The GHLA grant team is hard at work with State officials and others to finalize the Save Georgia Hotels grant criteria
and process. This site serves as a pre-opening site for your information and will be transitioned to the operational
application website once final details are completed by the state.
The Save Georgia Hotel grant is a meaningful show of support by Gov. Brian Kemp and his administration for an industry
that was severely impacted from the start of the pandemic. The hotel industry was devastated, and among the last to
recover.
All operating hotels in Georgia may apply for the grant program. The property must be a Georgia hotel as defined in
O.C.G.A § 43-21-1. To be eligible the hotel must be able to document at least 15% RevPAR loss from 2019 to 2020 and be
in operation prior to the start of the pandemic. Additional information can be found in the FAQs.
Grant amounts are determined by a strict formula that has been approved by the state based on RevPAR loss, room count
and labor cost by service level to aid those most in need.
Funds awarded through the Save Georgia Hotel grant must be dedicated to specific uses that rebuild Georgia’s hotel and
lodging workforce. Uses include workforce incentives such as additional pay, accelerated wage scales and bonuses;
enhanced safety and security on lodging property; and employee training and career development.
The funds are to be used at the hotel level in Georgia. The overall mission of the grant is to get people back to work
and improve safety and security.
Here are four steps you can take to prepare to apply for your hotels share of the Save Georgia Hotel funds:
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Designate who will be the lead contact
for processing the application for your property. The application should be completed by whoever can legally sign
binding contracts for the hotel.
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Determine whether a property is eligible for funds.
Among the criteria for qualification are meeting the definition of a Georgia hotel, operating prior to the start of the
pandemic, and documenting monthly RevPar loss from 2019 to 2020.
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Gather the documentation required for the application.
Documentation requirements include an accurate number of full-time employees, verification of financial loss, and stated
use of funds.
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Determine how you’ll use the funds.
All funds must be used for approved initiatives, which include employee training and career development and workforce
incentives such as additional pay, accelerated wage scales, retention bonuses, safety, and security.
Additional information can be found in the FAQ section.