Hotel Motel Tax Advisory Committee

The Department of Community and Economic Development serves as the staff liasion for this committee which assists the City Council in Hotel/Motel industry-related decision making and funding.

The City of SeaTac provides tourism promotional funding for events and projects that entice, welcome and entertain tourists and visitors. These funds are made possible by local and state Hotel Motel Excise Tax collected on accommodations within the City of SeaTac (Lodging Tax Funding).

Funding is awarded annually by the SeaTac City Council based on the recommendations of the Hotel Motel Advisory Committee (HMAC).  The SeaTac HMAC is currently accepting applications for 2021/22 funding. 2020 funds are still available out of the Opportunity Bucket, and as otherwise may be appropriate.

Applications are due:No later than Sunday, May 31, 2020 at 11:59PM 

• Recommended recipient selection will be announced in July/August and final approval by November 2020 or upon final City of SeaTac Budget adoption.
• Questions regarding the Lodging Tax Funding Application requirements and process may be directed to Tanja Carter, City of SeaTac Economic Development Strategist at tcarter@seatacwa.gov.

About the Program

The funding is allocated to activities/projects that promote tourism to generate travel and emphasize overnight hotel guests in the City of SeaTac. Specifically, lodging tax funding can be used for tourism marketing/promotion and operations of special events, projects and festivals designed to attract tourists. The expected outcome of activities is to increase economic activity during the funding year, as well as subsequent years, measured by increased number of lodging room nights, meals, shopping at local retail businesses, and availability or accessibility of tourism-related facilities. 

 All recipients of lodging tax revenue, regardless of what specifically the revenue is used for, must submit an after event/project report to the City of SeaTac describing the actual number of visitors generated.

Application Process

The submission deadline is Sunday, May 31, 2020 at 11:59 PM.
No late applications will be accepted or reviewed during the funding cycle.

• Applications may be submitted by any organization, group, or business (not-for-profit, municipality, etc.) interested in promoting tourism in SeaTac.
• Selected applicants are requested to provide an oral presentation to the HMAC.
• Committee recommendations are completed and submitted to the City Council by the end of July/August 2020.
• Funds are:
  • Distributed as reimbursement
  • Contingent upon the recipient completing an "After Event/Project Report" which documents how many travelers/overnight visitors the event/project brought to SeaTac
  • The "After Event/Project Report" is due no later than two weeks after the event date

 Minutes and Agendas

The meeting agendas and minutes can be found on the homepage by clicking here.  Click on the green "Meeting Agendas & Minutes" button.  Then click on view past meetings to view approved meeting minutes.  Use the categories and/or departments drop-down boxes to narrow the listing.  You can also view meeting agendas and minutes using Document Central.  Click here to link to document central.