UNITE HERE Launches Ad Buy: Hotel Workers Are “Sick of Saying Sorry” for Cuts to Guest Services and Amenities

As 13,000 hotel workers vote to authorize strikes, union launches new campaign to educate guests about how industry service cuts affect workers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hotel workers union UNITE HERE yesterday launched a new suite of digital ads that target tourists and travelers nationwide. The ads feature hotel workers saying they are “sick of saying sorry” to guests about staffing and service cuts. They are part of an effort to educate hotel customers about why thousands of hotel workers are preparing for possible strikes in eleven cities across the U.S.

The labor dispute is fueled in part by workers’ concerns that the hotel industry is going the way of airlines, where customers are paying more but getting less, and the ads illustrate the impact that these cuts have on workers and their lives. Many hotels have kept COVID-era service and staffing cuts even as business normalizes – including understaffing, ending automatic daily housekeeping, removing food and beverage options, and more. Hotel staffing per occupied room was down 13% from 2019 to 2022 and down 32% from 1995 to 2022.

“I’m sick of saying ‘sorry I’ll be with you shortly’ to guests waiting in line at the front desk to be helped," says Tina Tolentino, a Guest Service Agent at the Waikiki Beach Marriott. “Understaffing makes it hard for me to use the restroom or take a break when lines get long because we don’t have enough staff to keep the line moving.”

Workers are calling for the hotel industry to “Respect Our Work” and “Respect Our Guests” by raising wages, reversing staffing cuts that have led to painful working conditions, and protecting work associated with providing guest services and amenities. The U.S. hotel industry’s gross operating profit was 26.63% higher in 2022 than 2019, but hotel workers report heavy workloads, loss of hours, and jobs that aren’t enough to afford the cost of living.

“I’m sick of saying sorry for Spencer’s Steakhouse being closed. I worked at the restaurant before management shut it down, and now I get very few shifts at other hotel restaurants,” says Nga Dinh, a sever at the DoubleTree San Jose. “I lost my health insurance and now I have to work other jobs to get by.”

UNITE HERE is delivering these ads to tourists and travelers nationwide who are interested in travelling to markets where workers have taken strike votes.

“The future of the American hotel industry, and the standards that guests have come to expect, are on the line,” said Gwen Mills, President of UNITE HERE. “Workers routinely hear from guests frustrated about cuts to service and amenities, all while losing out on tips and hours. It can’t go on.”