Lawyers Take Hotel Chains to Court, Calling Them “Marketplace” for Sex Trafficking

Twelve top hotel chains in the United States are facing legal action as a group for profiting from sexual exploitation taking place on their premises – after thirteen women claimed they were sold for sex in hotel rooms.

The case, filed by New York law firm Weitz & Luxenberg, is a first for the hotel industry, who have been long accused for “providing a marketplace for sex trafficking” of women and children in their chains, profiting from the activity rather than trying to prevent it.

The thirteen separate actions were filed in the states of Ohio, Massachusetts, Georgia, Texas and New York, with some of the accused hotels including Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., Red Roof Inn, Intercontinental Hotels & Resorts, Best Western Hotels & Resorts and Wyndham Hotels and Resorts Inc.