The Phoenix City Council withdrew from today’s posted meeting agenda a package of proposed ordinances that would have imposed stiff new mandates on an already wobbly tourism and hospitality sector.

Dubbed the “Phoenix Healthy Tourism and Hospitality Measures” by supporting councilmembers Betty Guardado, Laura Pastor and Carlos Garcia, the package was criticized strongly by the hospitality industry, which was not consulted before the proposals were made publicly available.

The withdrawal of the proposed ordinances is a setback for labor unions. Hotels and restaurants that entered into collective bargaining agreements with labor unions would have been exempt from the new mandates, which sought to regulate hiring procedures, paid leave, how many square feet an employee could clean, hygiene standards and more.

According to city rules, an item may appear on an agenda if it is supported in writing by at least three councilmembers. The same three councilmembers may also remove the item from an agenda.

A letter from Guardado, Pastor and Garcia requesting the withdrawal was submitted to City Manager Ed Zuercher at 10 am, just as the meeting was scheduled to begin.

Mayor Kate Gallego, in seeking clarification from city staff on how the hospitality measures could continue to be discussed at a council level, said “I as mayor could call a meeting on the hospitality ordinance and I am publicly committing I will not be doing so.”

City Attorney Cris Meyer said a future special meeting could be called by three councilmembers.

Zuercher said stakeholder meetings would take place on the issue. The results of those meetings would be communicated to the council, and city staff would await further direction on how to proceed. The mayor or three councilmembers could choose to place the issue on an upcoming council agenda.

Kim Sabow, the president and CEO of the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association, which led the opposition to proposals, cheered the outcome of today’s meeting, but warned that future regulatory mandates on the tourism sector could appear on another agenda.

“It’s clear that the unions didn’t have the votes and their plan to pull a fast one was thwarted–at least for today–but we have to stay vigilant,” Sabow said. “Our top priority is protecting our employees and guests, which is why we have invested significant resources in new sanitation protocols, enhanced training and personal protective gear. The Phoenix City Council needs to focus on policies that will help the industry recover from the economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Glenn Hamer, whose group also strongly opposed the proposals, said he hopes future stakeholders meetings will send the message that collaboration is essential.

“To place an item as broad as this on an agenda at the last minute is no way to shape policy, especially one that affects an industry as essential to Arizona’s economy as tourism,” Hamer said. “Let’s hope that if these issues ever appear again on a council agenda it’s only after consulting with the businesses that will be impacted. I’m glad these measures were withdrawn. They would have inflicted tremendous harm had they passed and jeopardized Phoenix’s overall business reputation.”

While the proposed ordinance sought to establish new sanitary standards, including an at-least-six-hour training class and examination to be conducted by a third party provider, the Arizona Lodging & Tourism Association has already developed AZSAFE+CLEAN, a program whereby participating properties can obtain special certification by committing to cleanliness levels that go above and beyond the industry’s already high standards.

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The Phoenix City Council today will consider a package of ordinances targeting the city’s struggling hospitality industry with mandates on hiring, leave policies, cleanliness and more.

The ordinances are proposed by pro-union Councilmembers Betty Guardado, Carlos Garcia and Laura Pastor.

Branded as the “Phoenix Healthy Tourism and Hospitality Measures,” the three items contain a host of new regulations that the city’s tourism sector is concerned will harm an industry already reeling from the financial fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Included in the proposal are strict rules for employers regarding how and when to bring furloughed employees back on the job; how many square feet a worker may clean during the workday; the establishment of a “public hygiene training program” to be conducted by a third-party organization that will deliver no less than six hours of instruction and preside over an examination of hospitality workers; paid leave provisions that go far beyond anything already in state or federal law; and much more.

Kim Sabow, the president and CEO of the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association, says the proposal will hurt an industry that has been the hardest hit during the pandemic.

“Now is not the time to be adding costly regulatory burdens on businesses that are trying to make payroll and keep their doors open,” Sabow said. “Each one of the items makes it more difficult for hoteliers and the rest of the hospitality industry to recover. We are extremely disappointed that the Phoenix City Council decided to fast-track a series of job-killing ordinances that will place onerous regulations and increase costs on an industry that is struggling to financially survive the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The ordinances will not apply to entities that enter into a collective bargaining agreement with a labor union.

Guardado is an organizer for Unite Here Local 11, a labor union for the hotel, airport and food service industry. The union’s political action committee supported Guardado’s successful 2019 campaign.

Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry President and CEO Glenn Hamer the union exemption sends the message that organized labor believes it is powerful enough to dramatically alter the business environment of the state’s largest city.

“If they can get away with this for the hotel and lodging industry, good luck for Arizona getting these great conventions. Good luck for great groups to be able to sell Arizona if we have those types of regulations,” Hamer said.

The proposal, which was only made available to the public for review on Friday, will appear before the Council without input from other councilmembers or from members of the affected industry.

“These proposed laws were only posted on Friday with no industry engagement or time to review. This is after the Arizona Restaurant Association had sent all members of the Phoenix City Council a letter seeking to engage in any process impacting the hospitality industry,” ARA COO Dan Bogert said. “This request was clearly ignored, and the plan is to push the ordinance through with as little public input and notice as possible.”

Hamer says the rest of the Council should strongly reject the proposed ordinances.

“It’s terrible process, terrible policy. It’s time for Mayor (Kate) Gallego and the Phoenix City Council to say no,” Hamer said. “Come on. In the middle of a pandemic to put this thing last second into an agenda, and then to have that exemption—give me a break.”

The Phoenix tourism industry is organizing its opposition to the proposal at, where users can send emails to their councilmembers to voice their opinion.

The Council will meet at 10:00 am today.

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As summer vacation beckons, Arizona’s hospitality industry is going “above and beyond” to protect travelers from the coronavirus, said the head of the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association (AzLTA). 

AzLTA has launched a new program to certify member hotels, casinos, resorts and attractions that undertake an exhaustive checklist of cleanliness and safety measures, said Kim Sabow, AzLTA president and CEO.

More than 20 locations statewide now are certified through the program –  called – with more to come, Sabow told 91ֱ��. 

“Health and safety standards are foundational for us anyways, so we’re going above and beyond that as an industry that prides itself and builds itself on consumer cleanliness and well being,” she said.  

The AZSAFE+CLEAN certification provides protocols including requiring staff to wear personal protective equipment, frequent sanitizing of public areas and rooms, and posting signs and floor markings in guest and employee areas for social distancing.

Reviving a fractured industry 

While most hotels already are taking extra precautions during the pandemic, this is another tool to restore consumer confidence, Sabow said.

“We’re a resilient industry that is facing this head-on, and this new campaign is an initiative to begin to restore that consumer confidence that is so critical in these unprecedented times.”  

AzLTA hotels and resorts who receive the certification can display the AZSAFE+CLEAN certificate on their websites and at their properties. As properties become certified, they are placed on a list on the website at: .

Multi-billion dollar revenues disappear “overnight”

Before COVID-19, the Arizona Office of Tourism was logging revenues for the industry. In 2018, 45.5 million visitors spent $24.4 billion in the state. That generated  $3.63 billion in tax revenues, resulting in an annual tax savings of $1,360 for every Arizona household. 

That all changed when the pandemic hit in March at the height of travel season with spring break, spring training and visitors flying in from across the globe. 

“Normally, our occupancy rates would be in the 80 percent range, but those numbers dropped to single digits virtually overnight,” Sabow said. “It was a deep, swift, blunt-force trauma.”

And while hotels were allowed to stay open as essential businesses, few visitors were arriving at their front lobbies, she said.  

“Although hotels were never mandated to be closed, we didn’t have the amenities to sell with the room. It’s kind of difficult to sell a room if you don’t have dining or a pool or a spa or a gym to enjoy.”  

When Gov. Doug Ducey eased shutdown restrictions to allow pools, fitness centers and limited inside dining to open back up last month, some properties saw occupancy jump to the 30 percent range over Memorial Day weekend, Sabow said. 

“The easing of that guidance was a nice shot in the arm for this industry that so desperately needed it.”

Arizona’s certification program is in partnership and modeled after the American Hotel and Lodging Association’s that builds upon sanitation best practices and recommendations from national hospitality and public health experts.

For more information about Arizona’s program, go to:. 

More than 20 Arizona locations AzSAFE+CLEAN certified 

Arizona Grand Resort & Spa

Audio Visual Management Solutions 

Castle Hot Springs

DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Phoenix

Four Points by Sheraton at Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport

Hacienda Del Sol Guest Ranch Resort

The Hermosa Inn

Hotel Congress

Hotel Valley Ho

Mountain Shadows Resort Scottsdale

OdySea Aquarium

Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia

Omni Tucson National Resort

Sanctuary Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa

Scottsdale Camelback Resort

Sedona Rouge Hotel and Spa

The Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch

The Phoenician 

W Scottsdale 

We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort

Westgate Painted Mountain Golf Resort

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