What best practices does the Hotel Association of Canada recommend to help properties identify and prevent human trafficking, and how are frontline staff being trained to recognize and safely report red flags?
Through our national No Room for Trafficking initiative, the Hotel Association of Canada is helping establish consistent standards across the country - grounded in training, clear reporting protocols, and property-wide accountability. We encourage hotels to provide role-specific training for guest-facing teams so staff can recognize potential indicators, document concerns appropriately, and escalate safely through established procedures.
This work is rooted in awareness, consistency, and close coordination with local law enforcement and community partners. Today, more than 1,400 HAC member hotels are participating in No Room for Trafficking, committed to training all team members, alongside hundreds more properties across the broader industry. Together, we are strengthening prevention efforts nationwide.
Resources are available at hotelassociation.ca/no-room-for-trafficking, including many free training resources available in a wide range of languages.
What metrics or benchmarks should hotels be tracking to evaluate whether their anti-trafficking and security policies are actually effective, and how can operators share best practices across the industry?
Human trafficking prevention is not a one-day campaign - it is a 12-month-a-year responsibility. Hotels should measure implementation and accountability through training completion and refresher rates, staff understanding of reporting protocols, and consistent adherence to escalation and documentation procedures. These indicators reveal whether policies are not only in place, but actively practiced across the property. Regular policy reviews and operational safeguards - including identity verification practices and security coordination - are also key indicators of program strength.
Best‑practice sharing is also essential. Through No Room for Trafficking, and through collaboration across industry associations and brand networks, hotels are sharing tools, training resources, and lessons learned to continuously strengthen standards across the sector.
At the Hotel Association of Canada, we work closely with the Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking, which operates the national Human Trafficking Hotline. In 2025, the Hotline received more than 5,900 calls - the highest number on record. The link between awareness and reporting is clear: as understanding grows, more potential cases are identified. Through our industry’s collective efforts, we expect that even more trafficking activity will be detected and ultimately prevented.
The Canadian Centre to End Human Trafficking is a national charity that works to advance systemic change to prevent human trafficking and support victims and survivors. The Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline (1-833-900-1010) is a confidential, multilingual service available 24/7/365 that connects victims, survivors, and concerned community members with local supports. https://ccteht.ca/
