Montage Laguna Hotel Apologizes To Black Family After Conflict

Laguna Beach CA

05 March, 2021

1:42 PM

Description

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — The Montage Laguna Beach hotel issued an apology to a Black family that posted Facebook video of an apparently white employee in conflict with family members as they tried to have lunch at the hotel, which the family said was discrimination based on their race. The family's Facebook video showed the employee, whom the family identified only as "Timothy," asking them to sit outside while other apparently white guests sat inside the lobby area. "[It] was clear cut discrimination," the family said. "Our whole group was African American to be very clear," the family said, adding that it intended to file a formal complaint with managers. Yesterday afternoon myself and family - 3 others went to the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach for lunch and drinks. We...Posted by Maria Baietti on Monday, March 1, 2021 The Montage Laguna Beach hotel posted an apology on Instagram Friday. "The family's experience does not reflect the conduct or high standards we expect of our employees, and we extend our heartfelt apologies to them," the post said. "We are committed to learning from this experience and doing better." The resort added that it is taking immediate corrective actions, including enhancing training "to ensure staff always delivers highly personalized service according to our values of respect, humility and grace." It's unclear what actions were taken with regard to the specific employee. The family's video was widely shared on social media. Patch reached out to the family for comment. Patch also reached out to the hotel. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Montage Laguna Beach (@montagelaguna) This story will be updated as more information comes in.