A DoubleTree hotel in Portland, Ore., has fired two employees involved in an incident in which a black guest had police called on him while he was talking on the phone in the hotel lobby.
A message posted on the DoubleTree Portland’s Twitter account Saturday said the treatment of Jermaine Massey, who was staying at the hotel while visiting the area from Washington state, was “inconsistent” with the hotel chain’s “standards & values.”
“We have terminated the employment of the two men involved in the mistreatment of Mr. Massey. Their actions were inconsistent with our standards & values. We reiterate our sincere apology for what he endured & will work with diversity experts to ensure this never happens again,” read the message.
The two employees, a security guard and a manager at the hotel, were previously placed on leave after video of Massey’s removal from the hotel was viewed thousands of times on Instagram. The security guard was dubbed “Hotel Earl” on social media.
{mosads}Video of the confrontation showed Massey questioning why the guard was calling the police on him, while an explanation for his removal is not given.
“They already had in their minds that they didn’t want me there so I waited for the cops to show up and when they did, I explained my side of the story and they didn’t want to hear it,” Massey wrote on Instagram.
Hotel management previously said the incident was due to a “misunderstanding” between Massey and the staffers, while stating that the business does not engage in racial discrimination.
“Safety and security of our guests and associates is our top priority at the Doubletree by Hilton Portland,” the hotel said in a statement. “This unfortunate incident is likely the result of a misunderstanding between our hotel and guest. We are sorry that this matter ended the way it did. We are place of public accommodation and do not discriminate against any individuals or groups.”