The Hotel Association of Washington, D.C. maintains a strong government affairs program on behalf of over 95 hotels in Washington, D.C. This arm of the Association works in collaboration with local business organizations as well as the American Hotel & Lodging Association to successfully create a better regulatory and legislative business environment for members. HAWDC regularly lobbies before the Council of the District of Columbia on numerous bills that impact our hotels. We also work with the city to ease licensing regulations, to protect the integrity of the hotel tax, and collaborate with officials on emergency preparedness. HAWDC supports many local, regional, and national initiatives that bring additional tourists to Washington, DC. Finally, HAWDC has a great interest in civic responsibility by supporting our city’s elected officials through the H.O.T.E.L. (Hotel Organization to Elect Leaders), the Association’s political action committee (PAC).

FREQUENTLY ASKED LEGAL QUESTIONS

As 24 hour operations, hotels serve as a home-away-from-home and a rest and restore point for a guest taking in all that DC has to offer. In this regard, then, hotels also have a great interest to protect employees and guests. If you have a particular legal question, you may find it on our list of FAQs.

If your question is not listed here, contact Solomon Keene, Jr. at (202) 289-0193 or solomon@hawdc.com.

What is the GSA Government Travel Per Diem Rate for DC Hotels for FY2010? (March 1, 2010 - September 30, 2010): Lodging Only

March 1, 2010 - June 30, 2010 - $226

July 1, 2010 - August 31, 2010 - $170

September 1, 2010 - September 30, 2010 - $229 

What is DC’s hotel tax?

14.5%

What is DC’s sales tax?

6%

What is DC’s Restaurant Food Sales tax?

10%

Does a consecutive stay of 90 days qualify a guest for sales tax exemption?

Yes. A permanent resident of a hotel is one who rents for 90 or more consecutive days.

What are some general taxicab regulations that affect hotels? 

Visit http://dctaxi.dc.gov/dctaxi/site/default.asp to visit the DC Taxicab Commission Website.