Round II will open soon

Hotel Relief Grant Program

This Hotel Grant Relief Program will provide financial assistance to hotels and other lodging entities located in Montgomery County, MD.

Hotels and other lodging entities have been extremely hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and will have a long recovery. Governor Larry Hogan announced this relief program and is providing the funding to local jurisdictions to help the lodging industry. Montgomery County will distribute these relief funds as the grantee from the MD Department of Commerce.

Hotel Relief Grant Program Frequently Asked Questions. If you have additional questions, please email info@visitmontgomery.com.

All funds must be dispersed by March 31, 2021.

Prepare to apply

  1. Review the Eligibility Requirements for the program.
  2. Be sure to use the correct legal name of the organization on your application.
  3. Check the taxpayer identification number and be sure it matches the legal name of the organization.
  4. Be sure your business pays the Sales & Use Tax to the State of Maryland
  5. Be sure your business pays the Montgomery County Hotel & Motel Tax
  6. Ensure you are in “Good Standing” with the State of Maryland at the time of application.

Follow these steps to determine whether your business is in “Good Standing”:

  1. Go to Maryland Business Express
  2. In the "Business Quick Links" section, select "Business Entity Search".
  3. Enter your business name and select "Search".
  4. Your business will be listed if you are registered.
  5. Select your business and check under the General Information tab to verify that your business is in Good Standing. It is not necessary to order a copy of your certificate of good standing.

Eligibility Requirements

  1. Be a provider of accommodations subject to:
    1. The sales and use tax under 11-102 of the Tax-General Article of the Maryland Code generated to the tax codes 111 or 901, AND;
    2. The Montgomery County Hotel & Motel Tax.
  2. Be in good standing with the State of Maryland.
  3. Except as provided below, have at least 10 sleeping rooms.
    1. If the accommodation is a bed and breakfast establishment, have at least 5 sleeping rooms.
  4. Demonstrate a reduction in year-over-year gross revenues of at least 25% for the period of April 2020 – November 2020 compared to the gross revenue of April 2019 - November 2019.
  5. Be open to the public for the provision of accommodations by no later than March 31, 2021.

Allowable Use of Hotel Grant Relief Funds

Grantees are allowed to use funds for:

Grantees are not permitted to use grant funds to fund expenses outside of their normal operating costs.  Prohibited costs include any of the following that are not directly related to COVID-19 prevention:

Required Documentation

The following documents will be required at the time of application:

  1. Signed, completed application form
  2. Profit & Loss Statement (or equivalent) showing Gross Revenue for April to November 2019
  3. Profit & Loss Statement (or equivalent) showing Gross Revenue for April to November 2020

Application Review Process

Applications will be reviewed for eligibility based on the criteria listed above. Grant awards are based on a maximum per room award amount of $644/room as determined by the State of Maryland, Sales & Use Tax allocations, with a maximum grant award of $64,460 per entity.

If there are grant funds remaining after Round 1 grant awards have been allocated, we may disburse additional funding during a second round. Applicants who did not apply during Round 1 would be eligible to apply during Round 2, and applicants who had previously been awarded a grant during Round 1 would be eligible to receive a second grant on a pro-rata basis based on the number of rooms the accommodations provider has in Montgomery County, MD.