Washington's state attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Motel 6, accusing the budget motel chain of illegally sharing guest information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to the Los Angeles Times, Attorney General Bob Ferguson's office decided to take legal action against Motel 6 after launching its own investigation into a recent Phoenix New Times report that two Arizona locations were handing guest information over to immigration officials without warrants.
The state's investigation found that several corporate-owned Motel 6 properties in Washington routinely handed over guest names illegally.
"It was not isolated to two motels in Phoenix, not by a long shot. The company's actions were methodical. They trained their new employees on how to do this," said Ferguson. "We're going to find out who at Motel 6 knew what, and when they knew it."
According to Ferguson, "many thousands" of Motel 6 guests in Washington had their information turned over to the federal government "without their knowledge, without their consent."
The lawsuit, which was filed in Seattle Wednesday, alleges Motel 6 engaged in unfair and deceptive business practices, violated Washington state privacy laws and discriminated against guests based on nationality.
Hotel staff members who spoke with the state's investigators said ICE agents would circle any Latino or Latina-sounding names on the hotel's guest registry and run background checks from their vehicles.
The state is seeking a permanent injunction that would bar the company from continuing the practice as well as civil penalties and attorney fees. The attorney general's claims contradict the initial statement Motel 6 released in September, which said the practice was "implemented at the local level without the knowledge of senior management."
In a more recent statement, the company said it takes the matter "very seriously, and we have and will continue to fully cooperate with the Office of the State Attorney General."
ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe declined to comment on the agency's sources for enforcement leads but told the Times that "it's worth noting that hotels and motels have frequently been exploited by criminal organizations engaged in highly dangerous illegal enterprises, including human trafficking and human smuggling."
[READMORE]READ MORE: How Hotel Workers Protect Themselves[/READMORE]
Travelers took to social media using the hashtag #BoycottMotel6 following the New Times' investigation last year. The latest allegations that the chain's troubling practices were more widespread than originally thought are likely to deal yet another blow to the company's reputation and ultimately its bottom line.
The brand was already struggling to win over guests prior to the scandal. It received the industry's lowest experience rating for 2016, ranking 283rd among the 294 brands that were evaluated.
Motel 6's portfolio includes more than 1,400 locations across North America. The chain is currently owned by The Blackstone Group, which purchased it from AccorHotels for $1.9 billion in 2012.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
