Crown Act + Risks When Working Alone + Labor Cost Index + Unions + Flexibility

More than a dozen state legislatures already passed a variation of the CROWN Act and more than a half dozen states are considering a version of the CROWN Act. Federal legislation was introduced in Congress in December 2019 and re-introduced in March 2021. The CROWN Act passed in the House on March 18, 2022 and is now under consideration in the Senate. The federal version is broader in scope than some state legislation and is called Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act of 2022 ("CROWN Act of 2022"). The federal legislation’s stated purpose "is to institute definitions of race and national origin for Federal civil rights laws that effectuate the comprehensive scope of protection Congress intended to be afforded by such law and Congress’ objective to eliminate race and national origin discrimination in the United States."

As the myriad of legal actions make clear, hair has served as a basis of race and national origin discrimination. The CROWN Act, in its various versions, expands the legal definition of race as a protected class to include traits historically associated with race, including hair texture and style.

Nearly a year into the so-called Great Resignation, hotels have been finding a range of ways to attract and retain workers for the long haul.

Elie Khoury, EVP of operations at Aimbridge Hospitality, said pandemic-driven travel restrictions, canceled conferences and mask mandates changed how customer-facing hotel workers interact with guests. "It puts a lot of burden on our industry and caused us to lose a lot of our employees," he said. Ann Christenson, Aimbridge’s EVP and chief human resources officer, estimated that some hotel companies lost 60 to 75 percent of their workforce over the course of the pandemic and downturn.