LAKEVILLE, MN – A Hampton Inn location in Minnesota has reportedly been stripped of its Hilton branding as well as pulled from a federal lodging program after the independently run location allegedly refused to rent out rooms to people they believed to be affiliated with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
According to a report from Fox News, the Hampton Inn Lakeville has been pulled from the list of approved lodging sites for all federal employees by the General Services Administration (GSA) in response to the independently run hotel reportedly refusing to house ICE agents.
Earlier in January, the federal agency shared a screenshot of an email reportedly sent to one of their agents from the Hampton Inn Lakeville informing them that their reservation was being cancelled because hotel management had learned they worked for ICE.
“After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be cancelling your upcoming reservation,” the email reads, further noting, “You should see a proper cancellation email in your inbox shortly from Hilton.”
GSA Administrator Edward Forst confirmed the removal of the property from the federal lodging program in a statement shared with Fox News, noting that the Hampton Inn Lakeville was “in clear violation” of the requirements outlined for properties to be eligible for federal employee lodging.
“After I was informed that a local Hilton property canceled rooms reserved for ICE, GSA immediately reviewed the matter and found the hotel to be in clear violation of its government lodging program requirements,” Forst stated, adding, “The property has been removed from the programs and booking tools effective immediately. GSA unequivocally supports our federal law enforcement partners.”
For the sake of context, Hilton is the parent company of the Hampton Inn brand, which many of the Hampton Inn locations operate as independently owned franchises. However, the Hampton Inn Lakeville will reportedly no longer be able to benefit from the Hilton branding, according to reports.
Aside from the GSA immediately revoking the Hampton Inn Lakeville’s inclusion in their lodging program for federal employees, Hilton has also opted to remove the location from their associated branding.
The move by Hilton was carried out on January 6th in response to the growing controversy that was further emboldened by journalist Nick Sortor’s video exposé published on the same day which revealed the Hampton Inn location was still barring ICE agents despite issuing an apology about the screenshot email that went viral earlier in the month.
A statement from Hilton directly referenced Sorter’s video when announcing the separation between their brand and the Hampton Inn location, reading in part, “A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values.”
The Hampton Inn Lakeville has since been removed from Hilton’s website and, based upon standard practices with what’s known as “de-branding” in the franchise world, the Hampton Inn Lakeville will likely have to remove all Hilton-owned trademarks from the property, to include their “Hampton Inn” signage and associated branding.
According to a report from Fox News, the Hampton Inn Lakeville has been pulled from the list of approved lodging sites for all federal employees by the General Services Administration (GSA) in response to the independently run hotel reportedly refusing to house ICE agents.
Earlier in January, the federal agency shared a screenshot of an email reportedly sent to one of their agents from the Hampton Inn Lakeville informing them that their reservation was being cancelled because hotel management had learned they worked for ICE.
“After further investigation online, we have found information about immigration work connected with your name and we will be cancelling your upcoming reservation,” the email reads, further noting, “You should see a proper cancellation email in your inbox shortly from Hilton.”
GSA Administrator Edward Forst confirmed the removal of the property from the federal lodging program in a statement shared with Fox News, noting that the Hampton Inn Lakeville was “in clear violation” of the requirements outlined for properties to be eligible for federal employee lodging.
“After I was informed that a local Hilton property canceled rooms reserved for ICE, GSA immediately reviewed the matter and found the hotel to be in clear violation of its government lodging program requirements,” Forst stated, adding, “The property has been removed from the programs and booking tools effective immediately. GSA unequivocally supports our federal law enforcement partners.”
For the sake of context, Hilton is the parent company of the Hampton Inn brand, which many of the Hampton Inn locations operate as independently owned franchises. However, the Hampton Inn Lakeville will reportedly no longer be able to benefit from the Hilton branding, according to reports.
Aside from the GSA immediately revoking the Hampton Inn Lakeville’s inclusion in their lodging program for federal employees, Hilton has also opted to remove the location from their associated branding.
The move by Hilton was carried out on January 6th in response to the growing controversy that was further emboldened by journalist Nick Sortor’s video exposé published on the same day which revealed the Hampton Inn location was still barring ICE agents despite issuing an apology about the screenshot email that went viral earlier in the month.
A statement from Hilton directly referenced Sorter’s video when announcing the separation between their brand and the Hampton Inn location, reading in part, “A recent video clearly raises concerns that they are not meeting our standards and values.”
The Hampton Inn Lakeville has since been removed from Hilton’s website and, based upon standard practices with what’s known as “de-branding” in the franchise world, the Hampton Inn Lakeville will likely have to remove all Hilton-owned trademarks from the property, to include their “Hampton Inn” signage and associated branding.
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Comments
2026-01-08T21:11-0500 | Comment by: James
Hmm! No more Hampton Inns for me!! Hope you go out of business!