The Brooklyn Center City Council revoked two hospitality accommodation licenses and suspended another at an Oct. 12 meeting — forcing Super 8 and Travelodge to cease hotel operations and Suburban Studios to press pause for 90 days.
The decision comes roughly one month after a multi-agency raid of four Brooklyn Center properties brought more than 20 arrests, part of an ongoing criminal investigation involving suspected human trafficking.
The council unanimously voted in favor of license revocation for Kaswa Hospitality and SIYA, who were doing business as Super 8 and Travelodge, respectively. These two properties were largely the focus of the September law enforcement operation.
Mayor April Graves cast the sole vote against license suspension for BC Seva, doing business as Suburban Studios. The motion passed with a 4-1 vote.
Kaswa Hospitality and SIYA will not be allowed to operate their hotels for at least six months.
After that time, they can reapply for a hospitality accommodation license. Any new license would have to be approved by the council with a corrective action plan in place.
Super 8 the source of hundreds of 911 calls
Presentations from Brooklyn Center’s Police, Fire and Community Development departments highlighted significant concerns regarding safety, security and code compliance.
Numerous code violations were found within the Super 8 on James Circle North.
Brooklyn Center Police Chief Garett Flesland said Super 8 was the source of approximately 1,300 calls for service from January 2025 through August 2026. “During this period, there were 153 arrests made at this location for a variety of offenses, 32 individuals were arrested more than once at this location, and we are aware of 56 drug overdoses,” he said.
Flesland noted these figures “provide some context” but do not by themselves establish a licensing violation.
He also shared updated figures from the September raid at Super 8. He said 10 people were arrested, four firearms were recovered and approximately $30,000 in cash was seized.
According to Flesland, the police did find evidence of offenses related to hotel licensing. Investigative interviews reportedly found Super 8 did not require or retain identification of guests as outlined in city code. A former Super 8 employee interviewed during the investigation alleged that management directed them to “disregard suspected illegal activity and to not contact police,” Flesland said.
Other alleged violations outlined by Flesland include a Super 8 employee who did not report a firearm had been discharged, acceptance of cash for reservation or rental, allowance of long-term stays and evidence that staff was not properly trained to recognize suspicious activity related to sex trafficking.
Brooklyn Center Fire Chief Todd Berg shared findings from a Sept. 9 inspection of the entire building, including every common area and guest room. Alleged violations include fire doors that needed to be replaced, a fire sprinkler that was covered, missing or empty fire extinguishers and excessive storage in three rooms constituting a fire hazard.
Berg highlighted that 43 of the 94 total guest rooms and four of the general areas had their smoke detectors removed or covered, which he described as “probably the biggest” violation.
Prior to the vote, an attorney spoke on behalf of Kaswa Hospitality and asked for the council to either take no action or to issue a conditional license.
“My clients… do have a documented history of past violations and bringing their building back up to code. Most recently, in April of 2026, they had a list of fire code violations. They turned around and fixed that – they even got a note from the fire department commending them for their fast action in making those corrections.,” Molly McMahon said. “I would ask that my clients be given the opportunity to come into compliance with all of these alleged violations.”
Council Member Teneshia Kragness questioned if it was “normal activity to have $18,000 worth of cash at the front desk,” which law enforcement reported finding during the raid.
McMahon said her understanding was the cash was accumulated over a nine-day period and noted she doesn’t “know what the industry standard is for other hotels.”
Council Member Dan Jerzak referenced his own time in Brooklyn Center code enforcement, when Super 8 employees reportedly told him they would be disciplined by ownership if the police were called.
“I will not be voting for any extension,” Jerzak said. “In fact, my only question is what took us so long.”
Hennepin County ordered Kaswa Hospitality to close the Super 8 and cease all operations after their own Sept. 9 inspection. City staff recommended license revocation, which the council unanimously voted to approve.
Travelodge
Numerous code violations were also discovered at the Travelodge, just down the block from Super 8. The police and fire chiefs outlined parallels, but also differences, between the two properties.
Flesland noted the Travelodge saw approximately 975 calls for service, 23 violent crime-related incidents, 93 arrests made at this location for a variety of offenses and 48 drug overdoses in that same 20-month period. He shared the following updated numbers from the Sept. 9 Travelodge raid: 16 people arrested, five firearms recovered and approximately $18,395 in cash seized.
“Our investigation developed information of rooms being rented without the required identification being collected or retained, and rentals being left off the occupancy records,” Flesland said.
According to Flesland, investigative interviews produced allegations that Travelodge management facilitated room access connected with illegal activity, with at least one account of rooms being provided in exchange for sexual activity.
“Commercial sex advertising websites have listed and identified the Travelodge by name and exact address,” Flesland said. “Investigators are aware of drug activity and drug overdoses taking place on site, sometimes in the presence of staff, that went unreported by hotel staff.”
Other alleged violations include acceptance of cash for reservation or rental, allowance of long-term stays and evidence that staff was not properly trained to recognize suspicious activity related to sex trafficking.
Berg outlined many fire-related violations. He noted 13 fire doors needed to be replaced, rooms were not properly labeled and four rooms had excessive storage — one of which contained an “unsafe container full of gasoline.”
“Many of the rooms had cooking appliances, one with a full kitchen,” Berg added. “42 guest rooms and two general areas had either their smoke detectors removed or inoperable because they were covered… This is out of 100, so just shy of half the rooms, again.”
Attorney Brendan Kenny spoke on behalf of SIYA. He noted the property is no longer a franchisee of Travelodge and said the owners “want to comply and get the building up to a place where it can operate again.” He claimed license revocation would make that more difficult.
After brief council member comments, city staff recommended license revocation and the council unanimously voted to approve it.
This marks the second time the Travelodge property has been forced to close this year. In February, Hennepin County Public Health temporarily shut it down after multiple health and safety violations were discovered by both city and county officials. In early March, the city found the Travelodge was in “overall fair condition” and it was later allowed to reopen.
Suburban Studios
The Brooklyn Center City Council also took licensing action against BC Seva at the Oct. 12 meeting, but the violations and consequences both differed.
Doing business as Suburban Studios on Freeway Boulevard, the property was set to cease operations after the council voted to revoke its license in 2025 — but then delayed the revocation soon after due to threatened legal action. After overhauling its hotel ordinance this spring, the council approved the property for license renewal, albeit with a list of conditions.
According to city staff, Suburban Studios failed to comply with two sections of the corrective action plan, specifically regarding property maintenance and code compliance.
Attorney Megan Rogers, who spoke on behalf of BC Seva, attributed recent missed and delayed inspections to “communication problems.” She also claimed incomplete repairs are due to the fact that guests were allowed to stay in rooms with smaller violations, like peeling paint, while life-safety issues, such as plumbing issues, led rooms to be “taken offline” for repairs.
“I’d like to draw a distinction between those two things, and that we are really working to ensure that the safety of our guests is a priority at the hotel, which is consistent with the promise that we made to the council when you approved the corrective action plan,” Rogers said.
Jerzak suggested bringing the suspension period up to six months, but the city attorney said that 90 days was the maximum punishment they could issue given the violations.
The motion to suspend BC Seva’s license for 90 days passed with a 4-1 vote. The suspension requires all hotel guests to vacate the premises by Nov. 11, 2026. The owners must also submit a new corrective action plan and comply with all applicable city ordinances.