MONTREAL - With one major Montreal hotel already on strike, visitors to the province risk getting caught amid escalating pressure tactics as the labour dispute spreads to other hotels.

Employees at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, located in the heart of Montreal, walked off the job on Saturday.

The unionized workers are seeking 5 per cent wage increases every year for the next three years.

They also want improvements to their pension plan, lighter workloads and limits to subcontracting.

Cleaning staff at leading Montreal hotels make around $17.69 per hour.

Many hotel guests were dealing with inconveniences even before the strike began over the weekend.

Bruno Baron, who has been visiting from Paris for the past two weeks, complains his room hasn't been cleaned on a regular basis.

"The rooms were only done one day out of three, the swimming pool was closed and there was no room service at all," he said.

"I can understand their demands, but it's taking clients hostage," the 36-year-old said.

The hotel was also the headquarters for the just-ended Just-For-Laughs comedy festival.

Workers at another hotel in suburban Longueuil were locked out last Thursday and subsequently went on strike.

Since contracts expired June 30, 14 Montreal-area hotels have faced various job actions, including spontaneous walkouts.

Hotels in Quebec City could be the next to face disruptive union tactics.

Alain Lortie, spokesman for the Confederation of National Trade Unions, says a number of big Quebec City hotels will be targeted as contracts there come up for renewal July 31.

"We're talking about 1,200 workers in eight major hotels," he said.

"We'll decide Thursday whether to follow Montreal and implement 72-hours of strike action, which could happen any time after August 1.

"That would include walking off the job and coming back without prior notice, in order to put a lot of pressure on management."

Lortie points out that Paul McCartney's big concert may have gone, but Celine Dion is still due to perform Aug. 22.

"All the hotels are busy until the end of the fall so it's a peak period."

But he stresses that even though the provincial capital is celebrating its 400th anniversary, the workers' demands won't be any different than what's being sought in Montreal.

"We're not taking advantage of the 400th anniversary by asking for more because they're making a lot of money," he said.

William Brown, the executive vice-president of the Montreal Hotel Association, points out that even though large Montreal hotels like the Queen Elizabeth are involved in negotiations, there are still plenty of rooms in the city.

"I have 76 member hotels and I'm talking about 22 in negotiations, but I have 54 hotels running at full speed," he said.

Brown acknowledged that he's concerned about the negative comments about Montreal hotels that have shown up on the Internet.

"We want to be careful the negative publicity doesn't go any further," he said.

Brown adds that there has not been "a mass cancellation of rooms going on."

The head of the Quebec City hotel association says current negotiations only affect about 20 per cent of all hotel rooms in the region.

But Henri Roy also said that he's keeping his fingers crossed because summer is an important time of the year.

"Quebec is more seasonal, more touristy, while Montreal has a stronger business base," he said.

Roy added that it's a special year and "all parties are very conscientious of the importance of this 2008 tourist season for the future of tourism in Quebec city."

The iconic Chateau Frontenac hotel, often seen in postcards, is not involved in negotiations.

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