Regulatory and Legal Affairs

💰 U.S. Senate unanimously passed the "No Tax on Tips" Act aimed at allowing hospitality workers to keep more of their earnings. Rosanna Maietta, President and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), praised this bipartisan effort. The Act benefits hundreds of thousands of hotel employees, including housekeepers, valets, food service workers, and bellhops. Key supporters include Senators Ted Cruz and Jacky Rosen, highlighting their leadership in this initiative.

🛑 May 21, 2025, UK. Since April 6, 2024, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act mandates full upfront pricing in travel bookings, including fees. An investigation by Which? Travel indicates major companies like Trivago and Loveholidays might be violating this by not listing mandatory fees upfront. While Booking.com, Expedia, and Hotels.com comply, others do not, creating discrepancies. BA Holidays is criticized for not disclosing true prices until late stages, citing “availability changes.”

🚨 Charles Seifert, founder of ItBox, suggests the Building Safety Act 2022 may be amended in autumn 2025 to include hotels. The Act currently covers buildings over 18 meters or with seven or more stories with at least two residential units. The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has assessed few of the 14,000 residential buildings. If hotels are included, owners must prepare for potential compliance complexities to avoid penalties, including criminal charges and fines.

💼 Location: Brussels, Belgium. HOTREC seeks a Public Affairs Manager for digital and economic policy advocacy at the EU level. The role involves working with EU institutions, stakeholders, and HOTREC’s 47 member associations. Applicants need 5+ years of relevant experience. Deadline: 2 June 2025. Apply with a CV and cover letter to Sergey Golyshin at [email protected]. More details on the Euractiv JobSite.

🏨 This week, over 250 American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) members met with U.S. Senate and House lawmakers in Washington to discuss hospitality sector priorities amid Budget Reconciliation and tax talks. Key issues included tax and trade policies affecting hotel costs and travel demand. AHLA advocated for tax provisions like the Small Business Tax Deduction, Bonus Depreciation, and "No Tax on Tips." Discussions also covered workforce expansion and the H-2B visa program.

💰 The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) advocated for an extension of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions, forecasting steep tax hikes in 2026 without them. Key measures include making the Small Business Deduction permanent, extending Bonus Depreciation for five years, preserving the Like-Kind Exchange, reinstating expanded Business Interest Deductibility for five years, launching a second round of Opportunity Zones, and raising the Estate Tax Exclusionary Amount. Additionally, AHLA supports Trump's "No Tax on Tips" initiative to benefit hotel employees.

🛬 Business travellers exhibit risky behaviour on work trips, with 79% engaging in activities like gambling and ignoring safety advice. World Travel Protection's survey reveals younger travellers (under 34) are almost four times likelier to ignore health and safety advice compared to those over 55. Only 20% maintain their usual behaviour while travelling. The data highlights the need for companies to uphold duty of care obligations, emphasizing pre-trip education on local risks.

🏖️ U.S. travel and tourism industry may lose $12.5 billion in 2025, a 22.5% drop from its 2019 peak, due to Trump administration immigration policies. Projected international spending to decrease to $169 billion from $181 billion in 2024. Border cities and tourist hubs are most affected, with the U.S. Travel Association calling for actions to reassure international visitors of a welcoming U.S. Some domestic destinations might gain from increased local travel.

🛡 U.S. restaurant operators report increased immigration enforcement, especially in Washington, D.C., and Nashville. DHS conducted "worksite enforcement operations" on over 100 D.C. businesses, inspecting I-9 documentation. At least nine restaurants were visited last week, with some operators not cooperating without a warrant. Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) confirmed no arrests from these visits and reached out to Homeland Security for guidance. In Nashville, ICE activity resulted in at least 96 detainments, leading to decreased restaurant business and closures. Nashville's Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is offering I-9 compliance training. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell mandated reporting interactions with federal immigration to his office within one day. The Trump administration aims to deport one million immigrants annually.