Clearing the Air: Hotel Changes and the Contractual Process

Our MEC Hotel and Transportation Committee has received emails regarding recent hotel changes which have led to questions and rumors about hotel modifications. To clarify the process and explain why changes happen, we would like to address some common questions from our Members.

“Why are we changing hotels, and how could AFA allow this?”

There seems to be a misunderstanding that AFA is somehow picking layover hotels or approving hotel changes; that’s simply not the case. United picks the hotels, AFA approves or disapproves the hotels from those inspected.

All five members on the MEC Hotel & Transportation Committee are active Flight Attendants. We love our layovers just as much as you do. We enjoy returning to familiar hotels where we know the best coffee spot, the friendliest front desk staff, and where the best pizza is nearby.

The truth is, hotel changes are a normal part of United’s business process.

Hotel contracts typically have a two year duration. During that time, the hotel agrees to provide crew rooms at a fixed price. Once that contract expires, United’s Procurement department either renews or looks elsewhere.

Unfortunately, in recent years, we’ve seen a shift in how this process is handled. Price is ever increasingly becoming a driving factor, even if that means the hotel barely meets our Contractual standards.

Another common occurrence is that some hotels have decided not to continue doing business with United. Crew contracts can be challenging due to our unpredictable arrivals, 24-hour stays, transportation needs, and meal availability requirements, which make us more complicated guests than the average tourist.

When a hotel opts out of our business, the company must return to the market to find a new property, which is not always easy. Many hotels simply don’t want crew business anymore. Hotels often have opportunities to sell fewer rooms at higher rates to the public, which comes without the logistics of accommodating airline crews and our schedules.

In larger cities, United often contracts with multiple hotels to handle flight volume. While not always transparent, those hotels sometimes get to choose which arrivals or departures they’ll serve based on their own business needs.

When our Committee goes out to inspect a hotel, our role is straightforward:
We evaluate the property against the Contractual requirements outlined in our Contract, LOA 17 (Page 330 of the JCBA). Our Contractual requirements are limited. This means there are only certain reasons we can officially disapprove of a hotel.

We can’t “move the bar” based on our personal preferences or dislikes. Nor can we make decisions based on social media polls about which hotel is “better.” The truth is, we would never reach a complete consensus, as layover preferences are personal. 

That said, if the company’s new hotel fails to meet Contractual standards or if issues arise, such as safety concerns, noise, or transportation problems, we want to hear from you. We need reliable, factual data, which means using the official Hotel Reporting System.

Together, we can hold the company accountable and ensure our layovers remain safe, comfortable, and Contractually compliant.