AH&LA Committee Discusses the Impact of Negative Public Comments on Resorts, Meetings

At its annual meeting this month, the American Hotel & Lodging Association’s Resort Committee discussed the impact of negative publicity this year on resort properties that host corporate meetings and events.

Held October 3-7 at the century-old Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown, New York, the Resort Committee’s 72nd annual meeting was attended by nearly 60 resort hoteliers from across the country, who convened to discuss a variety of industry issues, including the impact of negative public comments made by some lawmakers following the release of the U.S. Treasury’s emergency TARP funds. Because those lawmakers criticized companies that used TARP money to hold legitimate business meetings and events at upscale venues like resorts, members of AH&LA’s Resort Committee said their properties have lost millions of dollars in canceled bookings and events—representing a 30 to 35 percent decline in business—and therefore discussed the need to continue promoting the economic benefits of resort meetings.

"AH&LA worked to combat this wrongful perception, joining with other trade associations to develop a response to these comments," Resort Committee Chair Pennie Beach, co-owner of the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, Vermont, says in a statement. "AH&LA helped draft voluntary guidelines for companies to plan responsibly their corporate meetings and contacted members of Congress to inform them that these properties provide jobs, revenue and economic stability to their host communities. But we must continue to educate our legislators on the many benefits resorts and business travel deliver to our economy."
—Nielsen Business Media