Hilton Takes Swift Action After Minnesota Franchise Cancels DHS Agents’ Reservations Over Immigration Work

Hilton Hotels moved quickly to contain fallout this week after a franchise location in Minnesota was accused of cancelling reservations for Department of Homeland Security agents because of their work, a decision the company said violated its values.

The issue surfaced Monday when DHS posted a screenshot of an email exchange with Hampton Inn Lakeville, a Hilton-branded hotel in a Minneapolis suburb. The email stated that federal agents’ reservations were cancelled due to their “immigration work,” sparking immediate backlash online.

Within hours, Hilton issued a public response distancing the company from the incident and condemning the action. “This hotel is independently owned and operated, and these actions were not reflective of Hilton values. We have been in direct contact with the hotel and they have apologized for the actions of their team, which was not in keeping with their policies. … Hilton’s position is clear: Our properties are open to everyone and we do not tolerate any form of discrimination,” the company said.

(1/2) This hotel is independently owned and operated, and these actions were not reflective of Hilton values. We have been in direct contact with the hotel and they have apologized for the actions of their team, which was not in keeping with their policies.

— Hilton Newsroom (@HiltonNewsroom) January 5, 2026

Everpeak Hospitality, the independent owner of the Lakeville property, also responded, saying the cancellation was “inconsistent with their policies.”

Despite the statements, the situation escalated later Monday night when a conservative journalist, posing as a DHS agent, attempted to stay at the hotel and was denied. He recorded the interaction and shared it on social media. Following that post, Hilton said it removed the hotel from its systems.

The incident ignited a broader debate about brand accountability under franchise models. Customers and markets often view corporate brands as singular entities, regardless of who owns individual locations.

“I think the bigger question for these companies is, how do you manage that? How do you integrate the franchisees into your communication strategy? At the very least, there must be a rigorous playbook on how you behave as a franchisee,” Deirdre Latour, founder of Rebellis Communications, told Axios.

Hilton shares fell about 2% after DHS’s original post and have since fluctuated. Most of Hilton’s roughly 9,000 hotels worldwide are operated by franchisees.

Statement from Hilton on a recent video pic.twitter.com/W8DWUTWD7f

— Hilton Newsroom (@HiltonNewsroom) January 6, 2026