Do hotels not do any sort of vetting of the types of conferences they host?
Nick Fuentes hosts conference at Residence Inn
White nationalist Nick Fuentes wasn’t allowed at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) this past weekend, over his radical beliefs (including loving Hitler and denying that the Holocaust happened). Just for context, Marjorie Taylor Greene was a speaker at CPAC, to give you a sense of just what it takes to be kicked out of the conference. So instead Fuentes hosted his own America First Political Action Conference (AFPAC) across the street, at the Residence Inn by Marriott at the National Harbor in Maryland.
During this event, which was attended by dozens of people (and literally just dozens, since the property’s biggest conference room can accommodate at most 100 people), Fuentes talked about his love of Hitler (he literally said “I love Hitler”), and the need to eradicate feminism, liberalism, Judaism, and satanism.
Below you can see some of the clips from his speech at the conference.
When a journalist tried to record outside the hotel, the security kept calling him “fatty,” and the crowd chanted “you are fat,” followed by “you are gay.”
Meanwhile a uniformed security officer for the hotel came outside saying “no footage,” and that “Marriott doesn’t want you taking pictures.”
Marriott has to do better than this
It goes without saying that many hotels are in the business of hosting conferences, and the views expressed during a conference don’t necessarily reflect the views of the hotel. After all, they’re just a venue. However, surely there should be some line that won’t be crossed when it comes to the kinds of conferences that hotels will host.
Where is that line? I don’t know exactly, but I do know that hosting a conference of Hitler worshippers who essentially think anyone who isn’t a white Christian should be eradicated crosses that line.
This isn’t just about general values and being a decent company, as it goes beyond that. How do you think a Black or Jewish guest or employee would feel at the hotel while this is going on? Heck, how should a gay guest or employee feel if members of this conference are chanting “you are gay” outside the entrance to the hotel?
You can be asked to leave a hotel for bad behavior, and I’d expect that if someone made slurs against another guest, they’d be asked to leave. But to host a conference of dozens of people like this? Wow…
Marriott claims its core values are as follows:
Our core values make us who we are. As we change and grow, the beliefs that are most important to us stay the same—putting people first, pursuing excellence, embracing change, acting with integrity and serving our world. Being part of Marriott International means being part of a proud history and a thriving culture.
I don’t think there’s anything about hosting a conference like this that lines up with Marriott’s alleged core values.
Now, let me of course acknowledge that presumably this conference didn’t get corporate approval from Marriott, but rather these kinds of agreements are negotiated by individual properties. That being said, this reflects that perhaps the guidelines for individual properties aren’t strict enough for vetting the kinds of conferences being hosted.
Bottom line
Nick Fuentes wasn’t welcome at CPAC due to his radical beliefs, so he hosted his own conference across the street… at a Residence Inn by Marriott. During his speech, he talked about his love for Hitler, and how Jews, feminists, liberals, etc., all need to be eradicated.
C’mon Marriott, you need to do better than this…
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