For Immediate Release
Contact Information
Cynthia Santana
Phone: 206-256-5219
Email: cynthia.santana@seattle.gov
Residence Inn Seattle University District to Pay $125,265.38 to 12 Affected Workers for Alleged Violations of Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury Ordinance
Seattle, WA (February 25, 2025) – The Seattle Office of Labor Standards (OLS) investigated TMUD Holdings, LLC dba Residence Inn Seattle University District (Residence Inn University District) for alleged violations of the Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury Ordinance.
The company agreed to pay a total financial remedy of $125,265.38 in back pay, interest, liquidated damages, and civil penalties to 12 affected workers.
OLS reached an informal resolution of the allegation that the employer failed to pay the full premium owed for hotel room cleaning assignments exceeding the square footage threshold above which employers must pay three times an employee’s regular hourly rate for the remaining time worked in the day.
The hotel has over 100 guest rooms and typically employed fewer than 50 employees at a given time during the investigation period.
Since July 1, 2020, the Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury Ordinance has limited the workload of hourly employees who clean the guest rooms of a motel or hotel of 100 or more rooms. The law:
- Restricts the amount of floor space that an employee can clean in a day;
- Creates consent requirements for team cleanings and for cleaning above the square footage threshold; and
- Requires premium pay if an employee cleans more than the law’s limit.
An employee’s limit is reduced by 500 square feet for every strenuous room cleaning performed over nine in a workday.
Many hotels reduced the frequency of housekeeping visits since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. When a guest room hasn’t been cleaned in 36 hours or more, it qualifies as a “strenuous cleaning” and may impact the square footage threshold for when the employee begins to earn premium pay.
“Although this employer attempted to comply with the law, the investigation found the formula used did not meet the legal standards. Workload limitations and other health and safety requirements help minimize the risk of injuries associated with hotel room cleaning, protecting employees’ well-being and rights,” said OLS Director Steven Marchese.
- Please click here for more information on the Protecting Hotel Employees from Injury Ordinance.
- For more information about covered employers and employees, the law, and required postings, please view the QA and our Resources and Language Access pages.
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