AHLA congratulates Sonderling on labor confirmation
The American Hotel & Lodging Association has congratulated Keith Sonderling on his confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Labor. Rosanna Maietta, the association's president and chief executive, issued the statement from Washington on 1 October 2026.
The statement followed the Senate confirmation by one day. It presents the confirmation as a labor-policy development for hotel operators and names two priorities the association will press at the Department of Labor.
The Senate vote
The Senate confirmed Sonderling on 30 September 2026 by 47 votes to 41. Twelve senators did not vote. The roll call records the confirmation as vote 256, under nomination number PN1129 for Keith Sonderling of Florida.
Earlier the same day the Senate agreed to a cloture motion on the nomination by 53 votes to 47, recorded as vote 255.
CBS News reported the confirmation as a party-line vote. It reported that Sonderling had led the department in an acting capacity since late April 2026, after Lori Chavez-DeRemer left the post, and that he had served at the Department of Labor and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission during the first Trump administration.
What the AHLA statement says
Maietta congratulated Sonderling and cited his understanding of the franchise business model, which she described as the backbone of the hotel industry. She said the industry's growth depends on policies that foster economic opportunity and workforce stability.
The statement places 60 percent of hotels under small business ownership and credits Sonderling with an emphasis on labor policies that support workers, employers and economic growth.
The priorities AHLA names
The association closed the statement with the work it expects at the department. It named modernizing the H-2B visa program and promoting consistent joint-employer standards that give the industry certainty, and it said it looks forward to continued collaboration with the Secretary and the department team.
The Arizona and Nevada hotel tours
The statement records that Sonderling joined AHLA for hotel tours in Arizona and Nevada in September 2026, the month before the statement.
The Las Vegas Sun reported the Nevada leg. The newspaper said Sonderling toured the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort & Spa on Tuesday 1 September 2026 with Maietta, stopping at recreation, housekeeping, food and beverage and guest services as part of the association's Heart of the House tour.
Sonderling said the visit let him hear from workers and hospitality leaders about how the department can support workers and help employers grow. Maietta said the stop showed how the industry helps Americans start careers and advance into leadership roles through apprenticeships.
The 60 percent figure
The statement gives 60 percent of hotels as small business owned and cites no source. AHLA's own Our Industry page lists 64,000 or more lodging properties nationwide, including 33,200 or more small business properties, alongside 5.7 million guest rooms and 1.3 billion guest nights a year. On those counts, small business properties are about 52 percent of the total. Both figures are the association's own.