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Los Angeles County (the “county”) enacted a hotel worker protection ordinance (HWPO) that requires hotel employers to provide personal security devices to its service workers, to designate response personnel who may directly receive alerts from the security devices, and to provide protections and accommodation to hotel service workers who observed or were victims of violent or threatening conduct. The HWPO also sets workload limits for specific hotel workers responsible for cleaning rooms and limits overtime for all hotel workers.
Los Angeles County (the “county”) enacted a hotel worker protection ordinance (HWPO) that requires hotel employers to provide personal security devices to its service workers, to designate response personnel who may directly receive alerts from the security devices, and to provide protections and accommodation to hotel service workers who observed or were victims of violent or threatening conduct. The HWPO also sets workload limits for specific hotel workers responsible for cleaning rooms and limits overtime for all hotel workers.
The HWPO applies to covered hotel employers within the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. To determine if a workplace falls within an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County, visit the
A covered hotel employer under the HWPO is any person who owns, controls or operates a hotel and includes any person or contractor who, in a managerial, supervisory or confidential capacity, employs hotel workers to provide services at the hotel in conjunction with the hotel's purpose.1
A “hotel” is any commercial facility not approved as a dwelling unit that provides guest rooms or suites for rent, with or without meals or kitchen facilities. It is intended for overnight or short-term lodging and is generally not meant to serve as the guest's permanent residence. A “hotel” may include additional amenities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, indoor athletic facilities, retail spaces, and meeting rooms. A private club with guest rooms available for overnight stays is also considered a “hotel”.2
“Hotel workers” entitled to the rights and protections of the HWPO are any persons employed by a hotel employer to provide services at a hotel. Managerial, supervisory or confidential employees of a hotel employer are not hotel workers for the purposes of the HWPO.3
A hotel employer must provide a personal security device at no cost to each hotel worker assigned to work in a guest room or restroom that no other hotel worker is assigned to work.4 The personal security device must be a portable emergency contact device, such as a panic button, that signals the hotel worker's location and summons a hotel security guard, manager or supervisor designated to respond to violent or threatening conduct or an emergency.5
A hotel employer must assign a security guard, manager or supervisory hotel staff to provide immediate on-scene assistance to any personal security device activations.6
Hotel workers cannot be subject to any adverse employment action for activating a personal security device or for ceasing work to await assistance due to a good faith belief that violent or threatening conduct or an emergency is occurring or will imminently occur in their presence.7 “Violent or threatening conduct” includes the use or threat of physical violence, sexual conduct or solicitation by a guest directed toward a hotel worker without the hotel worker's consent. This includes, but is not limited to, rape, assault, battery, and any sexual behavior or solicitation of sexual behavior directed at a hotel worker without their consent.8
The HWPO provides for various rights and protections to hotel workers who bring violent or threatening conduct by a guest to their employer's attention.9
Hotel employers must immediately provide sufficient paid time to hotel workers to report the incident to law enforcement and to consult with a counselor or advisor of the hotel worker's choice.10
Upon request, a hotel employer must provide a hotel worker with a reasonable accommodation related to the violent or threatening conduct. Reasonable accommodations may include a modified work schedule; reassignment to a vacant position; or other reasonable adjustment to job structure, workplace facility or work requirements.12
Hotel employers are subject to limitations on the workload they may assign their hotel workers who are employed as a “room attendant.” “Room attendants” are hotel workers whose principal duties are to clean and put in order guest rooms in a hotel.13
Hotel employers with less than 40 guest rooms may not require a room attendant to clean rooms amounting to a total of more than 4,500 square feet worth of floor space in eight-hour workday unless the hotel employer pays the room attendant twice their regular rate of pay for each hour worked during the workday
Hotel employers with 40 or more guest rooms shall not require a room attendant to clean more than 3,500 square feet worth of floor space in an eight-hour workday unless the hotel employer pays the room attendant twice their regular rate of pay for each hour worked during the workday.14
“Room cleaning” involves the performance of services or tasks required to maintain the cleanliness of a hotel guest room before, during and after a guest's stay.15 “Room cleaning” does not include:
If a room attendant works less than eight hours in a workday, the maximum floor space must be prorated. If a room attendant works overtime beyond eight hours, the floor space must increase proportionally. When room attendants clean rooms jointly, the maximum floor space must be prorated accordingly for each room attendant.17
If a room attendant is assigned to clean seven or more checkout or additional bed rooms during an eight-hour workday, each of those rooms will be counted as 500 square feet, regardless of the actual size. These limitations apply to all types of spaces, including guest rooms, meeting rooms, and other areas within the hotel, and are applicable regardless of the room's furniture, equipment or amenities.18
Except in the event of an “emergency”, hotel employers may not require or permit a hotel worker to work more than 10 hours in a workday unless the hotel worker consents in writing to do so. A hotel employer may not obtain this written consent without first advising the hotel worker in writing, seven days prior to obtaining consent, that the worker may decline to work more than 10 hours in a workday and that such declination will not subject them to adverse employment action.19
The HWPO defines an emergency as an “immediate threat to public safety or of substantial risk of property loss or destruction.”.20
The HWPO requires hotel employers to provide comprehensive training to hotel workers on the following:
Hotel employers must provide this training to all hotel workers upon the HWPO’s effective date and to newly hired hotel workers within one month of hire.22
Additionally, effective October 1, 2026, a hotel employer must ensure that each hotel worker who works as a room attendant completes public housekeeping training, paid for by the hotel employer.23 A hotel employer may not employ a hotel worker as a room attendant for more than 120 days without the worker obtaining a valid public housekeeping certificate.24
A hotel employer must contract with a county designated public housekeeping training organization to conduct a public housekeeping training program, administer an examination, and issue a public housekeeping certificate to each person who successfully completes the training. A public housekeeping certificate is valid for five years.25
Public housekeeping training consists of at least six hours of training, including live and interactive instruction, covering the following topics:
A hotel employer must document compliance with the training requirement by completing and signing a form certifying that the training was conducted.27
Hotel employers must retain records demonstrating compliance with the training requirement, including keeping a copy of a valid public housekeeping certificate for each worker employed as a room attendant.28
Hotel employers must display on the back of the entrance door to each guest room and restroom a written notification in font size 18 points or greater that includes the following:
Hotel employers must provide a written notice of the hotel workers' rights under the HWTO at the time of hire and provide this notice in English, Spanish, and any language spoken by five percent or more of the hotel employer’s workforce.30
Hotel employers must keep for three years records for each room attendant as follows:
Hotel employers must make these records available for inspection and copying to any hotel worker or their designated representative except that the records shall be redacted for personally identifying information of any hotel worker other than the worker making the request.32
Hotel employers must also keep for three years attendance records of incidents of activated personal security devices.33
Hotel workers are protected from any adverse employment action such as termination, reduction in wages or discrimination for exercising their rights under the HWPO.34
If a hotel employer takes an adverse action against a hotel worker within ninety days of the hotel worker exercising their rights under the HWPO, a rebuttable presumption exists that an adverse employment action was taken against the hotel worker.35
The HWPO may be enforced by a civil action filed in court by either the county or an aggrieved person.36 A party who claims a violation of the HWPO may seek and receive injunctive relief against any person violating the HWPO, monetary damages reflecting the aggrieved person's actual damages and statutory damages in the amount $100 per aggrieved person per day of violation.37 Statutory damages may be capped at $1,000 per day in total for all affected workers only if the violation is for failure to maintain or provide records. Any violations that are found to be willful will triple the amount of damages to be paid.38
The court is also directed to award reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, including expert witness fees, to a successful plaintiff. A prevailing defendant may be awarded reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs if the court finds the action was frivolous or unreasonable when brought or if the plaintiff continued to litigate it after it became so.39
Any or all of the requirements under the HWPO may be waived pursuant to a bona fide collective bargaining agreement that includes the waiver in clear and unambiguous written terms. Neither party to the collective bargaining relationship may waive any provision of the HWPO unilaterally.40
A hotel employer may apply for a one-year waiver of the HWPO’s requirements based on financial hardship if it can demonstrate that with its current financial condition, compliance with the HWPO would result in:
Prior to submitting the application, the hotel employer must provide written notice of the application to all employed hotel workers, as well as written notice of the determination to hotel workers within three days of receipt.42
A determination to grant or deny the waiver may be appealed in accordance with the county’s practice for hearing examiner review.43