Global Courant
If you’re planning a trip to Los Angeles soon, you may have wondered whether you should make new reservations or choose a different city due to widespread coverage of the hotel workers’ strike.
In reality, there are plenty of hotels not involved in the labor dispute, and even those caught up in it remain open. The strike is affecting tourists and business travelers in less obvious ways, from the noise of the picket lines to the potential loss of some amenities.
As of Monday morning, 18 of the 44 hotels in the coalition negotiating with Unite Here Local 11 were hit by strikes, and union officials said they expected the number to grow. It is not clear how long the strike will last, nor whether the strikes will be intermittent or continue until a new deal is reached.
Negotiations will cover pay and benefits for some 15,000 cooks, maids, dishwashers, clerks, doormen and receptionists at large and small hotels in Los Angeles and Orange County, ranging from boutiques to well-known brand names to luxury destinations.
Here’s a list of the hotels where employees had walked out as of Monday afternoon, listed by geographic location:
Centre
L.A. Grand HotelFinancial districtBiltmore Los AngelesFinancial districtCourtyard Los Angeles LA LiveSouth ParkCorrect hotelSouth ParkHotel IndigoSouth ParkE-CentralSouth ParkJW MarriotSouth ParkHotel FigueroaSouth ParkIntercontinental Los Angeles downtownMetro CenterDoubleTree by HiltonLittle Tokyo
Santa Monica
Westwood
Universal city
Dan point
The union says its members have also authorized strikes at hotels in Beverly Hills, Glendale, Pasadena, Hollywood, West Hollywood, San Pedro, Long Beach, Anaheim and Irvine. The affected brands – many of them under common ownership – include Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, DoubleTree, Sheraton, Four Seasons, W, Loews, Fairfield, Holiday Inn, Westin and Hampton Inn.
What this means for visitors
The union says the number of workers allowed to strike is the largest in US history. So far, however, the strikes have reached only a fraction of the city’s 100,000 hotel rooms. The hotel coalition negotiating with Unite Here estimates that some 15,000 rooms are covered by the contract talks.
Individual hotels contacted by The Times declined to comment on how the strike would affect their services. Peter Hillan, a spokesperson for Hotel Assn. of Los Angeles, said he couldn’t speak for a specific location either, but he said the larger chains typically pull middle managers and non-union workers from other properties to fill the gaps left by striking workers.
The hotel’s “core functions,” such as security and housekeeping, will be maintained, Hillan said. Some of the less essential amenities, such as the full range of food and drink, may not be available during the strike, he said.
In addition, guests “may be subject to a picket and the noise and drama that comes with it,” he said, but added, “Hotels have provided the kind of security and access that prevents the drama on the outside from becoming drama on the inside.”
If you want to avoid the protests or avoid the picket lines, there are plenty of options. Hotel occupancy in May was 72% in Los Angeles County, Hillan said — higher than before the pandemic, but not stratospheric.
If you already have reservations, you can check with your hotel to see if it is the location of strikes and, if so, whether services have been curtailed, if any. You should also check whether you will have to pay a cancellation fee if you decide to go elsewhere; Hillan said hotels have historically been willing to discuss an exemption in extraordinary circumstances.
To find an alternative, websites such as Booking. com, kayakAnd Hotels. com you can search for a hotel by neighborhood (among many other specifications). All three show you nearby LA points of interest to help you orient your search.
Want to avoid the trouble of finding a hotel that hasn’t been affected by the strike? Use a vacation rental service like Airbnb or VRBO to find alternative accommodations.
Times staff writer Suhauna Hussain contributed to this report.
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