An anti-human trafficking advocate says 100 percent of the human trafficking victims she's spoken with have been at a hotel at some point during their exploitation.

Now, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, in a partnership with the state's Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force is rolling out new tools for hotel staff.

"It's not that human trafficking wasn't happening, but people weren't aware of it, people didn't know what the signs were, hotels didn't know what the signs were,” says Jodi Emerson with Fierce Freedom, a non-profit organization working to fight human trafficking in Western Wisconsin.

According to the US Department of Homeland Security, hotels and motels are major locations for human trafficking, and it's happening in unsuspecting places.

"It is happening, literally in all 72 counties of our state, and a hotel can be a key piece in fighting human trafficking, or they can be an enabler for it and look the other way,” says Emerson.

Now, the Wisconsin Department of Justice is bringing it to the forefront by rolling out educational webinars for hotel staff to learn about how to spot human trafficking and how to report it.

For the last year, Fierce Freedom has been training area hotels with its “Be Aware” campaign.

Six hotels including The Lismore Hotel, The Oxbow Hotel, Staybridge Suites, Holiday Inn South and Holiday Inn Express, and the Clarion are all Gold Level "Be Aware" certified.

“As we've been talking to hotels and going out and doing these trainings over the last year, they're really getting a lot more information,” says Emerson.

Some of the information in both Fierce Freedom’s training and the state’s webinar include looking for things like having few belongings when checking in, a "do not disturb” sign being constantly used, and excessive amounts of cash or electronics in a room.

"Maybe housekeeping is going to see a few of those things, and the front desk is going to see a few things, and so it's about getting the hotel to work together as a whole,” explains Emerson. “We really need people to be the eyes and ears of the police and law enforcement, to know what to look for and to get people the help they need.”