During Labor Day weekend, over 10,000 hotel workers went on strike, and 2,000 are out now. They’re taking their fight to Congress to advocate for consumer protections on unpopular hotel resort fees

Washington, D.C. – Dozens of hotel workers arrived in Washington today to meet with members of Congress about protecting hotel guests from getting ripped off by unpopular hotel resort fees. Many of the workers flew in from cities where hotels have gone on or are currently on strike, including Honolulu, San Diego and San Francisco.  Yesterday, over 1,500 San Francisco hotel workers walked off the job.

The union will be lobbying for changes to legislation supported by hotel corporations that would limit states’ abilities to regulate resort fees. Hotel workers argue that resort fees, as well as other COVID-era service and staffing cuts, get in the way of providing the hospitality that guests expect and appreciate about staying at hotels. The lobby visits will include a briefing for congressional staff hosted by Senator Bernie Sanders.

Hotel room rates are at record highs, and the U.S. hotel industry made over $100 billion in gross operating profit in 2022. But hotel workers report that their wages aren’t enough to support their families, and many have to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. Meanwhile, staffing per occupied room was down 13% from 2019 to 2022. The union says that many hotels took advantage of the pandemic to cut staffing and guest services like automatic daily housekeeping and room service, causing some workers to lose jobs and income – while others experience pain and stress due to increased workloads.

“I do this job because I love what I do and how impactful I can be to someone’s vacation or workday. Yet, taking care of angry guests firsthand is such a challenge,” said Briana Canencia, a server at the Waikiki Beach Marriott. “We welcome and encourage guests to stay with us, but I’ve been told time and time again that extra costs like resort fees cause them a lot of frustration.”

Leading up to and during the strikes, hotel workers have been calling on hotels to “respect our work” and “respect our guests.” The union has launched websites aimed at educating guests about unfair and deceptive hotel practices, including resort fees and the devaluation of hotel loyalty card and rewards points.

“We’re in Washington because guests and hotel workers share a common interest – we all want hotels to reverse their COVID-era cuts, protect guests from unpopular resort fees, and put their focus back on providing the best possible hospitality,” said Gwen Mills, President of UNITE HERE.

“We’ve been fighting staffing and service cuts that went into place since the pandemic,” said Violeta Reyes, a House Attendant at the Westin Seattle. “Between those things and the extra fees the hotels are charging guests, we think the hotel is treating both us and the guests unfairly. That’s what we’re coming to D.C. to talk about.”