In brief
The Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota, has issued an apology for previously refusing service to federal immigration agents. The hotel recognized that the cancellation of the agents' reservations was against its policies. The Department of Homeland Security accused Hilton of obstructing law enforcement, leading to the property's swift response in clarifying its commitment to accommodate all guests.
A Minnesota hotel that wouldn’t allow federal immigration agents to stay there this month is apologizing and saying the refusal violated its own policies. The Department of Homeland Security had accused the global Hilton hotel chain of a “coordinated” effort to refuse service to its employees.
Hilton and local operators of the Hampton Inn Lakeville property released statements within hours apologizing and stated that messages refusing to serve agents focused on immigration enforcement didn’t reflect their policies.
In a social media post, DHS shared screenshots of a message sent from a Hilton email address, indicating that immigration agents would not be allowed to stay at the hotel located about 20 miles south of Minneapolis, resulting in their reservation being canceled.
“When officers attempted to book rooms using official government emails and rates, Hilton Hotels maliciously CANCELLED their reservations,” said DHS, accusing the chain of undermining law enforcement efforts related to immigration laws.
Hampton Inn locations are under the Hilton brand; however, a representative clarified that the property is independently operated by franchisees.
“We have 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,” the statement added.
Everpeak Hospitality, the hotel operators, emphasized that the cancellation was inconsistent with their welcoming stance toward all guests, assuring that they are in touch with the affected parties to accommodate them. “We do not discriminate against any individuals or agencies and apologize to those impacted,” they concluded.
