The SEIU’s latest Form LM-2 is out, and it looks like the union went big on luxury hotels last year.
Hotels visited by the SEIU include the 4.5 star Royal Sonesta Washington ($500 per night), the four star Intercontinental San Diego ($400 per night), and the four star Westin St. Francis ($450 per night).
The most eye-catching expense, however, was a staggering $1,254,266 spent in June at the Salamander in Washington, DC. For the uninitiated, the Salamander DC is a five-star hotel on the Washington waterfront featured in the Michelin Guidebook. Basic rooms there average $500 per night and suites can reach $3,500.
The Salamander DC
At first glance, it is a little unclear what exactly this hotel expense was for. The SEIU doesn’t list any major conferences or conventions in Washington during that time period and only describes the seven-figure expense as “support for political activities.”
So the Center for Union Facts conducted its own investigation:
The union was very active in opposing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), which was under consideration by the Senate in June 2025. The SEIU hosted rallies and lobbying trips in Washington related to the law during that month. These included flying or busing in various SEIU members from across the country to advocate against the law.
One of the chapters involved, SEIU 1199, posted a series of pictures from their lobbying trip to DC:
Note that the distinctive lights, walls, and carpet in this Salamander meeting room match the photos posted by SEIU 1199
It looks like the union was putting these activists up at the luxury hotel and renting meeting rooms there to coordinate activism.
The possible use of the hotel as a meeting space is particularly jarring. The SEIU’s national headquarters is in Washington, and has its own “conferencing facility.” Instead of simply using that space, the union appears to have run up a million-dollar tab splurging on a luxury option.
The SEIU also visited the Salamander’s other DC-area location in 2025, spending $32,806 for “staff meetings and training” at the Salamander Resort in Middleburg, Virginia. The Resort, in the heart of Virginia’s horseback riding and wine country, is even more luxurious than its DC counterpart. It holds a prestigious Michelin “Key” award and is ranked as one of the top hotels in the country. Rooms there are closer to $900 per night.
Unfortunately, the LM-2 doesn’t disclose if horseback riding was included in those particular “staff meetings.”
What is certain is that members footed the bill for both of these excursions via their union dues.