Recognizing the Signs of Human Trafficking in Hotels this Travel Season

The weather is becoming warmer, and people are starting to mark time off to travel this summer. Often, this includes searching on the internet for hotels to stay at. Many hotels can expect an increase in business during this season of graduations, reunions, and vacations. While this time of year can be relaxing and rejuvenating, there is also a darker side to the travel season. An increase in hotel guests also means there is an increased risk of human traffickers using restaurant and hotel premises for their criminal activities, remaining undetected in the wave of tourists.
 
Contrary to belief, human trafficking in hotels does not equate to only sex trafficking. Labor trafficking victims are also housed in hotels during their exploitation. According to a Polaris study, traffickers running traveling sales crews use hotels often, second only to traffickers victimizing people through commercial sex exploitation. These sales crews are often abused and threatened if members can’t or won’t meet their daily quota of profit for their traffickers. Wages are taken by the exploiters to keep victims in debt. One of the ways traffickers maintain control is by abandoning members at unknown places if they fail to obey. This includes hotels. It is important to understand how traffickers use hotels for both labor trafficking and sex trafficking in order to be able to properly identify and respond to it. 

Why it is Important to Stay Alert
Trafficking victims are often overlooked at just the time when it is most crucial to reach out and ask if they need help.  A Polaris study mentions that 75% of survivors reported staying at hotels during their exploitation, yet 94% reported that they never received acknowledgement much less concern or assistance from hotel staff. As traveling season starts to get busy, it is essential for hospitality workers to be equipped to recognize the signs that someone might be being trafficked.

BEST Training Prepares Hospitality Staff
Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) is a nonprofit that provides businesses with human trafficking prevention training to equip employees with the knowledge they need to identify potential human trafficking situations and report them safely and effectively. BEST collaborates with the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association (ORLA) to provide free training for ORLA’s members. BEST’s Inhospitable to Human Trafficking training is a 30-minute, online video training available in Spanish and English that prepares staff to recognize and respond to labor and sex trafficking within the hospitality industry. It can be taken individually online, or in a group setting, and employees receive a certificate of completion after taking the course. This training can be easily accessed at no cost through the ORLA membership website. 

Human Trafficking Training Helps Everyone
When human trafficking goes unnoticed, traffickers are emboldened to continue using hotel and restaurant premises for their criminal activities. Victims of trafficking also feel less confident about whether they would receive support from hotel staff to leave their situation. By having staff take this essential training, power is taken away from exploiters and given back to the people they take advantage of. ORLA strongly believes in the fight against human trafficking and commits to training hospitality staff in Oregon to end human trafficking on restaurant and hotel premises.
 
Conclusion
As the travel season draws near, it is important that staff are trained on the signs of labor and sex trafficking to protect guests and their business. Employees in the hospitality industry are essential to the fight against human trafficking in Oregon restaurants and hotels. When staff in hospitality take BEST’s training, victims of human trafficking have a greater chance to be seen and provided with the help they need to leave their exploiters. Staff also can gain the confidence they need to identify signs of human trafficking and the necessary steps to respond to it. By training employees to recognize the signs of this crime, BEST and ORLA are building a future where human trafficking is no longer a threat.  

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This guest blog was submitted by Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST). See how ORLA members can access this training at no cost. For more information on guest blog opportunities, contact Marla McColly, Business Development Director, Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association.