Hyatt Hotels slammed both the organizers and attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference for proliferating “hate symbolism” and showing “hostility” toward hotel employees in a sharp departure from its earlier defense of its decision to host the conference.
The hospitality company, which hosted CPAC from Friday through Sunday at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, criticized the conservative group for having a stage design that has “been compared to a symbol of hate.”
The shape of the platform drew condemnation on social media for its resemblance to the Odal rune, a symbol adopted by the Nazis during Adolf Hitler’s rule in Germany.
The #CPAC stage is designed to be a rune used by the Nazis. Curious if @Hyatt is okay with Nazi symbols being used on their properties like this? pic.twitter.com/D0332vKKoN
— Morgan J. Freeman (@mjfree) February 27, 2021
“When we learned that CPAC 2021 stage design had been compared to a symbol of hate, we promptly raised this concern with meeting organizers who strongly denied any connection to such symbols,” Hyatt wrote in a statement on Monday. “Had we initially recognized the potential connections to hate symbolism, we would have proactively addressed it prior to commencement of the event. Unfortunately, this became clear to us only after the event kicked off. With CPAC’s denial of any intentional connection to hate symbols and our concerns over the safety of guests and colleagues in what could have been a disruptive situation, we allowed the event to continue. We understand and respect the opinions of those who might disagree with that decision.”
CPAC ATTENDEES JEER REQUEST TO WEAR MASKS
Hyatt then released another statement calling the insignia “abhorrent and unequivocally counter to our values as a company.”
“We take the concern raised about the prospect of symbols of hate being included in the stage design at CPAC 2021 very seriously as all such symbols are abhorrent and unequivocally counter to our values as a company,” Hyatt wrote, adding that American Conservative Union organizers told the hotel chain that any resemblance to a symbol of hate was “unintentional.”
Organizers of the event said the comparison to the symbol was “outrageous and slanderous.”
“We have a long standing commitment to the Jewish community,” Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, said on Saturday. “Cancel culture extremists must address antisemitism within their own ranks. CPAC proudly stands with our Jewish allies, including those speaking from this stage.”
The hotel chain also lambasted attendees for a failure to adhere to “Hyatt’s safety policies,” which include mask-wearing and social distancing.
“In keeping with our deep culture of inclusivity, our colleagues worked tirelessly to support this event while enforcing Hyatt’s safety policies,” the company said. “At times, these efforts included reminding attendees to wear masks and socially distance, even while colleagues occasionally faced hostility from attendees who did not support our policies. … Further, we were extremely disappointed by the disrespect many individuals involved in the event showed to our colleagues, as it is reflective neither of our own commitment to care for members of the Hyatt family nor of how we wish to conduct business.”
Attendees were seen on video Friday evening jeering the American Conservative Union’s executive director, Dan Schneider, and CPAC Deputy Director Carly Patrick after the pair asked the crowd to comply with the hotel’s face covering policies.
“I know this might sound like a little bit of a downer, but we also believe in property rights, and this is a private hotel,” Schneider said. “And we believe in the rule of law, so we need to comply with the laws of this county that we’re in. But a private hotel, just like your house, gets to set its own rules.”
They’re just begging people to wear masks
— Molly Jong-Fast? (@MollyJongFast) February 26, 2021
The ACU publicly released a letter on Monday condemning Hyatt for “malicious” words that “disparaged” and “defamed” the group.
“Contrary to Hyatt’s own mission statement of inclusivity, your company just attacked its own customer by caving into the pressures of the politically motivated social media agitators who seek to destroy CPAC, our attendees and speakers from across the country, and the millions of Americans who support our work,” David Safavian, the ACU’s general counsel, wrote to Hyatt Executive Chairman Thomas Pritzker. “Hyatt made a decision to issue additional statements late last night after the conference ended that disparaged and defamed us. These statements appear to validate demonstrably false and malicious claims.”
The ACU was “shocked” by Hyatt’s decision to wait for the conclusion of the conference before releasing statements that were “irresponsible, untrue, and contribute to a climate of division and hatred,” Safavian added.
The feud between the two groups marks a sharp departure from Hyatt’s earlier statements defending its decision to host CPAC amid calls for a boycott.
“We take pride in operating a highly inclusive environment and we believe that the facilitation of gatherings is a central element of what we do as a hospitality company,” a spokesperson for the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Florida said on Friday.
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The ACU did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Washington Examiner.
