A hotel’s decision to honor the request of a racist couple from Britain lands the company in court
Apparently, the folks who run the Ritz-Carlton hotels are of the opinion that bigotry is perfectly okay, so long as it pays — or more to the point, pays them.
We learn this from a lawsuit filed by a Ritz-Carlton employee in Naples, FL. Basically, a British couple made it known to the hotel management that they would not accept being served by “people of color” or anyone with a foreign accent. The color, in case you haven’t already guessed, was black.
This story is in the process of going viral around the planet. You can read about it here.
In fairness to Rodney Morgan and his traveling companion, people have the right to be any hateful, idiotic thing they so choose. And I suppose bigots need a place to sleep as much as the rest of us.
What’s disappointing is that a hotel chain with the global presence and stature of Ritz-Carlton would accede to such a request. I wonder how they would respond were I to show up at their hostelry, say, in Laguna Niguel, CA and request not to be served by “persons absent of color?”
For virtually every day of its life, this nation has struggled with the question of race, particularly as it pertains to “us.” The progress we’ve made toward a truly free, equal and color-blind society has been as hard-won as it has been uneven.
The good folks at the Ritz-Carlton, in sanctioning this “unique” request, essentially are saying to the rest of us — to the world, in fact — that racism and bigotry are perfectly acceptable.
Especially if they can make some money out of it.
What’s next, a series of TV and radio commercials urging “special” guests to come to the Ritz-Carlton?
“We’ll leave the burning cross out for ya!”
In that long, torturous and ongoing march toward equality, these folks just took us all back a few steps.
There’s one thing I don’t wonder about. In making a deliberate decision to cater to an openly bigoted clientele, the Ritz-Carlton have sent me a important message, for which I’m eternally grateful — namely that they have no need for my money. And I swear before God that they’ll never see a penny of it.
This is one “person of color” who won’t be “puttin’ on the Ritz.”
Meanwhile, in the highly unlikely event that you ever read this, Mr. Morgan, here’s a little tip for your future travels:
When you’re a guest in someone else’s country, the one with the “foreign accent” is you.
This is a fabulously noxious story from Naples, Florida. And your commentary is right on, Greg.
While the greatness of this country includes allowing people the freedom to be bigoted for any backwards reason they so choose, they lose their freedom (and potential business), when their bigotry goes unchallenged in a venue doing public business in an industry (hospitality) subject to government regulations.
This feels analogous to “Jim Crow” laws in “reverse,” that is, a bigoted white customer (vs. a non-bigoted black customer) who desires “separate but equal” service from whites only (vs. a black customer who has no choice but to enter the back door to be served). Is the customer always right? Apparently, if so in this case, in the 21st century, the Ritz Carlton has a lot of explaining to do.
The RC would never have my business anyway, but your story gives me a good reason to hate them and spread the word about their practices. I’m trying to be fair and place myself in the shoes of the customer who has unreasonable preferences of all stripes (re: celebrity divas and the like) — but is tolerated by virtue of his/her mighty dollars.
For something so blatantly in the open like this involving hotel employees (as has been alleged) at the risk of losing their jobs, feels more egregious. On points of law, it will be interesting to see if the plantiff can win on a little-used provision of the Civil Rights Act.
But you know what? Even if the plantiff loses — he still wins. Because if the Ritz Carlton admits guilt but is found to have not broken any laws as a “private establishment” with the right to “refuse service to anybody,” one hopes that the ensuing smears of publicity would be enough to shame that chain forever. It would be like the Denny’s lawsuits during the 1990s “in reverse.”
Good pick-up, Greg. Still horrible. I hope this spreads virally.
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The hotel chain’s website states: “At The Ritz-Carlton we have built a legacy of extraordinary service.” Some legacy. Thank you for informing us about this hotel’s extraordinarily bad decision. It’s another reminder of the work that still needs to be done.
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