‘Raise wages, not resort fees’

Hotel workers held a resort-themed rally protesting resort fees as deceptive and unfair for guests and workers

SEATTLE, WA (November 4, 2024) — Hotel workers created their own beach resort feel on the streets in front of the Westin Seattle on Saturday, drawing attention to resort fees charged at the Westin and other Seattle hotels. The workers are calling on Westin Seattle to “raise wages, not resort fees,” fees which UNITE HERE Local 8 says are unfair for workers and guests alike.

In the cold and rain, workers picketed wearing leis, sipped beverages, threw beachballs, and lounged among inflatable palm trees. It was a surreal scene, about as out of place as the resort fees charged by some Seattle hotels.

The union reports that hotels like the Westin tack resort fees of upwards of $25 and $30 onto guest bills for services guests might not even want — or didn’t think they pay extra for. These fees can include internet access, or a credit for in-house food service. However, hotels like the Westin have also cut back restaurant hours, reducing the usefulness of such fees.

As hotels pull in more and more profit from these fees, workers are fighting for higher wages, fair staffing and workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era cuts, as business has returned but staffing and pay haven’t caught up. The workers are also fighting for respect; for themselves, and respect for guests who are sick of unfair and misleading resort fees.

Resort fees can cause stressful interactions between workers and guests and can result in fewer tips for workers when guests use their fee credit.

“The Westin started to charge guests resort fees after the pandemic,” said Westin Barista Jillian. “In exchange for the mandatory fee, the guests get a food and beverage credit, and they often come to the barista stand to use it. Since then, we are a lot busier than before and I have to work harder every day — but we get way less in tips when guests use the credit. I had to pick up a second job recently because what I make is not enough.”

The union argues that these fees represent a broader trend in the industry of nickeling and diming guests, which makes workers’ jobs harder and could lower guest satisfaction (and the union isn’t alone in that belief.)

UNITE HERE Local 8 President Anita Seth said, “It’s troubling seeing the Westin and other hotels in Seattle go the way of airlines, tacking confusing charges to rooms rates to pad their profits, while guests have to deal with less time and attention from workers because of reductions in staffing and service hours.”

The union has also launched a website, www.seattleresortfeeripoff.org, where people can get more information about resort fees at Seattle hotels.