Hilton Hotels is removing an independently owned Hampton Inn near Minneapolis from its system after the hotel canceled reservations for federal law enforcement officials, then was found to have lied about taking action to rectify the problem.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement called out Hilton Hotels on social media on Monday, posting screenshots of emails from employees at the Hampton Inn Lakeville property canceling reservations for officials because they work to enforce federal immigration laws.
“After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be cancelling your upcoming reservations,” one of the emails said. “You should see a proper cancellation email in your inbox shortly from Hilton.”
Hilton Hotels responded that the “actions were not reflective of Hilton values.”
“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 chain said in a statement.
Everpeak Hospitality, which owns the Hampton Inn, said on Monday it “moved swiftly to address this matter as it was inconsistent with our policy of being a welcoming place for all.”
The hospitality company also claimed in its statement that it was “in touch with the impacted guests,” but DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin disputed the statement.
“I wonder how Everpeak Hospitality has ‘moved swiftly to address this matter’ when @DHSgov and @ICEgov haven’t heard anything from them?” she said in a post on X.
I wonder how Everpeak Hospitality has “moved swiftly to address this matter” when @DHSgov and @ICEgov haven’t heard anything from them? https://t.co/FBcFIiL9Ds
— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) January 5, 2026
On Monday night, independent journalist Nick Sortor recorded video of a front desk manager at the Hampton Inn Lakeville saying the property was still not “accepting people” who work on immigration enforcement and citing ownership policy, even after Everpeak’s statement.
Hilton Hotels on Tuesday morning claimed in another statement after seeing the video that Everpeak “assured us that they had fixed this problem and published a message confirming this.”
“A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values,” the hotel chain said. “As such, we are taking immediate action to remove this hotel from our systems. Hilton is – and has always been – a welcoming place for all.”
