Arizona House of Representatives Recognizes Hotel Industry for Efforts to Prevent Human Trafficking

Today, the Arizona House of Representatives issued a proclamation to recognize the hotel industry’s leadership and commitment to preventing human trafficking. The proclamation highlights the ongoing efforts of the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association (AzLTA) to address human trafficking prevention through training, awareness, and partnerships with law enforcement and community organizations.

The proclamation, introduced by Arizona State Representative Justin Wilmeth, recognizes specific hotel industry efforts that help ensure that hotel workers are empowered with the knowledge and tools to recognize and report signs of trafficking.

“Arizona hotels are committed to preventing human trafficking, and I commend the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the AHLA Foundation, the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association and our local partners for their employee education and training programs,” said Representative Justin Wilmeth. “The hotel and lodging industry is living their commitment to employee and guest safety and the protection of basic human dignity through efforts like No Room for Trafficking.”  

Through No Room for Trafficking (NRFT), an initiative of the AHLA Foundation, hotel employees can access free training in more than 34 languages to help them to identify and report suspected human trafficking. This training has been completed more than 2.6 million times since its launch in 2020. The NRFT program also provides critical resources to community-based organizations that focus on supporting survivors’ immediate and long-term stability through workforce development and economic empowerment programs.

“The hotel industry is united in the effort to prevent human trafficking, and we thank Representative Wilmeth and the Arizona House of Representatives for their powerful bipartisan affirmation of hotels’ frontline role in helping protect our communities,” said Rosanna Maietta, AHLA President and CEO. “This recognition from Arizona lawmakers validates the tireless work of our hoteliers to train their staffs and forge partnerships with law enforcement and community groups focused on eradicating human trafficking.”

“From comprehensive employee training and guest-awareness efforts to close coordination with law enforcement and victim-advocacy organizations, the Arizona lodging and tourism industry has taken meaningful, sustained steps to help identify and prevent human trafficking,“ said Kim Grace Sabow, AzLTA President and CEO. “We are grateful to the Arizona House of Representatives for recognizing this work and for standing with our industry as we continue to protect guests, employees, and communities across the state.”

Learn more about the AHLA Foundation’s No Room for Trafficking initiative HERE.

CONTACT: media@ahla.com