U.S. News

A Luxury Hotel Charged Wildfire Evacuees Illegal Rates. Now It’s Paying Them Back.

By Erica Coleman · July 15, 2026

When the Eaton Fire forced more than 200,000 people out of their homes in January 2025, some of them sought shelter at one of Pasadena’s most expensive hotels. The Langham Huntington, a five-star property where rooms run between $200 and $1,700 a night, allegedly saw an opportunity.

On the day Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency, triggering California’s anti-price-gouging protections, the Langham raised its rates above the legal limit. Under California law, businesses cannot charge more than 10% above their pre-emergency prices during a declared state of emergency. The Langham charged more than that — and kept doing it, according to prosecutors, for more than a year.

On Monday, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office announced that Langham Hotels Pacific Corporation agreed to pay $320,000 and issue full refunds to eligible guests who were overcharged during stays between January 7, 2025, and March 29, 2026. The refund amount for overcharges from January through April 2025 alone has already been calculated at $216,795.

“It is reprehensible to overcharge and take advantage of wildfire victims who were in desperate need of housing as they fled their homes from raging fires last year.” Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman said.

The settlement breaks down as follows: $300,000 in civil penalties and $20,000 in investigative costs go to the DA’s office and County Counsel. The $216,795 in refunds — and any additional amounts calculated for the remaining covered period — goes directly back to overcharged guests. Any refund money that can’t be delivered to its intended recipient after reasonable attempts goes to the LA County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs.

If you stayed at the Langham Huntington Pasadena between January 7, 2025, and March 29, 2026, and believe you were charged above the legal rate, contact the LA County District Attorney’s consumer protection division. The hotel itself is required to reach out to eligible guests, but proactively checking your records from that period is the fastest path to a refund.

The settlement also requires Langham to modify any automated or algorithmic pricing systems to prevent unlawful rate increases during future emergencies — a provision that goes beyond the immediate case to address the mechanism that allowed the overcharges to happen in the first place.

The Langham cooperated with the investigation and did not admit liability. But cooperation didn’t prevent the full penalty. The LA County DA’s office has been working with consumer agencies to pursue price-gouging cases since the fires began, and this settlement is part of a broader enforcement effort.

California’s price-gouging law has no exception for luxury properties. A wildfire evacuee sleeping in a $200 room has the same legal protection as one in a $1,700 suite. The Langham, prosecutors allege, treated the emergency as a revenue opportunity instead.

The fires killed at least 31 people and destroyed more than 10,000 homes. Many families remain displaced today, more than 18 months later, as insurance disputes and permitting delays stall reconstruction.