British Family request not to be served by Ritz Carlton's “people of color” or staff with accents

[HipChick]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7105776.ece

A family of British holidaymakers were accused yesterday of telling the management of a five-star Florida hotel that they did not want to be waited on by black staff.

Court papers say that the family, whose principal member was named as Rodney Morgan, left the instruction when they checked into the beachside Ritz-Carlton in the city of Naples on February 28.

The family, whose other members are not identified, allegedly informed the hotel of their preference not to be served by “people of colour” or staff with “foreign accents”.

A note of their demand was allegedly made on behalf of Edward Staros, the hotel’s vice-president and managing director.As per Mr Staros this couple is very, very prejudice and do like like ppl of color or foreign accents,” was allegedly typed into the hotel’s computer system.A black waiter says in a lawsuit that he suffered discrimination. Wadner Tranchant, 40, a Haitian-born US citizen, who has been at the hotel for 15 years, says that on March 12, the hotel “instructed the serving staff regarding the stated prejudice of the Morgan family” when they made a reservation for banquette seating at the hotel’s Grill Restaurant.

Mr Tranchant says he was not allowed to serve the Morgans because he was black.

A black waiter says in a lawsuit that he suffered discrimination. Wadner Tranchant, 40, a Haitian-born US citi“Plaintiff’s normal duties entailed providing service to guests, including the serving of food, but as Plaintiff began to provide such services on March 12, 2010, he was prevented by his immediate supervisors from doing so, as to the Morgan family because they did not want to be waited on by a black person,” the lawsuit says.

Other staff received similar treatment on many occasions, Mr Tranchant says.

Mike McDonnell, his lawyer, told the Naples Daily News that nine witnesses would testify that they had been told that the Morgans had not wanted to be served by blacks. “My client was prevented from waiting on this couple because he was black,” he said.

The lawsuit seeks punitive and compensatory damages from the hotel for the alleged violation of the US Civil Rights Act.

“Plaintiff was humiliated, embarrassed, frightened, intimidated, subject to undeserved shame and suffered severe emotional stress, which is continuing and for which Plaintiff is seeking medical and psychological treatment,” the suit says.

The 450-room hotel, which made the 2009 Condé Nast Traveller Gold List, boasts on its website of its “impeccable service”. “The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, offers guests an unforgettable experience in one of the world’s most beautiful destinations,” its says.

Rooms start at $449 (£290) and go up to $4,999 for the presidential suite overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. The Grill is one of six restaurants on the hotel premises.

Among the hotel’s forthcoming events is an appearance by Darren McGrady, a former senior chef at Buckingham Palace and chef to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who will discuss royal life and the history of the English tea-time at a tea party on May 2.

Bruce Seagel, the hotel’s director of marketing, said last night that the company did not discuss pending litigation.

However, he added: “The Ritz-Carlton has policies in place prohibiting discrimination and harassment and takes very seriously all allegations of discrimination and harassment.

[lonestarnot]

1. Rodney Morgan. I will remember that name.

Fuckwad. Dirty fuckwad!

[Hannah Bell]

18. Why remember *his* name? It was the Ritz & its owner, Marriott, who did his bidding.

Individuals' prejudices have no power unless public & private institutions enforce them.

pattern of discrimination?

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=marriott+hotels+discrimination&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=e42a5ee10fdf9368

[lonestarnot]

31. Not just another shoot 'em in the face dick.

Witness to be hailed into Court. Hope they make an example of him! And an asswad of his fuckwadery!

[Angry Dragon]

2. I must be missing something here

If someone told me that they did not want me to serve them then I would be grateful that I did not have to wait upon them.

[eShirl]

3. facepalm

[Angry Dragon]

10. Very informative

[derby378]

6. And when EVERYONE informs you that they don't want you serving them...

...what do you do then? Lose your job and starve? :shrug:

[Angry Dragon]

11. I read it as one family

not wanting them to serve them.

[Hannah Bell]

21. it's illegal, for starters.

[jtuck004]

8. Would you be just as okay with it if, say, I didn't want you to teach my kid

because of your skin color?
Or provide blood for a transfusion?
Or be a VP or CEO of a company?
Or own property in the neighborhood?
Or vote in our local elections?
Or go to my church? (like I have one<G>)

Where, exactly is the line?

The point is the waiter (or anyone else) is presumably a skilled person, a professional, proud of their craft,
and to be told that someone doesn't want to associate with them because of their skin color, not because they
lack skills, is harmful to them.

Because if these people remain unchallenged what is to keep the employer from deciding to only employ people
who look white because they can serve anyone? Was the hotel built, or is it operated, with any tax-savings
from the city, or do customers drive on public roads to reach the hotel? If the waiter can't work, how
would he\she then be expected to earn a living to pay those taxes? Does this seem like a stretch?
Please take a look around and see who is hired far more often for jobs dealing with the public, for positions
which lead to real ownership of coporate assets. Racism is still very much alive and well today, one
presidential election notwithstanding.

The most disturbing part of this is the fact that a manager was not immediately called to
the desk to tell them that this was one request which was less important than their business.

[Angry Dragon]

12. Your last sentence did come to mind when I read the OP

I did ask others to comment to see if I was missing something. When I travel I do not worry about who I am going to run across. So I was just looking for other opinions and only looked at it in a wait staff setting.

[jtuck004]

15. Yea, I was just musing...

I hope it was respectful.

I think it had to be hurtful to the waiter's feelings if nothing else. And now there
is a lawsuit. I think that probably causes a lot more of those than we know...

[Ignis]

33. Way to miss the point.

:thumbsdown:

[BlooInBloo]

4. But... but.... you're BLEK!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9v4CFjrjBxc

:rofl:

Good thing it's not about race, it's about class, eh?

[underseasurveyor]

13. LOL

I quote Brooks movies ALL the time... most people give me that, 'you're really strange' look. Course it's twu, it's twu.

[xultar]

5. I will accent my foot up their fucking asses!!!!!

[REP]

7. ...wouldn't everyone in the US have a foreign accent to UK ears?

They wanted staff with UK accents only?

[Toucano]

20. That's what I'm thinking!

What the hell does that even mean?

What if they'd gone to Texas?

Heaven help these stupid, rich bastards!

[pipi_k]

32. Shit...I live in Western Mass...everybody east of Worcester has a foreign accent!

:7

[Bluebear]

9. I would tell them that was perfectly alright.

But unfortunately, we couldn't offer them ANY service.

[Ignis]

34. Exactly: That's the answer the hotel should have given.

[MilesColtrane]

14. Apparently they thought they were checking into the Ritz KKKarlton.

Those malodorous, toffee nosed, shitheels need to go the fuck back where they came from.

[mr blur]

16. But we don't want them back. Can't you keep them,

maybe get them a nice home in Texas or Mississippi? New Orleans, perhaps?

[NotThisTime]

24. Apparently they were since their demands were met, I'd kick them the hell out...

[Hannah Bell]

17. Owned by marriott international, CEO JW Marriott, Jr. Marriott family = Mormon.

Founder born in Marriott Settlement, Utah.

[JCMach1]

19. I have seen similar idiocy from some of our British cousins here in Dubai

It pisses me off.

Vacation seems to bring out the worst in people sometimes.

[ima_sinnic]

22. I hope this a-hole scum family enjoys having its snooty name dragged through the papers

assholes. I would have told them to shove it and remind them their shit stinks too.

May the whole family go to special hell reserved for the KKKlan and their ilk, where they can spend eternity being concerned about superficialities of other people such as eye color, hair color, height, and shoe size, a place where ideas are never discussed, only the most mundane and boring trivialities that have no relevance to anything whatsoever.

[olegramps]

23. Why did the hotel comply with their prejudice demands?

It would seem to me that the hotel was going to kiss these peoples' ass because they were wealthy. The manager is a gutless bastard for not telling these freaks that their business was not desired and go somewhere else.

[pinniped]

25. The Ritz Carlton is a 'yes' operation.

.

[RobinA]

27. I Worked in a Hospital

with mixed race/ethnicity patients and staff. I'n white. Many a time an African-American would come in screaming that she (usually a she) did not want to be touched by any white b*tches. So she wasn't. She got the staff she wanted. No biggy. Same with guys coming in not wanting women. Whatever. Most service agencies/businesses run into this from time to time and handle it with a federal case being made. Forcing some bogot to be served, in whatever capacity, by someone they don't want serving them benefits no one.

[Darth_Kitten]

29. That IS a biggy.

Sorry, but nobody calls me a "white b*tch" when I do my job.
Nobody should have to accept that kind of disrespect doing their job.

[HughBeaumont]

26. "The Customer is always right"

Whudda bunch of bullshit. These BNP motherfuckers can kiss ass with the rest of their grizzled TeaKlanner counterparts here in the States. Fit right in.

[Darth_Kitten]

30. Right.....

I work in Customer Service.....God, how I'm learning to loathe humanity. :)

[whistler162]

28. We are sorry but Mr. Rains is dead and Mr. Chase is

not available.

[pink-o]

35. Hey, Brits! Get a clue: when we kicked you out 234 years ago, we wrote a constitution

that decared all were created equal. You wanna stay away from "people of colour" you better pick another country to visit.

Not to mention, when I lived in London, I got the best multi-cultural education I could have wished for! I met people from places I never even knew were on the map. So idiot Morgan must live in his Park Lane High Rise, take the "lift" down to the GARE-rage and his limo and not bother to look thru his blacked-out windows on his ride to Mayfair. Well, la-de-da, Rodney. Hope you enjoy your bigoted life, cuz the real loser isn't the waiter or the housekeeper you sneer at, but you and your stupid family who will never know the richness of the humanity around you.

Oh, and the stupidest thing of all: Some corrupt Alderman in the 1100's probably elevated your oily ancestor to a position of "aristocracy" after a few acres of prime land and a couple gold crowns crossed his greedy palms. But guess what? You're still a dirt-eating peasant like the rest of us, so get over yourself!