Hotels host meetings and events, and generally do not carefully vet the messages that will be shared or the people who will gather at those meetings to make sure they’re consistent with the values of their median customer, consistent with the values of their most vocal customers, or consistent with the values of twitter.
From time to time that becomes a problem, and seemingly becomes a problem for Hyatt (and, oddly, for the Hyatt Regency Orlando) relatively often.
Late Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson said it wasn’t his job to vet the groups they host and that you don’t want a society where he does that either.
The fact they are having a meeting with us and using our hotel does not mean we support their point of view.…Do we really want, as a society, for companies like Marriott and the peers in our industry and others to sit and make judgments or points of view on people sitting in our meeting rooms? I shudder to think that we really expect that my role or Marriott’s role is to say your views are not acceptable in our hotels and that another person’s views are..
Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian takes a different view, suggesting that Hyatt will “apply our values to making these decisions along the way” and that “if a group is primarily focused on disparaging a group by virtue of their identity” they won’t be welcome.
Unsurprisingly Hyatt gets called out on this. The Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport hosted the ACT For America conference which the Southern Poverty Law Center (itself cancellable) called “an anti-Muslim extremist and hate group.” Meanwhile the Hyatt Regency Orlando hosted the Muslim Congress, which featured a holocaust denier on its program.
Now the hashtag #BoycottHyatt is generating buzz on Twitter because the Hyatt Regency Orlando is hosting CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. Former President Trump will be speaking there. A Pizzagate conspiracist who denies the existence of Jews was recently disinvited.
@Hyatt @HyattConcierge #BoycottHyatt
they're allowing a Super Spreader Event for CPAC. I've stayed there in Orlando. Never. Ever. Again. https://t.co/CVHKnGXJl4— Ms J Votes Blue! (@MsJVotesBlue) February 24, 2021
@Hyatt @HyattOrlando – Your hosting the #GOP for their klan rally is costing you business. Bank on it. #BoycottHyatt
— USAAdvocate (@Alyon_Advocate) February 24, 2021
@Hyatt @HyattOrlando is hosting this dumpster fire of a convention and providing a platform for the worst conspiracy theory pushers and serial liars in America.#BoycottHyatt
— taradavi (@d_taradavi) February 24, 2021
Ironically Hyatt, though a public company, is controlled by the Pritzker family. J.B. Pritzker is the Democratic governor of Illinois. Penny Pritzker was President Obama’s Secretary of Commerce.
Then again, some conservatives are unhappy with Hyatt, too, over CPAC – because Hyatt rules require guests to wear mask even where state and local mandates do not.
Somebody needs to ask Governor DeSantis, “Why Orange County, Orlando, Hyatt Hotels (all of whom are making decent coin from our CPAC soirée) are being allowed to enforce a militant mask mandate against his orders?”
Conservatives want to know. @davidwebbshow @KurtSchlichter
— Mike Ford (@MikeFor10394583) February 24, 2021
Freedom of speech only means something if it protects the speech you hate. There’s no need to protect popular speech.
Hyatt isn’t government, this isn’t a first amendment issue and I think they should have the right to choose whom they work with and host for conferences. At the same time I think the first amendment model is useful in terms of whether to criticize someone for offering a platform or speaking venue.
People we disagree with should be able to hold meetings, and we should be free to criticize them. Simply shutting down their expression can easily backfire in terms of sympathy and making groups more cohesive since they feel under attack. And you may be the one on the receiving end next.
Good defense of free speech Gary.
It is not growing — you are writing a post to hope that it grows since no one has ever heard of such a boycott. If I could remove this blog from the Boarding Area RSS feed, I would….
You people should stop complaining about everything. Go do something productive. Work. Help someone. Let people do whatever they want if it’s lawful. Quit whining. Move on.
Gary is not woke. Cancel !,!! Unfortunately the younger generation does not have much appreciation for free speech, and does not remember when huge swaths of the world does not allow that
Twitter = stupid echo chamber.
I have no problems with Hyatt hosting whoever they feel. It is a business. People need to stay somewhere. But, I do not have support their guests. I would appreciate if Hyatt informed other guests of these functions. So we can stay somewhere else.
On masking, Hyatt can do whatever to protect its employees. Including the enforcement of masking rules!
It’s astonishing the lengths the woke movement is willing to go to restrict free speech. People need to get a life.
Hyatt can choose to take this org’s dirty money. We can choose to stay in non-Hyatt hotels. Money talks.
Is it just me or does it seem like liberals boycott businesses with any perceived conservative leanings they don’t agree with a lot more that conservatives do?
Hyatt is owned by the Pritzker family of Chicago. Penny Pritzker was Obama’s largest donor and became his Sec of Commerce.
JB Pritzker is the current Democrat Governor of Illinois.
Hyatt’s a great chain unlike the slime at Marriott which is a Mormon, GOP firm.
I’m a black Arab and I voted for Trump and fully support his America First policies. The left is aligned with big tech, big media and the big money donors. The left is not following the science they have been telling us to follow for months. Of course it was never about Covid, but spreading fear in exchange for votes.
@Jerry, I am a Brown Eskimo and voted for Millard Fillmore. Thank you for your insight.
Please encourage as many people as possible to boycott booking award nights at Andaz Maui and all other high-end Hyatt properties. That will leave more availability for people who prefer not to mix politics with absolutely everything.
I stayed at the Cambridge (MA) Hyatt Regency in April, 2018. The Nation of Islam was also there including their nasty, anti-semite leader Louis Farrakhan. The guys with bow ties were wheeling him through the lobby in a wheelchair.
Of course, there was no protest and I would be stunned if more than three people wanted to boycott Hyatt for having this lovely organization there.
World of Hyatt is a generous program and, from what I have seen, they appear to have a healthy corporate culture. Good for them for housing the idiot Farrakhan and CPOAC. I hope they don’t fall into the phony self-abnegating wokism of Coca-Cola and other corporate cowards.
This is BS.
If you know my posts on this site, you know I am an old school liberal. The so-called “woke” nutcases are every bit as repulsive to me as the as are the Trumpsters. The two groups share an ideology of “my way, or the highway”. To the “wokers” (wankers?), everyone is a victim. To the Trumpsters, they will believe anything if it fits in their worldview and truth be damned.
Good post Gary. We all need to stop the BS, push back on the cancel culture and the Capitol stormers and say “enough is enough”. Tell them to sit down and shut up.
@Jerry, I am a red Martian and fully support my leader’s Mars First policy. Get your damn probe off of my planet or I am going to shoot a laser at your CPAC meeting in Orlando (the Jews aren’t the only ones with space lasers!).
I’m sure that Hyatt corp. isn’t going to lose any sleep over the 4 or 5 woke millennials in Orlando who might be able to scrape together enough panhandling to spend a night at a CAT1 Hyatt Place.
@ Gary — I would still stay at Hyatt over Marriott 100% of the time.
I would highly suggest you stick to travel and keep politics out of this blog.
I’m on the opposite end of the political spectrum from CPAC but support their right to have a conference at any hotel. However, to protect the safety of other guests the hotel has every right in the world to enforce the wearing of masks in public areas. That’s based on science, not politics. It’s unfortunate that our past president and the Republican party turned mask wearing into a political issue. Doing so has made the United States the leading country in terms of death from COVID. I feel lucky to live in an area where everyone wears a mask while in public spaces including hotels and grocery stores.
I think CPAC should dissolve itself and start all over with a clean slate of true conservatives without all the MAGA, QAnon, Proud Boys, racists, and insurrectionists that will attend this conference.
At this rate, the lefties will cancel every business in the US and all that will remain is a bunch of a social media companies that offer no product.
“I think CPAC should dissolve itself and start all over with a clean slate of true conservatives without all the MAGA, QAnon, Proud Boys, racists, and insurrectionists that will attend this conference.”
Spoken like a true RINO. Mitch.. I didn’t know you read this blog!
@ Jerry, my black Arab comrade
Biden stole the election, and has unleashed his inner-city mobs into my leafy, American-dream neighborhood. I can’t sleep at night because Biden’s Communist America is getting chummy with Iran and China, and is fixing to bomb Israel.
Millions of hard-working Americans like me have found themselves out of a job because of the Paris climate deal. My guns are being melted down by Planned Parenthood. The local police department is forced to serve lattes to the Black Panther Party. And my children will soon be selling crack or working at the local abortion camp.
Sorry, this is a bit much. I won’t ever defend Trump or the right wing aspect of the Republican party, but I don’t think a line was crossed here. It’s not like they were hosting a Proud Boys Convention. Enough already and if we go too deep in this we end up becoming just like them.
More rightwing dribble that — as usual — ignores the free market consequences for our actions. Hyatt is welcome to host whomever it likes. And customers are welcome to boycott or complain as they like.
When you host a group of knuckle-dragging seditionists, racists, white supremacists, homophobes, xenophobes, transphobes, and misogynists, you get what you deserve.
Hyatt isn’t a victim. The hotel wanted a money grab at any cost. The Hyatt family are Trump contributors for a reason. Enjoy the consequences of your own making.
So stupid, this makes me want to stay at Hyatts going forward.
Ludicrous nonsense.
“Freedom of speech only means something if it protects the speech you hate. There’s no need to protect popular speech.”
Certainly true but there are limits. You can’t yell “fire!” in a crowded theater for example, and that’s more akin to what CPAC is all about these days – spreading conspiracy theories and demonstrably false information, hate speech, encouraging insurrection and the overthrow of our government and democracy itself.
Cool; more space for me. I’m assuming all the new found elites don’t care though, so might not open up any suite space.
Quite pleased with Hyatt and will be staying with Hyatt again in Japan this fall. People need to get a life and protest more important things than hotel chains, like Democrat governors who kill jobs or senior citizens.
I believe that Trump and Trumpists are horrible. But as long as they aren’t violating any laws, they should have the right to express their point of view, unpalatable as it might be to me. That’s the meaning of freedom.. Hyatt should definitely enforce to the hilt its mask rules and send anyone packing who refuses to abide by them.
I guess, for some, diversity only matters if it does not pertain to thoughts and opinions. Same can be said for tolerance.
@Andrew: “You can’t yell “fire!” in a crowded theater for example,”
Yes you can. You can’t utter speech that is directed to inciting imminent lawlessness and that is reasonably likely to do so. It’s context dependent. Simply saying “You can’t yell ‘fire!’ in a crowded theater” is not accurate and is a common misapplication of the law. In certain circumstances (that is, where such a statement is directed to inciting imminent lawlessness and is reasonably likely to do so) such an utterance could be criminally prosecuted. But only in those circumstances.
Why the constant hyper-reactive cancel culture attacks?!
A legal entity booked hotel rooms for a legal event… how is it in any way our business?!?!
It is completely irrelevant if anyone supports CPAC or any other guest at a hotel. Everyone needs to learn to MYOB and carry on without getting terribly worked up over every little thing that does not please them. Grow up, people!
Funny how the same groups that would call for the boycott of the Hyatt in Orlando for hosting CPAC support the Equality Act which forces businesses/corporations/entities to serve and hire those who violate their consciences (i.e. religious schools hiring atheists, a wedding business catering to an LGBT wedding).
I guess things only work one way.
It’s way past time to buck up and resist these movements. They are nothing more than the Corporate Shakedowns stared by Jessie Jackson years ago on steroids. I hope Hyatt sees surge in businesses the result of this. Anyone who supports this or any similar type of actions is a total moron and cutting off their liberal WOKE noses despite their liberal faces!!
The best part of the article was;
“Freedom of speech only means something if it protects the speech you hate. There’s no need to protect popular speech.”
Why don’t we just boycott ALL businesses that provide any type of services to people who aren’t of our political persuasions; that would include consumer goods manufacturers, restaurants, grocery stores, for profit hospitals, insurance companies, etc, etc, etc,
Get real folks.
I don’t see how being cancelled is any different from a boycott. And I can’t speak for the fine gentlemen and gentlewomen on this blog who know better than to pick political fights with strangers on a travel blog but I, for one, am supportive of rightwing neonazi proud boy facism finding it harder to book an event space. Maybe CPAC can siege a Red Roof Inn.
Left. Wing. Fascism. We disagree with your views so we will shut you down. We will take away your employment. We will end you. The Left has been totalitarian since Marx. How people vote Left in this country any longer is beyond me. A fitting quote to end on: “There’s no hate like left wing hate” – Dennis Prager.
I’m not a Hyatt fan, so it won’t make any difference, but if anything, hosting CPAC would make them more favorable to me.
KLM above, yes racists love CPAC! Anyone who fights against racism and men who grab women by their genitals is now considered woke by racists Hyatt should not host these right wing thugs
@alohadave
Let me see, someone by the name of chump was in charge when Seniors started to die and Covid killed jobs. You mean like the great DeSantis of Florida and Abbot of Texas, and Parsons of Missouri and Noem of South Dakota etc., etc
Nothing like a CHUMP FOOL!
The notel 6 crowd are boycotting a chain they’ve never set foot in. More upgrades for moi.
They knew these folks would run around the hotel, lobby and halls without masks. So putting aside politics, I think it’s a fine chain if you’re not at all worried about getting Covid (which is some people), and maybe think it’s a left wing-Chinese hoax, but seems like an awful place to stay if you are worried about getting Covid and don’t want to spend your vacation in a Petri dish, putting aside that it’s full of right-wing bat***t crazy people.
Oh good – once the boycott starts there will be more award stay availability for my family. As an added bonus there will be less liberals at the hotel!
Hyatt is free to conduct its business as it deems appropriate. And its customers are free to select other lodging if they don’t like Hyatt’s other customers.
That said the boycotters are hypocrites. As Gary notes Hyatt is owned by Democrats who give big bucks to democratic candidates. And do the boycotters buy iphones (made with Chinese slave labor and using rare minerals mined by child labor in Africa)? Of course they do. Go ahead boycott whoever you want but you’re not fooling anybody.
Hotels do business with all sorts of characters. Hyatt doing business with a bunch of characters invested in sparking and fueling the fires of seditious insurrectionists and fanning the flames on behalf of the angry “silent majority” types is within business as usual. As long as the customers come in business/office casual attire and have big business backing.
It’s to be noted how hotels doing business with the Lord Trump-worshipping CPAC seem to be ok with being openly affiliated with the CPAC whackos but do what they can to hide or chase away suspected prostitutes in the sex industry.
CPAC has prostituted itself to and on behalf of the Pimp Trump, and yet CPAC is an openly welcomed prostitute by hotels.
Speaking of hotels prostituting themselves to prostitutes, has this blog yet covered how hotels are providing “work from office/home” facilities for the online interactive sex industry participants where de facto online camera studios are set up for women and men to sell sexual services to their pay-per-view viewers on websites?
Primarily center-left-owned Hyatt making money off Trump-worshipping customers could be like taking the opposition’s own resources to be used against the opposition.
Sort of like how some bigots in Europe who claimed to be against refugees tried to be the biggest money makers in the refugee-hosting business 5 years ago. Money which they then used to further support xenophobic political groups.