Let’s All Boycott Hilton Hotels

When it comes to the Hilton family of hotels I have had some pretty wild mood swings. In 2008 I was so disgusted with the media attention that Paris Hilton got as she entered, and then left the LA County slammer that I promised never to stay at a Hilton or any of its divisions. Then as things heated up in the ’08 election, and Paris Hilton used her family wealth to produce an internet video that slammed John McCain, I apologized.

But now I am so incensed at what Hilton Worldwide has just done that I am urging anyone that will listen to me not to stay at a Hilton or any of the hotels in the Hilton family. The complete list can be found at the bottom of this post.

Why boycott the Hilton?

Speaking just this past Friday at a small business in the DC area, President Obama emphasized that economic recovery wasn’t going to come until we do something about the unemployment rate, currently at 9.5%. Some of those jobs, unfortunately aren’t ever going to come back because of outsourcing.

One-by-one, companies have outsourced things like their customer service centers overseas where cheap labor abounds. Such a thing, you would think, would not be advisable right now. An American company wouldn’t want to shift its customer services overseas right now, not when there is already a problem in the country’s unemployment rate. First, it is counter-productive for our own economy, and second, it just doesn’t sit well with people.

But none of that seems to matter to Hilton Worldwide, which has just revealed that they are going to close an entire worldwide reservation center in California and shift that caller traffic to the Philippines.

When you visit the Hilton’s website one thing you see is how they have turned the name Hilton into an acronym. The “O” in Hilton, they say, stands for Ownership. As in “We are the owners of our actions and decisions.” To which I say fine. By deciding to lay off Americans at a time when it matters, at a time that our economy demands a little patriotism, and deliberately acting to give those jobs to a foreign labor force, the Hilton must be made to own that decision.

They can be made to own that decision if American patriots refuse to stay at Hilton hotels or any of their brands (a list of which can be found below).

Hilton

Hilton Garden Inn

Hampton Inn and Hampton Inn and Suites

Doubletree and Doubletree Guest Suites

Embassy Suites

Homewood Suites

Home2Suites

Conrad

Waldorf Astoria Collection

Song of the Year Goes to The Dixie Chicks

Now I have to tell you, Country and Western music is not the first preference for my listening pleasure, mainly because many of the themes in this genre are not progressive ones.

The Dixie Chicks, however, are the exception to the rule. These spawn of the northern parts of Texas are definitely the exception.

I actually found myself out looking in the C&W aisles for their CD only to be stymied again and again with “sold out” cards. I finally scored a CD but not without some effort on my part.

And now, come to find out, they have the song of the year: “Not Ready to Make Nice”.

I love this song. It decries the blind hatred of Bush supporters for anyone who deigns to oppose his immoral and illegal war. Their (Natalie's) statements against the war were not even made in this country, they were made in the UK. The statements against Bush's war nonetheless found their way back here and vile neocon invective was cast upon these patriotic women.

Including death threats.

But they had the final say, didn’t they? Not only did Natalie Maines write one heck of a reply, but it got voted Song of the Year.

Good God, things can’t get better than that.

Listen to the words, and watch their faces. This song is the stuff of history.