An LA visitor’s guide to the hotel workers’ strike

If you’re planning on visiting Los Angeles in the near future, the widespread coverage of the hotel workers’ strike may have you wondering whether you need to make new reservations or select a different city.

In fact, there are many hotels that are not involved in the labor dispute and even those that are remain open. The strike is affecting tourists and business travelers in less obvious ways, from the noise of the picket line to the possible loss of some amenities.

As of Monday morning, work stoppages were affecting 18 of the 44 hotels in the coalition negotiating with Unite Here Local 11, and union officials said they expected the number to rise. It is not clear how long the strike will last and whether the walkouts will be intermittent or ongoing until a new deal is reached.

The negotiations cover pay and benefits for approximately 15,000 cooks, maids, dishwashers, waiters, bellhops and receptionists at hotels large and small in Los Angeles and Orange County, ranging from boutiques to well-known brands to luxury destinations.

Here is a list of the hotels the workers left Monday afternoon, by geographic location:

Downtown

• LA Grand Hotel, Financial District
• Biltmore Los Angeles, Financial District
• Courtyard Los Angeles LA Live, South Park
• Right hotel, South Park
• Hotel Indigo, South Park
• E-Central, South Park
• JW Marriott, South Park
• Hotel Figueroa, South Park
• Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown, Metro Center
• DoubleTree by Hilton, Little Tokyo

santa monica

Westwood

universal city

Dana 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. Affected brands – many jointly owned by companies – include Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, DoubleTree, Sheraton, Four Seasons, W, Loews, Fairfield, Holiday Inn, Westin and Hampton Inn.

What does that mean for visitors?

According to the union, the number of workers entitled to strike is the largest in US history. So far, however, the strikes have only reached a fraction of the city’s 100,000 hotel rooms. The hotel coalition, which is negotiating with Unite Here, estimates that around 15,000 rooms will be affected by the contract negotiations.

Individual hotels contacted by The Times declined to comment on the impact of the strike on their services. Peter Hillan, a spokesman for the Hotel Assn. from Los Angeles, said he couldn’t speak for a specific venue either, but said the larger chains typically bring in middle managers and non-union workers from other houses to fill in the gaps left by striking workers.

The hotel’s “core functions,” like security and housekeeping, would remain in place, Hillan said. However, 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 “could be subject to picketing and the noise and drama that comes with it,” he said, but added, “Hotels have put in place the kind of security and access that prevents drama on the outside from becoming drama on the inside.” “

If you want to avoid the protests or avoid the pickets, there are many options. Hotel occupancy in Los Angeles County was 72% in May, Hillan said — higher than before the pandemic but not stratospheric.

If you already have reservations, you can contact your hotel to find out if there have been work stoppages there, and if so, if services have been restricted, if any. You should also find out if you will have to pay a cancellation fee if you decide to travel elsewhere. Hillan said hotels have in the past been willing to discuss a waiver in exceptional circumstances.

To find an alternative, you can search for a hotel by neighborhood on sites like Booking.com, Kayak, and Hotels.com (among many other specifications). All three show you points of interest near LA to help you orientate your search.

Want to save yourself the hassle of finding a hotel that isn’t affected by the strike? Use a vacation rental service like Airbnb or VRBO to find alternative accommodations.

Times contributor Suhauna Hussain contributed to this report.