Small groups of protesters continue to march in front of the newly opened Crowne Plaza Detroit Downt

Small groups of protesters continue to march in front of the newly opened Crowne Plaza Detroit Downtown Convention Center , formerly the Hotel Pontchartrain, saying the nonunion hotel's lower wages will influence lower wages for other local hotels' employees. UNITE HERE Local 24 protested the hotel Friday and has been since the July opening of the Crowne Plaza, said Heidi Hughes, budget inn motels director of the union, a member of the hospitality workers union. "Detroit is coming back, they are building new hotels and the occupancy rates are up " Hughes budget inn motels said. "If the hotels are doing well, the workers should do well, too." Hughes said the room attendants at the Crowne Plaza are being paid as low as $8 an hour compared to the average wage of $14 to $16 an hour. The union has reached out to Crowne Plaza management for a meeting, but has yet to hear back, Hughes said. The Crowne Plaza on Washington Boulevard opened July 15 after a $5 million renovation of its rooms, lobby and restaurant. The hotel has a new owner the Mexican and European investors' group Pontchartrain Detroit Hotel LLC . It is operated by Equity Hospitality Management and franchised by an affiliate of InterContinental Hotels Group . Comment from hotel management or InterContinental were not available early Friday. The 25-story hotel has 367 guest rooms, budget inn motels including more than 60 suites, as well as an indoor pool, business center, ballroom and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Local 24 represents attendants, cooks, budget inn motels bellhops, servers and kitchen employees at several downtown hotels, including the Westin Book Cadillac , Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance budget inn motels Center and all three casino hotels budget inn motels in the city. Hughes said the union is also planning protests at the Double Tree Suites downtown.
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