PHILADELPHIA, PA – Center City hotel room attendants, cooks, bartenders, and other hospitality workers represented by UNITE HERE Local 274 have begun strikes at two of the Center City Philadelphia hotels with expired contracts.

Starting at 5 am, members of UNITE HERE Local 274 began walking picket lines in front of the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown at 17th and Race and the Hampton Inn Philadelphia Center City-Convention Center at 13th and Race. Hospitality employees are fighting to secure major gains ahead of a historic surge in Philadelphia tourism expected in 2026.

“We need a real raise.” said Sheraton room attendant Francine Eason, “Inflation has eaten up our wages. We deserve to be able to take care of ourselves. We deserve to be able to take care of our families. It’s time for these companies to listen.”

Employees of the hotels are demanding significant wage and pension increases, improvements in health care coverage, and an end to long-term trends of understaffing. The Sheraton Downtown is owned by Miami-based private investor Cambridge Landmark and the Hampton Inn Center City is owned by Blackstone Inc.’s real investment trust BREIT.

“They’re talking about tourism bringing in a billion dollars next year,” said Hampton Inn room attendant Tanay Nibblins, “Without the work we do, there is no tourism. We know what we’re worth. The time to pay us what we need is right now.”

Visitors planning on coming to Philadelphia in the next year are encouraged to visit PhillyTravelAlert.org, a website launched by UNITE HERE Local 274 with up-to-date information regarding labor disputes and strikes at Philly hotels.

Wages in the hotels have failed to keep up with inflation, causing many workers to struggle to meet their families’ basic needs. At the same time, understaffing has forced fewer workers to work longer and harder. Philadelphia is set to host a slew of high-profile events in 2026 including the FIFA World Cup and the MLB All Star Game. City leaders are betting big that these events will translate to a major economic boon for the local economy. Philadelphia hotel workers are fighting to secure economic gains ahead of these blockbuster events. Last year, over 12,000 hotel workers went on strike across the United States from Boston to Honolulu, winning major victories and significantly improving the standard for wages and benefits in their cities. Philly’s hotel workers deserve the same respect as their colleagues in other parts of the country, and they’re fighting for it.

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UNITE HERE Philly Local 274 is the union that welcomes you to Philadelphia, representing 4,000 private sector hotel and food service workers who work at the stadiums, airports, and hotels throughout the Philadelphia region. We serve the food, hold the door, carry the bags, clean the rooms, and wash the laundry. We’re fighting to end poverty-creating jobs and to ensure that Black, Brown, and immigrant workers aren’t left out of Philadelphia’s economy.