The Senate confirmation
The Senate confirmed Keith Sonderling as U.S. Secretary of Labor on Wednesday, 30 September 2026. The roll call recorded 47 yeas, 41 nays and 12 not voting. A cloture motion earlier the same day carried 53 votes to 47.
Sonderling had directed the Department of Labor as acting secretary since April 2026. He served earlier as deputy secretary of labor, confirmed to that post in March 2025.
The AHLA statement
The American Hotel & Lodging Association issued its statement on 1 October 2026. Rosanna Maietta, the association's president and chief executive, is the named speaker. The dateline reads Washington, D.C. (October 1, 2026).
Maietta tied the association's position to the franchise structure of the industry and to workforce stability.
“AHLA congratulates Keith Sonderling on his confirmation as U.S. Secretary of Labor. Secretary Sonderling has a deep appreciation and understanding of the franchise business model which is the backbone of the hotel industry. With 60 percent of hotels owned by small business owners, our industry’s continued growth depends on policies that foster economic opportunity and workforce stability. We appreciate Secretary Sonderling’s emphasis on the importance of clear, practical labor policies that support workers, employers, and economic growth,” Maietta said.
The two priorities AHLA named
The statement closes on two items for the department. AHLA named modernizing the H-2B visa program. AHLA named promoting consistent joint-employer standards. The association called both key priorities for continued collaboration with the Secretary and the department team.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with the Secretary and the team at the Department of Labor on key priorities, including modernizing the H-2B visa program and promoting consistent joint-employer standards that provide certainty for our industry and all those who work and thrive in it,” Maietta said.
The statement files both items as the association position and attaches no timetable or draft text to either.
The ownership figure the statement cites
The statement puts the small-business share of hotel ownership at 60 percent 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. On those counts, small business properties are about 52 percent of the total. Both figures are the association's own.