Wyndham hotel workers went on strike Saturday morning, part of union efforts to secure contracts in Philadelphia

Unionized hotel workers at the Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District went on strike Saturday morning as they seek a new contract with their employer.

The workforce includes 57 room attendants, cooks, bartenders, and other hospitality workers, according to Mat Wranovics, a researcher for Unite Here Local 274.

A representative for Aimbridge Hospitality, which manages the hotel, said discussions with the union are ongoing, and in the meantime, it wants to make sure guests have a good experience.

“We respect our team members’ rights to organize and look forward to reaching a fair conclusion,” a hotel spokesperson said.

Workers are seeking a wage increase, Wranovics said. The current average hotel worker salary is $22.11 per hour.

“Inflation has hit our members really hard,” Wranovics said.

The union’s priorities include increased staffing and a decreased workload — in particular, a reduction in the number of hotel rooms that staff are expected to clean each day.

“It’s very hard work,” said Akeyla Pierre, a housekeeper from North Philly. At 21 years old, Pierre said, she is the youngest member in the union at the Wyndham, and this is her first strike after about two years on the job.

Pierre’s job involves getting hotel rooms ready for new guests. She recounted a long list of messes she has had to clean up within a half-hour span, noting that “not being rushed” to complete 16 rooms per day is a priority for her.

“It’s about respect,” Pierre said. “We can do the work. Just don’t rush us.”

Other hotel cleaning staff have spoken about this issue recently; last month, local unionized Hampton Inn employees went on strike with similar demands. Hotel workers there said they were being asked to turn over 16 rooms each day, leaving them with no time for lunch, and the risk of facing discipline for failing to meet standards if one room takes longer than a half hour to clean.

Since then, Hampton Inn workers have secured a new contract, which included a $3.50-per-hour raise and a reduction in their daily quota to 15 rooms per day, Wranovics said.

The staff at seven hotels in Philadelphia, including the Wyndham, are currently negotiating new contracts that could address those issues.

Outside the Wyndham on Saturday morning, guests were met with marching band drums, bullhorns, and union chants, as a dozen or so workers made their presence known.

Monica Burks, 64, has been with the hotel 17 years, long enough to remember when the 400 Arch St. location was a Holiday Inn.

The server and bartender said she has seen tips decline sharply since Wyndham took over in 2013, when the company initiated a new strategy that she says turned away many of her regular bar patrons. Meanwhile, she said, the cost of living has gone way up.

“Right now, we are suffering,” Burks said. “Because of the tariffs, and food prices, we have people working more than one job to get by.”

Present uncertainties may also be affecting the hotel industry more broadly.

RLJ Lodging Trust, which owns the Wyndham Philadelphia Historic District, did not respond to a request for comment. But on Thursday, during RLJ’s third-quarter earnings call, company president and CEO Leslie D. Hale said that “lingering macro uncertainty” and the impacts of the federal government shutdown, including the cuts to air travel, would likely affect potential guests’ willingness to travel during the holiday season.

Hale did not address labor actions during the call, but she mentioned Philadelphia several times, noting that the planned celebrations of the U.S. 250th anniversary set for 2026, as well as planned matches for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Philly, are expected to drive hotel reservations.

She said that hotels in major cities had performed well in 2025 on average, spurred in part by “strong demand for concerts, sports, and special events.”