US hoteliers still happy to pay for influence

The major hoteliers' assocation in the USA paid the country's politicians a total of $300,000 (£189,000) in the last year in an effort to influence legislation, it said last week.

American Hotel and Lodging Association president Joe McInerney said that he believed the money was well spent because "it makes people more willing to listen when they get into power. They remember who has supported them, even if we only give a little."

The association was happy with the recent US mid-term elections because 89% of those it supported for election to Congress were elected and 82% were elected to the Senate. "We have a lot of new friends on Capitol Hill," McInerney said.

Regulations mean that the maximum donated to any one politician is $5,000 (£3,150), although the AHLA sometimes gives just $1,000 (£630).

First on the list are those with a proven track record of backing legislation of which the AHLA approves, McInerney said, with specially selected new candidates coming next.