Beware booking at these hotels that are being affected by labor strikes

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If you’ve booked an upcoming stay at a Marriott-controlled hotel, there’s something you should know. Tens of thousands of workers are currently on strike in Boston, Detroit, San Francisco, Hawaii and many other locations of the world’s largest hotel chain.

Hotel wait staff, cooks, laundry workers, housekeepers, doormen, concierges and more are involved in a growing labor dispute. The hotels involved include household names like Aloft, Courtyard, Element, Marriott, Palace, Ritz-Carlton, Royal Hawaiian, Sheraton, St. Regis, W and Westin.

Workers from Marriott, Courtyard, Sheraton, Westin & more are on strike

The labor unrest involves nearly 8,000 workers at more than 23 locations, according to multiple news reports. At issue are collective bargaining agreements, which are set to expire at year’s end, according to the New York Times. The main gripe of the workers is that instead of a flat wage encompassing all the hotels, they want to be paid in line with the living wages of their respective cities.

Many hotel workers employed at the billion-dollar brand have to get second and third jobs just to make ends meet. The hotels are also embracing automation in a big way, further threatening the livelihoods of the workers.

Unite Here, a labor group representing many of the hotel workers, is asking potential hotel guests to go to www.FairHotel.org to make sure they’re staying at a union hotel not involved in the labor dispute.

Marriott strikes: Here’s how guests may be affected

If you happen to book at one of the affected hotels, well, it might be a long night(s). Hotel guests looking for a pleasant, quiet stay are being startled awake at 7 a.m. to the sounds of loud drumming, yelling and people speaking on a bullhorn or microphone, in some cases. So far, the strikes at Marriott International hotels are in eight cities but as negotiations continue, the walkouts may spread.

The Times reports that some services like getting fresh towels and housekeeping have been severely limited or cut out altogether. The union says hotel guests may also see leaflets and people holding placards outside their hotels.

Hotel labor dispute: Which hotels are affected?

According to MarriottTravelAlert.org, here are the hotels affected by strikes at this time:

Detroit

  • Westin Book Cadillac Detroit By Marriott

Boston

  • Aloft Boston Seaport by Marriott
  • Element Boston Seaport by Marriott
  • Ritz-Carlton Boston Common by Marriott
  • Sheraton Boston by Marriott
  • W Boston by Marriott
  • Westin Boston Waterfront by Marriott
  • Westin Copley Place, Boston by Marriott

Oakland

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  • Oakland Marriott City Center by Marriott

San Diego

  • The Westin Gaslamp Quarter San Diego by Marriott

San Francisco

  • San Francisco Marriott Union Square
  • Palace Hotel by Marriott
  • W San Francisco by Marriott
  • Westin St. Francis Union Square by Marriott
  • San Francisco Marriott Marquis
  • Courtyard San Francisco Downtown by Marriott
  • St. Regis San Francisco

San Jose

  • San Jose Marriott

Various Locations in Hawaii

  • The Royal Hawaiian by Marriott
  • Sheraton Maui Hotel by Marriott
  • Moana Surfrider, a Westin Resort by Marriott
  • Sheraton Princess Kaiulani by Marriott
  • Sheraton Waikiki by Marriott

These developments mean that that R&R you needed may not be Rest and Relaxation as much as being Resentful and saying “Really?” One R word that apparently isn’t of much use is Refund: The hotels are reportedly taking a hard line against guests looking to get their money back.

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