OAK BROOK — Available now to every eligible hotel in DuPage County through the DuPage County Hotel Relief Program — being administered by the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau (DCVB) — are federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA). Out of the $179,266,585 received by the County of DuPage of ARPA funds, the DuPage County Board voted in favor of allocating $2 million for a Hotel Relief Program. The objective of the program is to infuse dollars directly to the properties at a critical time when hotels are facing significant headwinds.Different from federal programs, the DuPage County Hotel Relief Program is not a loan program that requires repayment or a matching grant. It is a county-specific program with a one-time distribution of ARPA funds directly to DuPage County’s hard-hit hotels. After application submission and approval, a hotel will receive a one-time payment based on total number of hotel rooms, at $112 per room. Only hotels open on or before March 3, 2021, are eligible.Applicants must be a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, limited liability company or joint venture that owns and operates one or more lodging properties within DuPage County and be operating under a license issued by the Illinois Department of Revenue. Applicants will need to attest to lost revenue or incurred additional expenses at their eligible properties within DuPage County due to the COVID-19 public health emergency between March 1, 2020, and June 11, 2021. Funds received under this program must be used for qualified expenses at the property level to assist in recovering transient, business and group travel or guest experience. For more information, hotels can register for one of two informational sessions hosted by DCVB on Zoom on August 2, 2022, at 2 p.m. and August 4, 2022 at 2 p.m. Zoom registration links, application form, and submission instructions can be found at www.DuPageHotelRelief.com.DCVB will start accepting applications on August 3, 2022. The deadline for application submission is September 30, 2022.DCVB Executive Director Beth Marchetti, who has been advocating for the needs of hotels since the onset of the pandemic, emphasized the opportunity for hotels, stating, “We know hotels have limited bandwidth. This application is simple and manageable. It is my hope and that of the DuPage County Board that every hotel takes advantage of this program.”The Hotel Relief Program was one of three components of DCVB’s $2.8 million relief plan focused on revitalizing the area’s hospitality community which relies on meetings, events, and leisure visitors. $750,000 will be allocated for a joint business attraction and marketing program through DCVB and Choose DuPage, and $50,000 for a seven-county regional tourism program. The DuPage County Board approved DCVB’s ARPA package in order to help strengthen the local economy after the COVID-19 public health emergency. “When people visit DuPage County, they shop at our small businesses and eat at our restaurants. The tourism industry is a vital part of DuPage County’s economy,” said DuPage County Economic Development Committee Chairwoman Amy Chavez. “This program will have a direct impact not only on our local hotels, but on our local businesses, helping to boost our local economy.”