Regulatory and Legal Affairs

🏨 Provo, Utah-based Lodging Dynamics Hospitality Group appointed to manage Residence Inn and SpringHill Suites at Anaheim Resort/Convention Center. These become their 11th and 12th properties in California. The Marriott-flagged hotels offer a total of 468 rooms and are near Anaheim Convention Center and Disneyland Resort. Residence Inn features 294 rooms, a lobby bar, outdoor pool, and fitness center. SpringHill Suites has 174 rooms, including kids’ suites, a rooftop pool, and breakfast buffet.

📈 President Donald Trump, after his second inauguration in January, targeted diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs via executive orders, branding them as "discriminatory." An executive order on January 21 directed federal agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration, to enforce civil-rights laws and combat "illegal private-sector DEI preferences." Following Trump's orders, major companies such as Goldman-Sachs, Disney, Google, Amazon, Walmart, and Meta have started altering their DEI programs. McDonald's, citing a June 2023 Supreme Court ruling, changed its DEI policies on January 6. Corporate DEI efforts surged in mid-2020 following George Floyd's death, with 83% of 656 companies taking DEI action in 2021, a 13% increase from 2020. The Supreme Court decision and Trump's presidency have prompted a reevaluation of DEI, with a Resume.org survey indicating one in eight American companies are scaling back on DEI in 2025. Despite legal challenges and societal shifts, some companies, like Costco, maintain their DEI commitments.

📰 The "Advertising: Who Cares?" launch event will take place at the Royal Society of Arts in London on September 12, starting at 2pm. Aimed at addressing advertising industry challenges, the event features five workstreams led by experts, including Michael Farmer and Jenny Biggam. Among the speakers are Lucy Jameson, Jessica Lovell, and Pippa Glucklich, with a closing conversation between David Wheldon and Sir John Hegarty. Tickets are available at cost, with profits benefiting NABS, avoiding sponsors to ensure open dialogue.

🏨 In Washington, D.C., the AAHOA praised the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for passing the bipartisan Hotel Fees Transparency Act, introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Jerry Moran (R-KS). The act mandates hotels and short-term rentals to disclose all booking costs upfront. It's co-sponsored by Senators Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), aiming to provide clear pricing information to travelers, supported by AAHOA for fair and transparent pricing.