Hilton has removed a Hampton Inn in Lakeville, Minnesota, from its booking systems after federal officials said the property canceled reservations for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel and a later video appeared to show staff again refusing DHS-related bookings.
The dispute began after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted screenshots on X showing emails sent from the Hampton Inn Lakeville property to a guest using a government booking rate.
In one message, the hotel wrote that it had seen an "influx of GOV reservations" linked to DHS and said it was "not allowing any ICE or immigration agents to stay at our property," asking recipients to disclose whether they were with DHS or immigration because the hotel would cancel such reservations. In a follow-up email, the hotel said that after "further investigation online" it found "information about immigration work connected with your name" and would cancel an upcoming reservation.
DHS condemned the cancellations as "unacceptable" and, in its public post, accused Hilton of "siding with murderers and rapists" by undermining federal immigration enforcement.
Hilton initially said the Hampton Inn was independently owned and operated and that the actions described did not reflect the company’s values. The hotel operator, Everpeak Hospitality, also issued an apology and said the emails were inconsistent with its policies.
Hilton later said it was taking action to remove the property from its systems after a video circulated on social media that appeared to show a front desk employee continuing to refuse DHS- or ICE-related bookings, despite earlier assurances that the issue had been addressed. Reuters reported Hilton said the video raised concerns that the property was not meeting brand standards and values.
Separately, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) said on January 6, 2026, that it removed the Lakeville property from federal lodging programs and booking tools after determining it violated government lodging program requirements.
The episode has drawn broad online attention and renewed scrutiny of how major hotel brands enforce nondiscrimination and service standards across largely franchised systems, especially when properties face politically charged disputes involving federal law enforcement and immigration operations.
