A couple of days ago I wrote about an unfortunate incident that occurred at the DoubleTree Portland. A black guest (staying at the hotel) took a phone call in the lobby, and was approached by security.
He allegedly flashed his room card, though the security guard called the cops on him. Some may disagree about the facts up until here, and how justified the security guard was in approaching this guy over other guests in the lobby in the first place.
However, surely everyone will agree what happened from here is outrageous. Even after the guy verified his room number, the security guard still had the cops come for him. At this point the manager also showed up.
Rather than apologizing profusely, he tells the guy to calm down and says that he’s just trying to help him out.
Yes, all of this was after it was determined that the guy was an actual guest, and they still kicked him out of the hotel.
Well, there’s a big development when it comes to this story. The DoubleTree Portland has fired both of the employees in question. Here’s the full statement that they released via Twitter:
We sincerely apologize to Mr. Massey for his treatment this past weekend, and deeply regret the experience he endured. It was unacceptable and contrary to our values, beliefs and how we seek to treat all people who visit our hotel.
We have a zero-tolerance stance on discrimination of any kind, and do not tolerate behavior of that nature.
We are seeking the counsel of community leaders, and will engage a third-party to conduct a full investigation into the incident – reviewing our internal processes, protocols and trainings to ensure we are creating and maintaining a safe space for everyone.
The employees involved have since been placed on leave for the duration of this investigation, and we will take the appropriate measures to ensure this does not happen again.
We have terminated the employment of the two men involved in the mistreatment of Mr. Massey. Their actions were inconsistent with our standards & values. We reiterate our sincere apology for what he endured & will work with diversity experts to ensure this never happens again.
Whether or not this apology is sincere on their part is anyone’s guess. Immediately following the incident the hotel didn’t take responsibility for what happened, but rather described the situation as a “misunderstanding.” It’s only after there was a lot of backlash that they seemed to take this situation seriously.
(Tip of the hat to panda)
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.