Hotels Urge Government to End Shutdown As Millions of Dollars are Lost

Just about everyone is fed up with the government shutdown, but now major hotel chains are speaking out against it. Hotel chains have asked the government to put an end to the shutdown as they say it has caused people to cancel trips.

The American Hotel & Lodging Association and its members sent a letter to President Obama and Congress on Thursday, asking for "an immediate agreement to fund the government and establish a degree of economic certainty to allow for continued growth," USA Today reports.

The group claims that more then $8 million is lost every day at hotels across the nation as the shutdown goes on.

The shutdown, now in its 10th day, has forced national parks, zoos and museums to close, which hotels say have caused thousands of people to cancel their trips and reservations. The hotel group claims that communities around these parks are losing $76 million a day in visitor spending money.

Many international travelers have cancelled their stays in particular as they aren't sure if they can enter and leave the country normally. Several Canadians have called hotels in the northern states to ask if the border is open yet.

"Current fiscal conditions are leading to increased consumer uncertainty, all to the detriment of economic growth," the group wrote in the letter according to USA Today. "In short, the government shutdown is increasingly impairing the lodging industry's ability to hire, grow, and contribute to the economy."

American Hotel & Lodging Association CEO Katherine Lugar says that hoteliers are a major economic driver and job creator across the country, and the industry's ability to continue its growth is hamstrung by inaction from our policymakers."

"The administration, House of Representatives, and Senate need to act swiftly in the best interests of the entire nation and end this shutdown," she added.

The letter was signed by Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Worldwide, InterContinental Hotels Group, Marriott International, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Loews Hotels, and Best Western International.