Black Marriott guest had to sign ‘no-party’ pledge, unlike whites, Oregon suit says

A black woman has filed a $300,000 lawsuit against the Marriott Hotel chain for racial discrimination after she claims she had to sign a “no party” policy not asked of white customers.

Felicia Gonzales, 51, from Portland, Oregon, says that she’s a Marriott rewards member and booked a room for five nights at the Residence Inn Portland Downtown/Convention Center beginning on Jan. 25, 2019, according to the lawsuit obtained by McClatchy News.

When she was checking in, she claims a front desk clerk asked that she sign a “no party” policy in order to check into her room.

Gonzales says that she never had an issue or noise complaint at another Marriott Hotel, but signed the two-page form to get her room.

According to the lawsuit, signing the form “didn’t feel right,” so Gonzales went back to the front desk and watched as multiple white guests checked in without being asked to sign the form.

Gonzales says that when she asked for the form that she signed, the clerk wouldn’t give it to her and said that it was locked in the general manager’s office.

“We do not comment on pending litigation,” a Marriott spokesperson told McClatchy News. “While this hotel is a franchise property and is operated by a third-party management company, Marriott strives to provide an environment where all feel welcome.”

Gonzales’ attorneys shared the “no party” policy with McClatchy News. The form says that “all guests” are asked to sign the policy and that “one warning will be given to reduce noise.”

It also states that the policy was “put in place to ensure guest comfort and hopefully communicate to every guest that the hotel is concerned about making their stay more enjoyable and peaceful — not to insinuate any distrust in the ‘average’ guest.”

The policy stipulates that guests who sign can’t make “excessive noise” and are responsible for “all damages done to the suite and for any items missing from the suite.” Violators of the policy can be asked to leave and the payment for the room won’t be refunded.

“It is incumbent upon Marriott to explain why our African American client was treated differently from other guests, and Marriott should produce all documentation regarding this policy, including the instructions hotels were given on how to implement the policy,” Gonzales’ attorneys said in a statement to McClatchy News.

The lawsuit, which was filed on Dec. 20, 2019, in Multnomah County Circuit Court, seeks $300,000 for “embarrassment, frustration, anger, humiliation, a sense of increased vulnerability, and feelings of racial stigmatization.”

This story was originally published January 2, 2020 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Black Marriott guest had to sign ‘no-party’ pledge, unlike whites, Oregon suit says."