UK Family tells US Hotel: No black employees

[jim]

A British family is at the centre of am [sic] astonishing legal case in America after telling a luxury hotel they did not want to be served by a black waiter.

Their apparent racist request was entered into the computer of a five star Ritz-Carlton hotel on checking in and a black waiter was later stopped from serving them.

Haitian born Wadner Tranchant claims he was turned away from serving the family during their recent stay at the hotel in Naples, Florida, to avoid upsetting them.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worl...#ixzz0lujRlFrJ

If true, I find that gobsmacking.

[TheAnimus]

wow, just wow.

[Brucelles]

It is bloody appalling that a pair of asshats like that can go abroad and basically override the basically decent impression British families usually give. Now halfof those who read that story are going to think all Brits are mindless racists.

I did smirk when I read this

It said the waiter, who has worked at the hotel for 15 years, was left 'humiliated and embarrassed' The lawsuit, filed in Fort Myers District Court on Wednesday, claims Tranchant was so offended he has had to seek medical and psychological help.

His opportunity to get rich I guess.

[usxhe190]

Well 9 other staff members heard the same thing from the family. I would love to know who this family is.

[Flash477]

It's hard to believe that there are still people that racist in this day and age. Then again they still have the KKK in America, and the nazi movement still hasn't been killed off yet...

[jim]

I did smirk when I read this

His opportunity to get rich I guess.

I thought that, but then at the same time I can just imagine the lawyer thinking "How can I milk this case for everything it's worth." You wonder whether the waiter actually got much say in that part of proceedings...

In my opinion though, if the hotel actually acquiesced to the extent suggested in the article, then they deserve whatever they get.

[MD]

its the daily fail - it probably didn't go anywhere close to the way they describe.

Did find it funny when one of the commenters said the article was wrong as Naples was in Italy...duh.

[scaryjim]

Anyone checked the Parliamentary Candidates list to see if there's a "Rodney Morgan" standing for the BNP?

[TheAnimus]

In my opinion though, if the hotel actually acquiesced to the extent suggested in the article, then they deserve whatever they get.

You'd be amazed what some of these places do.

Especially out in the 3rd world, but sometimes they have merit, I was out in a hotel in asia (I think one of the inter-continentals) and someone was making a request rather sheepishly that no man would come to the suite, or even ring the bell. Their daughter had apparently been assaulted, now whilst I'm sure its not the best way to deal with such a situation, I can understand why they did they would capitulate, not to mention when you have one of those types of suites, its like a private residence.

Now whilst this sounds like its just racisim, the principles of doing what the guest wants, and respecting their privacy is something the hotels all have to do. How many times have you seen an improbably attractive lady walk into the Hilton or similar with an older gentleman, for the bell hops only to joke she cums here often.... I'm fairly certain many staff are used to ignoring behaviour they consider immoral.

[[GSV]Trig]

People are people, this family is clearly a family of ass hats.
The guy will no doubt use this as a get rich quick thing and the lawyer will use blow it into a high publicity case against the family and then probably the hotel for putting up with racist behaviour so he will also get his from it as well..

But then again its the daily fail so god knows if its even half true..

[Fraz]

How many times have you seen an improbably attractive lady walk into the Hilton or similar with an older gentleman

Never actually. Is this like the equivalent of trainspotting but with whores?

[Saracen]

People are people, this family is clearly a family of ass hats.
The guy will no doubt use this as a get rich quick thing and the lawyer will use blow it into a high publicity case against the family and then probably the hotel for putting up with racist behaviour so he will also get his from it as well..

But then again its the daily fail so god knows if its even half true..

The Mail's story is true ... at least to the extent that the lawsuit has been filed, and that the claims are pretty much as they report. That isn't to say that the claims are true, or not true, just that they are only claims, not facts.

The case isn't against he family, though .... it's against the Hotel and the Hotel's Manager/MD. The family aren't named as defendants.

It's worth remembering at this point that all we're hearing is one side, and it's that of the attorney trying to get a large sum of damages for his client. He has, therefore, an agenda, and at the very least, is likely to omit mentioning anything that doesn't suit his agenda.

It also seems that at this point it is merely alleged that this is what the family requested, and the only evidence seems to be notations in the computer. And, it was a request, not a demand or requirement. It was simply stated as a preference. What hasn't yet been said is why it may have been requested. Given that they also allegedly made that about people with "foreign accents" (which in itself is just a bit ignorant if you are the foreigner in another country when you say it), it might be that the reason the request was made is because the guy concerned had a heavy accent and they had had trouble understanding him. If so, they may well have felt embarrassed at having trouble understanding his accent and, as they;re the guests, simply wanted to avoid further embarrassment.

We know, at this point, what was apparently entered into the hotel computer, but we don't know what, if indeed anything, the family said to hotel staff. It could be that they asked "could we not be served by that waiter or anyone else with a strong accent because we are having trouble understanding it", and the hotel employee entered "no people of color or with foreign accents".

It would be nice if, just occasionally, people actually took a step back before jumping to conclusions. Some of the comments to that story on various sites are in themselves extremely ignorant, such as one lady that condemned all Brits as being arrogant and poor tippers because all serving staff are paid hourly in the UK or get a 19% tip added automatically. Utter drivel.

All we have so far is allegations, and even those are pretty thin on actual facts, and absolutely lacking in evidence. It is merely the skeleton of the case laid out in the court papers. We haven't heard the hotel's view, because they say they don't comment pending litigation, and I haven't been able to find a single word from the family concerned, who may, for all we know, turn round and say "we never made any request of that type". The claimant and his lawyers are certainly after a payout, and it is not beyond the bounds of possibility that the whole thing is a setup. We just don't know.

[TeePee]

In my experience of both countries, people in the UK seem to be far more tolerant of other races, and while racism obviously still exists to a degree, it's very marginalised.

In the US, racism is open and common. I think a large part of the reason is that in the UK there is more equality from the start. We have lower income groups, in which black people are over-represented, but these groups still have access to a similar quality of schooling, etc. In the US, the lower income groups are horrifyingly poor, and the standard and availability of schooling, and the means to pay for it vary on a local level. This greatly limits opportunities for the poorer groups. Add a few decades of this, and the result is high crime, drug use and disintegrating social standards. In the US, this is very much associated with African Americans, Latinos and Haitians.

[Lucio]

I can only hope the hotel comes out of this intact, it's not their fault they're in a service based industry where the customer's wishes are there to be respected. The views the family held are their own and quite frankly, I don't want to live in a society where they aren't free to express them.

[santa claus]

Never actually. Is this like the equivalent of trainspotting but with whores?

. Better get my anorak out.

[SammEl]

Big deal.

It was a request, and the hotel accepted it, period.

The guy had a bad night at most, and the next morning he wakes up the same as he always did.

Don't see the fuss really, racism exists, always will do, it's natural, even in other animals it exists. No one got hurt physically and if the guy is hurt mentally he is a fairy.

You may never know the reason, it could be that they are purely a racist family, or it could be a very deep mental problem with one or more of the family members possibly through being attacked etc.

And debating about it in the media ain't going to do jack.