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11/08/2025 – 07:52 PM
Workers at hotels owned by RLJ Lodging Trust on both coasts walk off the job in effort to win wages and benefits that enable them to afford to raise families in the cities where they work
LOS ANGELES – Hotel workers at the Hilton Garden Inn in Hollywood initiated a strike early this morning, escalating labor tensions within the hospitality sector. The 160-room hotel, an RLJ Lodging Trust property managed by Aimbridge Hospitality, anticipated high occupancy due to a scheduled event at the Hollywood Bowl. Simultaneously, in Philadelphia, employees at the Wyndham Historic District hotel, also under RLJ Lodging Trust ownership and Aimbridge management, commenced their strike action. These strikes occur amidst the backdrop of the approaching Thanksgiving travel season, a peak period for the hotel industry.
“Whether we strike is up to the employers and how willing they are to pay us fairly for the work we do,” said Maria Christina Velasquez, a shop steward with UNITE HERE Local 11 and laundry attendant at the Hilton Garden Inn Hollywood since 2019. “We’re ready for anything.”
“Hotel workers like me go on strike to win raises that keep up with the rising cost of living, pensions, high quality union healthcare, and safe workloads,” said Brent Allen, a restaurant server and member of UNITE HERE Local 274 at the Wyndham Historic District since 2023. “We’re going to welcome millions of visitors to Philly in 2026, but most of us can’t pay our basic bills. We deserve to be able to live dignified lives but that can only happen if the hotel owner and operator pay us what we deserve.”
RLJ Lodging Trust, a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in hotel properties, holds a portfolio of nearly 100 hotels across 23 states and the District of Columbia. The timing of these strikes coincides with RLJ Lodging Trust’s recent announcement of a year-over-year decrease in both revenue and net income, adding further pressure to the company’s financial performance. Data reveals that RLJ Lodging Trust contributed $25,000 towards opposing a $30 minimum wage initiative for hospitality employees in Los Angeles, a measure approved by the Los Angeles City Council in May.
Aimbridge Hospitality, the third-party management company overseeing the affected hotels, operates properties worldwide under prominent brands such as Hilton and Hyatt. Notably, Aimbridge-managed hotels were among the final establishments to reach settlements during the 2023-2024 Southern California Hotel Strike.
The collective bargaining power behind these strikes stems from unions, UNITE HERE Local 11, representing over 32,000 hospitality workers in Southern California and Arizona, and UNITE HERE LOCAL 274, encompassing 4,000 hotel and food service workers in the Philadelphia region. Both unions operate under the umbrella of UNITE HERE, a labor union that represent 300,000 workers across North America.
Analysts suggest that the strikes could have implications beyond individual hotel properties. The ripple effect could impact investor confidence in RLJ Lodging Trust, potentially affecting its stock performance (NYSE: RLJ). Moreover, the outcome of these labor disputes may set a precedent for future negotiations within the broader hospitality industry. With travel demand rebounding post-pandemic, hotel operators face increasing pressure to balance profitability with competitive wages and benefits. The outcome of these strikes will be a closely watched indicator of the shifting power dynamics between labor and management within the industry.
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