The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) was recently held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, and one conference goer reported on TripAdvisor that they failed to pay a bar tab. Oops!
How they report the hotel handled it, though, is concerning:
I was angered by an experience where there was a mix-up with the bill at the Belverde bar and no one ended up paying it. This was embarrassing on our part and we regret the error.
However, I was angered by the fact that the young Ethiopian waitress who was meant to collect the check tearfully approached me the following day saying that the manager had threatened to take it out of her paycheck unless she recouped the money.
To be clear, it was NOT her fault.
Hopefully the staff member was making up this story, to guilt the group into making good on the bill. Because if it’s true that the hotel was going to take the bar tab out of her check, that’s a pretty clear violation of Maryland law. I believe this hotel is Marriott-managed, by the way, and not a franchise.
Without an employee’s signed agreement, the deduction would be impermissible. And even then the authorization process is available “to offset a loss to the employer due to the admitted or court determined fault or negligence of an employee” which pretty clearly wouldn’t exist in a dine and dash situation. But if they can steal money from customers then why not employees too?
Legal requirements notwithstanding, and even at a big company, your server may be penalized – so don’t dine and dash. As for the CPAC attendees, I’m old enough to remember when conservatism favored free markets, limited government, and personal responsibility. That was true as recently as 2015 I think.
Typical Repug trash.
@ Gary — Marriott steal form employees? Say it isn’t so!
@Tim j: The Repug trash is the one who brought Marriott’s reported behavior to light. They acknowledged the unpaid bill was completely their own fault. There is nothing to gain from sharing (or making up) this story in a hotel review if they were just trying to scam the hotel.
One should not let their biases lead them to jumping to conclusions before reading the details.
So did they pay the bill?
Or are they pointing to each others “personal responsibility?”
CPAC stands for freedom from government telling us what we can and can’t do with our own lives. Given that most politicians are corrupt and are establishment, unfortunately some of the speakers are rinos and part of the problem. Overall, it’s a very good group who attend and support it.
This type of thing comes up from time to time with large groups at a convention hotel. Someone thought someone else in the group paid the bar tab or it would be billed to the room or the bar has the info on file. It’s up to the bar to have policies that work for them when it comes to tabs.
I hope she receives a hefty Tip!
I have to admit this has happened to me on business trips as well.
Usually occurs when wait staff is instructed to transfer open bar bill to table for business dinners
I find it very strange that a dine and dash can happen if you are sitting down eating. Generally servers are all over you offering attentive service . Leaving is usually without paying would be noticed
Not the same property, but it was a Gaylord that 10 years ago was caught blocking people from using their own hotspots while on-property by spoofing DEAUTH packets.
The FCC did not look kindly upon their “harmful interference” and entered a consent decree (if I’m recalling the verbiage correctly).
Which is to say, it seems like Gaylord just hates anyone that gets even remotely in the way of them making money.
This is a common practice at restaurants.
@Tim j typical libtard, doesn’t understand the facts and makes a fool of themselves.
Plenty of restaurants like to abuse their workers this way, judging (generally correctly) that workers won’t stand up for their rights because that would leave them unemployed while the restaurant gets it’s wrist slapped.
The CPAC using a hotel called Gaylord! Lol
The final sentence insulting conservatives is highly offensive & does not belong in a “non biased” news site. (Unless that isn’t your goal.). They clearly stated they didn’t mean to walkoff without paying. And fixed the forgetfulness once realized.
So here’s some slapback:
You may hate conservatives, but it’s a Democrat president that is leading us to nuclear war with Russia. Which means extinction of humanity. (Yes I think Putin is crazy enough to push the button.)
“I was angered by an experience where there was a mix-up with the bill at the Belverde bar and no one ended up paying it. This was embarrassing on our part and we regret the error.”
What does this have to do with personal responsibility? A mistake was made and admitted. It was the patrons who shared it. Read your own quote, Gary.
Oh John. “CPAC stands for freedom from government telling us what we can and can’t do with our own lives.”. Except for abortion, or if you’re LGBTQ, or not a Christian, or with a company that associates with any of those things. Pretty much in general not an old white man. You’re wrong and lying and you know it. Deep down you do.
@ Davehat
‘Twas a republican wannabe dictator who sowed the seed whilst promoting family biz…;)
If Putin that crazy you should hold the orange fluff muppet accountable for pandering to his sociopathy…just more DRWFAs
@ Mets Fan in NC
“I have to admit this has happened to me on business trips as well.”
Unsurprisingly in your case….;)
@ John Arton
“CPAC stands for freedom from government telling us what we can and can’t do with our own lives.
So drag shows are OK after all?!
“Overall, it’s a very good group who attend and support it.”
Sick bucket.
“This type of thing comes up from time to time with large groups at a convention hotel.”
It shouldn’t.
PS this website descending back into political distemper – grow up Gary
@Davehat – “You may hate conservatives” on the contrary! The direction the Republican party has moved over the past decade is decidedly not conservative, wouldn’t you actually read my comment as pro-conservative and lamenting those who have moved away from its tenets…?
“CPAC… Overall, it’s a very good group who attend and support it.”
Can someone lend me a towel? I spewed coffee all over my keyboard.
Sounds like what happened to the Brazilian clerk that Santos ripped off
Why does the bar server need to be identified by her ethnicity?
Speaking of Marriott..downgraded the beginning of March from Ambassador to Titanium. During the transition, an Ambassador responded to an email sent to OCA (escalation dept of Corporate). The person responded with the Amabassador title but referenced being part of OCA. I believe they are the same office. The Marriott web was not allowing an award booking using a certificate. The only option to choose from was points.
Personally I would boycott Marriott for punishing their employees. Doesn’t Marriott have cameras to review?