*Awards are estimated. Actual award will be determined during the application process.

• If you are already a member of GHLA as the main contact for your hotel or management company, you will automatically be included to receive updates.
• If you regularly receive information from GHLA as a main contact for your hotel or management company, you will automatically be included to receive updates
• If you have signed up for information on Grants.GHLA.net, you will automatically be included to receive updates.
• Every effort will be made to contact all operating hotels in Georgia to provide information on the grant opportunity.

• Must be a Georgia hotel as defined in O.C.G.A 43-21-1.
• Be in operation prior to the start of the pandemic. (See page 24 of [Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: Overview of the Final Rule.])
• Document at least a 15% loss from 2019 to 2020.
• Agree to use the funds at the Georgia hotel level.
• Comply with federal and state compliance regulations for receiving grants.
• Agree to use the funds for the program specific uses.

The application should be completed by whoever can legally sign binding contracts for the hotel. That could be the owner, owner's representative, general manager, or chief executive officer.

This grant is structured for individual hotel locations in Georgia. Multiple applications may be submitted by an owner or ownership group, but each property must submit its own application. The applications will be linked together, but each property must be filed under its own application.

The overall mission of the grant is to get people back to work and improve safety and security.

Yes. The funds must be used at the property level with a priority on wage enhancements, employee bonuses, COVID protections, human trafficking prevention training, workforce development, career development programs, employee training, safety, and security enhancements. The funds shall NOT be used for replacing lost profits, taxes, renovations, or new construction. Every grant recipient must implement an ongoing human trafficking prevention training program.

This grant is designed to get workers back on the job and get the hotel back on its feet. The grant application should be made by the current owners and/or operators.

No. According to the Federal compliance document a business must have been in operation prior to the start of the pandemic. (See page 24 of [ Coronavirus State & Local Fiscal Recovery Funds: Overview of the Final Rule.]). The final rule maintains the interim final rule's requirement that aid may only be considered responsive to the negative economic impacts of the pandemic if it supports businesses, attractions, and Tribal development districts operating prior to the pandemic and affected by required closures and other efforts to contain the pandemic. The grant team continues to seek options for properties that opened during the pandemic. Any change in eligibility per this restriction that is approved by the state will be immediately announced.

A single audit is required for all grants over $750,000 in a single fiscal year. Here is the link to that code section. The federal and state governments reserve the right to audit any recipient. You should consult your tax advisor / attorney. For details, click here for the federal documentation.

All Grantees shall be subject to ongoing reporting requirements as required by the state. When grant is ready to be closed, a close-out report will be required.

Grant recipients will be required to sign a legal document agreeing to the validity of the data provided, the responsible parties representing the hotel, the terms of the grant, compliance with state and federal requirements, and the follow up reporting procedures required.

Approved grant funds will be electronically transferred to the recipients from the grant’s official banking, finance, and accounting service providers once all legal requirements and documents have been properly submitted and approved.

The responsibility to complete the terms and conditions of the grant will transfer to the new owner or operator until grant requirements have been completed and the final reports have been submitted. The exiting owner or operator must submit a report on the balance of the funds that remain and how the expended funds were used.

The grant recipient must submit the final report showing the use of funds up to that point. Any unused funds must be returned.

Here is the overview of the process.

Yes, the online application form will allow you to save your work and come back to it to complete it. Once you click on submit, it will lock your form until it goes through the review process, and you are asked for additional information.

Here is the link for the IRS FAQ page on taxes for recovery funds: Frequently asked questions for states and local governments on taxability and reporting of payments from Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. You should consult your tax advisor / attorney.

By December 31, 2024, you must have received the funds and applied them toward their approved uses. Should additional time be needed, a wavier can be requested for a limited period.

Yes, if the staffing companies are filling positions in the hotel. The funds may be used to supplement staffing expenses incurred by the hotel.

The funds may only be used for COVID protections, safety, and security items (this could include personal protection alert systems and devices), training and staffing related items as outlined in the grant. It is not to be used for consumables, marketing, or renovations.

Yes, the funds may be used to supplement staffing expenses.

Those funds must be returned.

Grant amounts are determined by a strict formula that has been approved by the state based on RevPAR losses, room count and labor cost by service level to aid those most in need. See the Calculator for estimated amounts.

The STR classification maps independent hotels back to one of the main classifications. If you are not aware of your equivalent placement in the classifications, please contact Smith Travel Research (STR) for that information.