Hotel Employee Training

Watch this short video to understand why the hotel industry is key to preventing trafficking in the US.

​​In a study of police reports of 67 human-trafficking related cases prosecuted in King County, 63% of the reports cite hotels and/or motels as locations where the crimes took place.
Project goals
  • Identify victims and connect them with services
  • Arrest more buyers and traffickers, so that these perpetrators will be brought to justice
  • Train staff to implement best practices that prevent the sexual exploitation of children and women in hotels and motels
Our approach

BEST works with hotels to:
  • align leaders in lodging, law enforcement, and victim services to develop county-specific best practices
  • train supervisors and staff to identify and prevent trafficking in lodging establishments
  • promote ongoing collaboration through an information-sharing website
As a direct result of BEST training, a business person reported a suspected trafficking ring, which launched a major police investigation. The U.S. Attorney’s Office subsequently indicted six defendants for bringing women from Thailand to work in brothels in four states in the U.S.: Washington, Arizona, Illinois, and Virginia.

In a press release about the indictment, Bellevue Police Investigations Captain, Steve Lynch stated, “The Bellevue Police Department is committed to proactively targeting all forms of human trafficking. . . Bellevue police condemns the financial and physical exploitation of these victims and the suspects who manage these operations.”

In addition, U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan said, “I commend the member of our community who alerted law enforcement.” Without training from BEST, the exploitation of these Thai women may have continued for many years.
Key accomplishments
  • Trained staff of over 140 hotels to identify and prevent trafficking in hotels.
  • Co-hosted 6 training events with tourism bureaus and lodging associations throughout Washington.
  • 96% of hotel managers who attended our training committed to train their hotel staff. Thousands of employees in the state will be equipped to identify and prevent trafficking.
  • Award for Leadership and Contribution to the Lodging Industry (Washington Lodging Association); Leadership Award for Change Agent (Sustainable Seattle).
  • In 2014, researchers from the University of Washington evaluated the Inhospitable to Trafficking project with the hotel industry and found significant social change as a result of the project. Read the full report. 
“I have personally been involved with the Inhospitable to Trafficking project since its inception and I served the steering committee in an advisory capacity. I have been impressed by the willingness of the Washington Lodging Association and leading hotel managers and owners to proactively address this criminal activity. I am hopeful that this project will increase collaboration between hoteliers and police and help to prevent the commercial sexual exploitation of children and women.”
– Lieutenant Kenneth Hicks, Vice and High Risk Victims Unit, Seattle Police Department
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Contact us to learn more about training, or to request BEST training in your hotel