In a plot twist that seems straight out of a sitcom, Hilton Hotels has found itself in a dustup with immigration enforcement officers and supporters of the Trump administration. Allegedly, a Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota, refused service to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. In what could have started as an innocuous task of booking a hotel room, the agents were met with, shall we say, less-than-hospitable treatment.
According to a DHS spokesperson, Trisha McLaclin, the hotel staff embarked on some Internet sleuthing, connecting government email addresses to immigration work, then canceling reservations quicker than you can say “room service.” In emails reportedly exchanged with the officers, Hilton said they noticed a sudden influx of government bookings, promptly announcing that no DHS agents would be accommodated, effectively putting a “no vacancy” sign to immigration enforcement.
Now, whether Hilton meant to put itself in the hot seat of conservative outrage or if this is just a wild misunderstanding, your guess is as good as anyone’s. But the timing couldn’t have been worse, considering how immigration reform is a cornerstone issue for many of those 77 million Trump voters. No doubt, the words “boycott” and “Hilton” are being tossed around faster than you can cancel a reservation.
As you might expect, social media caught wind of the situation, and let’s just say Hilton’s PR team might be wishing they’d stayed in bed. Critics have accused the hotel of siding with criminals over law enforcement, and the hashtag world is buzzing with calls for action. Even as Hilton scrambled to distance itself from the scandal by stating the hotels are independently owned, the damage might already be done. The internet can be an unforgiving place.
The situation highlights the tensions that can arise when businesses find themselves inadvertently waddling into political waters. In trying to navigate these choppy waters, Hilton, or at least its franchisee, might have unintentionally capsized. Whether this morphs into a wider boycott remains to be seen, but it’s a lesson in the complex relationship between commerce and politics. As for Hilton Hotels, they might want to rethink their cancellation policies—or at the very least, double-check those email addresses.
