2012 - New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association

Chairman’s Letter
A Busy Year with Multiple Successes
Your Association is
coming off a busy
summer season with
the celebration of its 125th
anniversary in Saratoga
Springs, the annual Summer
Fundraiser at the Saratoga
Race Course to benefit the
Education Foundation, and
getting settled into a new office space after
relocating in June. It was great to see nearly
200 people attend the 125th Anniversary
celebration in the same city the Association
was founded back in 1887. To see a complete
photo album of the event log on to www.
nyshta.org and click on the Facebook icon.
The relocation of offices with up-to-date
décor includes more advanced technological
capabilities for the staff and an overall cost
savings to the Association.
While the NYSH&TA staff was busy in
Albany, data suggests that our industry also
had a very busy summer. Many regions of the
state saw increased occupancy when compared
to last summer and hoteliers were able to boost
their average daily rate over the busy summer
months. Statewide, from January through
September, occupancy is up 2 percent when
compared to the same time period in 2011.
With this being my last chairman’s letter of
2012, I thought it was a good time to review
some of the Association’s accomplishments
since January 1, as we begin to look toward
2013.
ADA Pool Lift Clarification
Following months of hard work by NYSH&TA
and the American Hotel & Lodging
Association, the Department of Justice (DOJ),
in May, announced a substantial postponement
of the ADA Pool Lift compliance date for
existing pools and spas. The new compliance
date is January 31, 2013. This date allowed the
industry an additional nine months beyond the
original date of March 15, 2012.
For the complete details on this issue call
NYSH&TA at 800-642-5313. It is a complex
issue, so make sure you know the facts.
OTC legislation
In my home county of Saratoga I have spent
the past few months supporting efforts to
amend their tax law to hold third party online
travel agents, such as Expedia and Travelocity,
responsible for paying their fair share of
occupancy tax.
Recently, the Saratoga County Board of
Supervisors voted to pass room occupancy tax
legislation that would require travel companies
to collect and pay taxes when selling to
customers online.
While this is a local issue for me, if our efforts
are successful, this could easily set a precedent
for other municipalities around the state to
collect their fair share of occupancy taxes
which in turn will help fund greater tourism
promotion.
Cynthia D. Hollowood, CHA
Chairman of the Board
6 | FOCUS Fall/Winter 2012