The hotel association welcomed Sonderling’s Senate confirmation and highlighted H-2B visa modernization and consistent joint-employer standards as federal policy priorities.
The hotel association welcomed Sonderling’s Senate confirmation and highlighted H-2B visa modernization and consistent joint-employer standards as federal policy priorities.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The U.S. Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as Secretary of Labor on September 30, 2026, by a 47–41 vote.
- AHLA said it plans to work with the Labor Department on H-2B visa modernization and consistent joint-employer standards.
- AHLA says 60 percent of U.S. hotels are owned by small business owners and links policy certainty to workforce stability and growth.
- Sonderling previously served as Deputy Secretary of Labor and toured hotels in Arizona and Nevada with industry representatives in September.
(NEWS) WASHINGTON, District of Columbia, United States, 2026-Oct-02 — /Travel PR News/ — The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) is putting workforce policy at the center of its early engagement with newly confirmed U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling, pointing to seasonal-worker access and joint-employer rules as issues with direct implications for hotel operators and franchise businesses.
Sonderling was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 30, 2026, by a 47–41 vote, according to the official Senate roll call. The U.S. Department of Labor now lists him as Secretary of Labor, following his earlier service as Deputy Secretary. In that role, the department says he oversaw day-to-day operations including strategic planning, budgeting, information technology and human resources.
In an October 1 statement, AHLA President and CEO Rosanna Maietta congratulated Sonderling and said the association expects to continue working with the department on issues affecting the hotel workforce. AHLA specifically identified modernization of the H-2B visa program and consistent joint-employer standards as priorities for future collaboration.
The association framed those issues against the structure of the U.S. lodging market. AHLA said 60 percent of hotels are owned by small business owners and described the franchise model as a central part of the industry, arguing that clear and practical labor rules can provide greater certainty for employers and workers. Those comments reflect AHLA’s policy position as the national trade group representing hotel owners, brands and related businesses.
Recent hotel visits put industry operations in view
Maietta also pointed to Sonderling’s hotel visits in Arizona and Nevada in September. AHLA said the tours gave him a close look at hotel operations and at the industry’s role as an employer and local economic participant. The visits preceded his Senate confirmation and gave the association an opportunity to discuss workforce and franchise-related concerns directly with the Labor Department official who would later become secretary.
For the hospitality sector, the leadership change places an official who has already served in the department’s senior ranks at the head of the federal agency responsible for administering and enforcing laws covering wages, workplace safety and health, and employee benefit protections. AHLA’s response indicates that labor availability, regulatory consistency and the operating realities of franchised and small-business hotels are likely to remain prominent themes in the association’s dealings with the department.
