Selina (now “Sociatel”) shut down today in Palermo Soho

Stafford

Registered
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
205
Likes
234
The Selina hotel on Guatemala and Thames (now calling itself “Sociatel”) suddenly shut down this morning. Workers showed up and were told the place is closing, effective immediately. No warning, no severance, nothing.

Apparently, after Selina declared bankruptcy (a failed SPAC), they switched the operation to this “Sociatel” name—a shell company with the same management. They also cut the staff’s obra social months ago but kept deducting it from their paychecks anyway.

My husband and I stopped by to talk to the workers tonight. They were super nice and completely peaceful—just trying to get answers and some kind of severance. About 30 of them are camped out in the lobby.

Spreading the word so their story gets out there. These are good people who’ve been put in a really unfair situation. And if you're walking by, don't be afraid to chat with them. They are very kind and could use the support.

IMG_20250506_190121406_HDR.jpg
 
Sharing more info, after my husband reported back from some additional conversations with the employees camped out at the hotel.

They explained that this situation has been going on for months. Staff have been underpaid, made to work extra hours without proper compensation, and had obra social contributions deducted from their pay even though the company stopped paying into the system. One employee only found out when she got sick and couldn’t access medical care.

Earlier in the day, all hotel guests were asked to leave and relocated to other accommodations—likely so the company could close the place quietly without resolving the workers’ claims.
 
The Selina hotel on Guatemala and Thames (now calling itself “Sociatel”) suddenly shut down this morning. Workers showed up and were told the place is closing, effective immediately. No warning, no severance, nothing.

Apparently, after Selina declared bankruptcy (a failed SPAC), they switched the operation to this “Sociatel” name—a shell company with the same management. They also cut the staff’s obra social months ago but kept deducting it from their paychecks anyway.

My husband and I stopped by to talk to the workers tonight. They were super nice and completely peaceful—just trying to get answers and some kind of severance. About 30 of them are camped out in the lobby.

Spreading the word so their story gets out there. These are good people who’ve been put in a really unfair situation. And if you're walking by, don't be afraid to chat with them. They are very kind and could use the support.

View attachment 10378
Libertarianism: The liberty to act on your miserable greed. There never were bars preventing it, but there were some perimeters.
 
It can happen anywhere, in fact something similar happened to me, a long time ago, in Germany. The company I worked for got into difficulties, first stopped paying into the social security system (something that should have set off alarms), then started delaying salary payments.

You could file a complaint at the local government office, who would then inform the company of the complaint, and who filed it, and the company would, in due course, fire you.

The company structure was... interesting: one company owned the buildings, another owned the manufacturing equipment, and yet another, but this one had no assets, employed the workers. So you could take your employer to court for lack of salary payments, win the case, and not be able to collect since there were no assets.

Sometimes the perimeters are just a mirage, and greed and lack of scruples are universal.
 
Found some backstory. It looks like the Selina group took on huge debts and ended up insolvent. Last year it was bought by a Hospitality group in Singapore and rebranded.


Another casualty is a little niche company called Remote Year that was something like a travel broker and guide for digital nomads. It also abruptly folded recently. As it turns out, they’d been bought by Selina. I guess the parent group decided it wasn’t worth it, despite having what I believe was a more successful business model.
 
Hotel workers belong to a very strong Union. The Union must intervene and settle the dispute.

Unión de Trabajadores del Turismo, Hoteleros y Gastronómicos de la República Argentina (UTHGRA)
 
Hotel workers belong to a very strong Union. The Union must intervene and settle the dispute.

Unión de Trabajadores del Turismo, Hoteleros y Gastronómicos de la República Argentina (UTHGRA)
UTHGRA is out there right now, helping. They plastered the lobby and sidewalks with their literature and have many representatives there. They are also bringing food and supplies to the employees. Hoping they can get somewhere.

Here's the resumen they wrote up:

---

Denuncia y situación crítica de trabajadores en Socialtel Buenos Aires (Ex Selina Argentina SRL)
Fecha: Mayo 2025
Ubicación: Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina

---

1. Resumen Ejecutivo
Socialtel Buenos Aires, operando bajo la razón social Selina Explorer Argentina SRL, es parte de la cadena hotelera internacional Collective Hospitality, dirigida por Gary Murray (CEO), Peter Lucas (Presidente) y Stacey Walton (VP de Operaciones Hoteleras). En Argentina, la sociedad fue constituida el 2 de febrero de 2018, con sede legal en Av. Rivadavia 717, piso 6, oficina A, CABA.

Actualmente, el hotel ubicado en calle Guatemala 4931, en el barrio de Palermo, se encuentra en estado de asamblea permanente por parte de los trabajadores, con apoyo de la seccional Capital Federal de UTHGRA (Unión de Trabajadores del Turismo, Hoteleros y Gastronómicos de la República Argentina). Denuncian abandono total por parte de la empresa, falta de pago de salarios e indemnizaciones, condiciones laborales inhumanas y ausencia de respuestas formales.

---

2. Hechos Relevantes

Asamblea Permanente: Iniciada la primera semana de mayo 2025, los trabajadores se encuentran en vigilia dentro del hotel, sin poder utilizar habitaciones ni acceder a insumos básicos, incluso aquellos necesarios para su alimentación.

Involucrados en Argentina:

Juan Bautista: Director Operativo de Socialtel en Argentina

Carlos González: Gerente de Recursos Humanos

Personal Jurídico vinculado:

Raúl Skyuler (DNI 4.827.384, CUIT 20-0482738-0): Gerente de Selina Explorer Argentina SRL

Noé Alberto Wernicke (DNI 7.737.067): Socio

Pedro Miguel Dolanyi Rajkay (DNI 95.780.368, venezolano): Representante legal aparente

---

3. Estructura Internacional y Expansión Dudosa

Socialtel forma parte de Collective Hospitality, matriz de otras marcas como Slumber Party, Bodega Hostels, Socialtel Resort, Destination Eats, y marcas orientadas a millennials y Generación Z. Muchas de estas propiedades fueron adquiridas o reemplazaron a hoteles de la cadena Selina, que se encuentra en franco retroceso global.

Se investigan las operaciones en América Latina, donde Socialtel operó en propiedades previamente asociadas a Selina, incluyendo países como Argentina, Colombia, Brasil, y México. En varios casos, los hoteles han cerrado repentinamente o quedaron en litigio con ex empleados.

---

4. Estado Actual de las Propiedades en Argentina

Socialtel Buenos Aires (Palermo, Guatemala 4931): En asamblea permanente. Cerrado al público.

Socialtel Bariloche: Continúa operativo, motivo por el cual se solicita intervención legal para garantizar la responsabilidad solidaria entre todas las locaciones.

Otras locaciones del grupo: Se solicita investigación sobre su relación con ex propiedades de Selina en Córdoba y otras ciudades.

---

5. Requerimientos urgentes

1. Intervención del Ministerio de Trabajo de la Nación y de la AFIP para investigar evasión fiscal, abandono de personal y posible fraude empresarial.

2. Acción legal colectiva internacional, invocando derecho internacional del trabajo para responsabilizar a toda la cadena Collective Hospitality.

3. Exposición mediática del caso a través de Bloomberg y otros medios internacionales para frenar prácticas corporativas abusivas y proteger a trabajadores y consumidores.

---

6. Contacto del equipo denunciante
Este informe se emite con el objetivo de alertar a la prensa internacional, organismos laborales y defensores de derechos humanos sobre la grave situación en curso en Buenos Aires y potencialmente replicable en otras sedes del grupo.

---
 
Honestly, if anyone is in the neighborhood and you want to pass by, do so and show your support. They are good people and they welcome the encouragement.
 
Thread starter Similar threads Forum Replies Date
D Articles 0
Similar threads
Soccer - 'Vaselina Goals'
Back
Top