economic uncertainty and waning consumer confidence are translating into booking cancellations and discouraging future planning especially as we head into the heart of the holiday travel season," Maietta said.
According to the AHLA, the U.S. hotel industry supports 2.1 million direct jobs and nearly nine million total jobs nationwide, generating $894 billion in GDP annually.
In a tracker on its website, the U.S. Travel Association said Friday the U.S. had lost $3.3 billion in travel spending since the shutdown began Oct. 1.