How L.A. hotel workers’ strike will affect visitors
About 20 locations are hit by Unite Here Local 11 walkouts. It may mean more noise and fewer services.
If you know someone planning to visit Los Angeles anytime soon, the widespread news coverage of the hotel workers’ strike may have left them wondering whether they have to make new reservations — or pick a different city.
In truth, there are plenty of hotels not involved in the labor dispute, and even the ones that are embroiled in it remain open.
The walkout is affecting tourists and business travelers in less obvious ways, including the noise of the picket lines and the possible loss of some amenities.
As of Monday morning, 18 of the 44 hotels in the coalition negotiating with Unite Here Local 11 were hit with walkouts, and union officials said they expected the number to grow.
It’s not clear how long the strike will last, nor whether the walkouts will be intermittent or sustained until a new deal is reached.
The talks cover the pay and benefits for some 15,000 cooks, maids, dishwashers, servers, bellmen and frontdesk agents at hotels in L.A. and Orange counties, ranging
from boutiques to familiar brand names to luxury destinations.
Here is a list of the hotels where workers had walked out as of Monday afternoon:
Downtown
• L.A. Grand Hotel, financial district
• Biltmore Los Angeles, financial district
• Courtyard Los Angeles L.A. Live, South Park
• Proper Hotel, South Park
• Hotel Indigo, South Park
• E-Central, South Park
• JW Marriott, South Park
• Hotel Figueroa, South Park
• Intercontinental Los Angeles, Metro Center
• DoubleTree by Hilton, Little Tokyo
Santa Monica
• Fairmont Miramar
• Le Méridien Delfina Santa Monica
• Viceroy Santa Monica
• Hampton Inn & Suites Santa Monica
• Courtyard Santa Monica
Westwood
• W Los Angeles - West Beverly Hills
Universal City
• Sheraton Universal Hotel
Dana Point
• Laguna Cliffs Marriott Resort & Spa
The union says that its members have also authorized strikes at hotels in Beverly Hills, Glendale, Pasadena, Hollywood, West Hollywood, San Pedro, Long Beach, Anaheim and Irvine. The brands affected — many of them under common corporate ownership — include Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, DoubleTree, Sheraton, Four Seasons, W, Loews, Fairfield, Holiday Inn, Westin and Hampton Inn.
What can visitors expect?
The union says that the number of workers authorized to strike is the largest in U.S. history.
So far, however, the walkouts 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 walkout affects their services.
Peter Hillan, a spokesman for the Hotel Assn. of Los Angeles, said he couldn’t speak for any specific venue, but he said that the larger chains typically bring in middle managers and nonunion workers from other properties to fill in the gaps left by striking workers.
The “core functions” of the hotel, such as safety and housekeeping, will be preserved, Hillan said. Some of the less essential amenities, such as the full range of food and beverage services, may not be available during the walkout, however, he said.
In addition, guests “may be subject to a picket and the noise and drama that comes with that,” he said, but added, “Hotels have provided the type of security and access that prevents the drama from outside from becoming drama inside.”
For visitors eager to avoid the protests or steer clear of the picket lines, there are plenty of options. The hotel occupancy rate in May was 72% in Los Angeles County, Hillan said — higher than it was pre-pandemic, but not stratospheric.
Those who already have reservations can contact the hotel to see if it is the site of walkouts and if so, whether services have been curtailed. Hillan said that in the past, hotels have been willing to discuss a waiver of cancellation fees in extraordinary circumstances.
For those seeking an alternative, websites such as Booking.com, Kayak and Hotels.com enable people to search for a hotel by neighborhood (among many other specifications).
All three show nearby L.A. landmarks to help you orient your search.
Want to avoid the trouble of finding a hotel not affected by the strike? Use a vacation rental service such as Airbnb or VRBO to find alternative accommodations.