Hotel workers at 32 hotels in Toronto have voted to authorize a strike to back contract demands. (CBC)

Unionized workers at 32 Toronto hotels have voted to authorize strike action, but only one downtown location stands to be immediately affected.

Those workers voted 94.2 per cent favour of a possible strike should contract negotiations with hotels break down, the union told a news conference Thursday morning.

Prior to the announcement by Unite Here Local 75, there were fears that a strike could bring the hospitality industry to a standstill days before the G20 summit.

But the impact of any strike action would not be as great as originally thought, as the union said only one downtown hotel will be in a legal strike position before the summit.

Workers at the Novotel on the Esplanade near Yonge Street could strike on June 24, two days before the meeting of world leaders at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Some French delegates to the G20 summit will be staying at the Novotel and may have to navigate picket lines. The union said it doesn't want to hold Toronto hostage during the G20, but the action could be taken if working conditions don't improve.

Workers currently in negotiation with 11 other hotels could also strike, but the union declined to say when they could do so. The remaining hotels have yet to begin negotiations, but the vote now means workers there could strike should talks fall through.

It is not immediately clear exactly how many workers voted, but Cicely Phillips, the vice-president of the union local, said a "majority" of them turned out.

Many of those workers have been without a contract since February, the union said.

Unite Here Local 75 represents some 5,500 hotel workers in the Greater Toronto Area, including the Novotel, the Fairmont and Le Royal Meridien King Edward . Major issues centre on shift cuts and workplace conditions, the union has said.