Marriott, the hospitality giant, has not disputed recent revelations that a Louisiana hotel in its portfolio was used to detain migrant families before deportation, which contradicts a 2019 policy that it would not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). In a new statement to the Guardian, the company suggested that its “acceptance of business” did not mean it supported the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
The Guardian reported on Tuesday that a Sheraton hotel in the city of Alexandria, situated close to a major Ice deportation hub, has been used to hold family groups before they are removed from the US. The Sheraton brand is owned by Marriott International.
Marriott did not initially respond to multiple requests for comment from the Guardian, but issued a three-sentence statement on Wednesday evening.
“Our hotels provide public accommodation and event space, but are not designed or intended to serve as detention centers,” a Marriott spokesperson said. “Acceptance of business does not indicate support or endorsement of any group or individual. The property you have reached out about is operated by a third party, not Marriott International.”
According to Marriott franchise documents, the company “seeks to do business with franchisees that share our values”.
“Our franchisees are an integral part of our business and play a vital role in upholding the reputation of Marriott’s brands for excellence … ,” the document states.
The Guardian’s report followed an article in the Intercept tracking the case of a father and his teenage son who were deported to Ecuador earlier this month after being arrested in New York. Phone tracking data cited by the Intercept and later seen by the Guardian confirmed the pair had been held at the Sheraton Four Points in Alexandria during their detention in Louisiana.
A source with knowledge of hotel operations in the city indicated the venue has been used by Ice to detain families and unaccompanied minors since it was renovated in 2023.
In 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term, Marriott rejected the idea that any of its hotels or properties – which include Sheraton and Courtyard hotels – would be used by Ice to detain immigrants. It made the statement at a time when the Trump administration was calling for a mass roundup of undocumented immigrants. Citing anonymous sources, ABC News reported at the time that administration officials had internally discussed the possibility that they might need hotel rooms because of limited capacity at Ice detention centers.
“Our hotels are not configured to be detention facilities, but to be open to guests and community members as well. While we have no particular insights into whether the US government is considering the use of hotels to aid in the situation at the border, Marriott has made the decision to decline any requests to use our hotels as detention facilities,” a company spokesperson said in July 2019, according to ABC News.
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