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Downtown San Francisco has a labor strike problem, and it's getting worse. About 2000 workers at the Grand Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Westin St. Francis, and Palace Hotel in Union Square, from housekeepers to bellhops, have been on strike since mid-September (or from late October in the case of the Palace Hotel) to demand better pay and benefits. And on November 24, 500 more employees from the Marriott Marquis joined them on the picket line.
Many TripAdvisor reviews from frustrated guests note that they had no inkling of the labor disputes, which weren't mentioned on the hotel Web sites or in confirmation emails. At time of writing, we confirmed that all 6 hotels not only don't mention the labor strike on the hotel Web sites, but are continuing to charge a destination fee, which is $35 + tax per night for the Grand Hyatt and Hilton San Francisco Union Square, and $30 + tax per night for the Marriott Union Square, Westin St. Francis, and Marriott Marquis.
Picketers are “banging on loud steel drums and blowing horns from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.,” one reviewer wrote of the Westin St. Francis. “We could hear it in our room from morning until night with no relief.”
Another, reviewing the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, titled the review “Worst Hotel Experience in Years!” and wrote “Hotel is filthy. Very loud Union protesting from 7am-10pm. Banging oil drums, shouting on loud speakers. Beds are old and lopsided. Carpets are stained and crusty. Furniture is dirty, old and torn. Rooms smell like mold and mildew. Don’t stay here!!”
Even the Palace Hotel, a Luxury Collection property where our clients receive STARS benefits, hasn't escaped, with a recent 1-star review titled “Don't stay until the strike is over,” noting “When I arrived there were picketers outside that were loudly protesting . . . I'm all in favour of unions and workers' rights, and as a guest it was extremely uncomfortable having to cross the picket line to get into the hotel . . . many of the services were also not available or were very limited because of the strike . . . everyone that was working was either from a different hotel and were doing their best, but it was still extremely disappointing.”
The hotel workers are striking to secure contracts that include affordable health care, raises, and more staffing after pandemic cutbacks that they say have resulted in lower standards of housekeeping and other service, while unfairly stretching and underpaying staff who work in an area with some of the highest costs of living in the U.S.
In addition to the strike afflicting the 6 San Francisco hotels, over 90% of hotel workers at the St. Regis San Francisco and W Hotel San Francisco voted to authorize strikes.
Already, a number of businesses that book room blocks and/or events have pulled their reservations from San Francisco hotels since the strike began nearly two months ago, including Lufthansa, which moved an estimated 22,900 room nights per year from the Hilton San Francisco Union Square. Four major clients have pledged to book 25,000 room nights in San Francisco hotels beginning in 2025, if the strike is settled in time.
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