History

Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association

association · active attested 2011–2020

Also known as HMRA

The trade association of Ocean City's accommodation and dining businesses, and the organised voice of the industry the town exists to house. It appears in the council record through its executive director Susan Jones — writing to the council in the evacuation argument of November 2011, and reporting to it on comparative practice elsewhere on the coast. In June 2020 the mayor attended an HMRA meeting to discuss the COVID-19 response, one line in the fortnight's Department Activity Report that also carried eleven news interviews, a governor and a protest.

In the record (2)

  1. 2021

    The bounce-back summer nearly stalls on staffing: J-1 visa gaps leave Ocean City businesses 'severely understaffed' as 8 million visitors return.

    Ocean City's COVID-recovery summer collided with a seasonal-labor crisis. Jolly Roger Amusements — normally 500-plus summer workers, about 250 of them on J-1 exchange visas — reported being 'severely understaffed' (GM Steve Pastusak, May 2021), as pandemic embassy closures and travel restrictions choked the international student pipeline; one sponsor agency that typically placed about 1,500 students saw 200–250 visa denials from countries including Thailand, the Dominican Republic, and Eastern European nations. The Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association warned the shortage threatened the resort's usual roughly 8 million summer visitors' experience, and businesses cut hours and raised wages to compete for domestic workers.

    Source · checked 2026-08-05

  2. 2024 · 2024-02-05

    The special events director told the Tourism Commission in February 2024 that the just-ended Winterfest had drawn its second-best attendance in more than thirty years, and the Mayor reminded members that the St. Patrick's Day Parade was the town's largest single-day event

    Tourism Commission minutes of 5 February 2024, attached to the 13 February work session packet, Special Events: "Director Miller stated Winterfest was a resounding success with attendance that was second best in its 30-plus years. Train display equally successful." Then: "St. Patrick's Day Parade. With no Tourism Commission meeting scheduled for March, Mayor Meehan wanted to remind members that the largest, single one-day event that brings in the largest impact to the Town is the St. Patrick's Day Parade being held on March 16th. Melanie Pursel and Phil Baker will cohost the livestream broadcast along with Dave Messick filming the event. Delmarva Irish Club is seeking sponsorships for the production part of the parade and also to give scholarships to deserving high school students in Worcester County." The same minutes announce the marketing department's new vehicle: "the purchase of a new 1975 VW van decked out front to back with the brand logo," for a "Catch a Ride 2.0" campaign extending from six to twelve markets, with the tourism director thanking the city manager "for pushing the purchase of the van through the ranks." The HMRA reported that its 50th spring trade show on 3-4 March had "the largest ever with 442 exhibitor booths."

    Ocean City Tourism CommissionRick Meehan

    Source · checked 2026-09-11