Hilton has removed a Minneapolis hotel from its system after the location refused to accept the bookings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the hotel operator said on Tuesday.
A Hampton Inn hotel, a Hilton brand, outside Minneapolis, Minn., refused to accommodate ICE agents, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said in a post on X on Monday, sharing an email from the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Lakeville notifying the agency of the cancellation.
“NO ROOM AT THE INN!” DHS wrote on X. “Hilton Hotels has launched a coordinated campaign in Minneapolis to REFUSE service to DHS law enforcement.”
Hilton apologized and said that the situation did not reflect its values, adding that they had been in “direct contact with the hotel and they have apologized for the actions of their team, which was not in keeping with their policies.”
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Following the apology, a video was captured by influencer Nick Sortor, who visited the property and was told by the front desk agent that reservations under DHS or ICE were not allowed.
“We’re not accepting people from immigration, ICE agents, DHS onto our property … it’s just policy,” the clerk told Sortor in the video.
The video was shared after Everpeak Hospitality, which runs the Hampton Inn, released a statement saying that it had “moved swiftly to address this matter as it was inconsistent with our policy of being a welcoming place for all.”
“We are in touch with the impacted guests to ensure they are accommodated. We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted. We are committed to welcoming all guests and operating in accordance with brand standards, applicable laws, and our role as a professional hospitality provider,” the statement added.
In a follow-up statement, Hilton said that it will sever ties with the franchise hotel after Sortor’s video showed the desk clerk refusing to book rooms for 10 people he said were DHS employees.
“The independent hotel owner had assured us that they had fixed this problem and published a message confirming this,” Hilton Hotels said in a statement on Tuesday. “A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values.”
“As such, we are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems. Hilton is — and has always been — a welcoming place for all,” the statement continued. “We are also engaging with all of our franchisees to reinforce the standards we hold them to across our system to help ensure this does not happen again.”
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the department welcomed Hilton’s move on Tuesday to cut ties with the hotel.
“We are glad to see @HiltonHotels take this step. Discriminatory business practices targeting DHS and deliberately undermining federal law enforcement are unAmerican and have real business consequences,” she said in a statement.
She also shared the video by Sortor on X, writing, “Worth noting this occurred many hours after Everpeak Hospitality and @HiltonHotels issued statements insisting this issue was resolved.”
McLaughlin said on X that the agency has not yet heard from Everpeak Hospitality.
— With files from Reuters
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