Hotels across the United States have ramped up background checks on prospective employees in the first half of 2025, amid intensifying scrutiny of foreign-born workers in the hospitality industry.
According to data from Hireology, a leading recruitment and HR technology platform, background check requests by hotel hiring managers rose 36% from January to June this year compared to the same period in 2024. The spike follows a policy reversal by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in June, which now permits immigration enforcement operations in sectors like agriculture, hospitality, and food service—areas previously shielded from workplace raids.
“Employers are more vigilant than ever. They don’t want to risk being accused of inadequate verification practices,” said Patrick Scholes, hotel equity analyst at Truist.
The hospitality sector, which directly employed over 2.15 million people in 2024, relies heavily on immigrant labor. According to U.S. Census Bureau and Tourism Economics data, around 34% of housekeepers and 24% of cooks in U.S. hotels are foreign-born.
Despite immigration concerns, overall hiring across 1,000 tracked hotel properties rose 22%, exceeding 8,000 workers. However, demand for critical roles like housekeepers, cooks, and front desk staff remained relatively flat.
