The Florida hotel where a black millionaire and his son found a racist note, claims that a previous guest left the nasty message and that it wasn’t directed to the family.
Art Ovation Hotel, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection hotels, ‘immediately launched a thorough internal investigation’ into the ‘You’re a N****r’ note that Frank Davis found on July 4.
‘I am relieved to report that a person of interest has been identified by Marriott in the incident at the Art Ovation Hotel. The person of interest was a guest at the hotel who had been using the N-word to disparage Marriott associates and others at the hotel,’ Davis, 58, said to the Sarasota Herald Tribune in a statement.
Art Ovation Hotel, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection hotels, ‘immediately launched a thorough internal investigation’ into the ‘You’re a N****r’ note that Frank Davis found on July 4
‘The person of interest is also believed to be behind other lewd incidents at the hotel including unlawful fire alarm activation. Sarasota police have been contacted and provided with the additional details. At this time, it seems likely that no Marriott associates were involved in the writing of the note or its placement in the room. More details coming.’
Davis praised senior Marriott staff for how they handled the issue too.
‘I have nothing but positive things to say about Marriott corporate staff,’ he added. ‘Their diversity and senior management folks are truly sincere.’
But he shared that he was ‘still slightly concerned’ about how the hotel handled the case.
‘I am relieved to report that a person of interest has been identified by Marriott in the incident at the Art Ovation Hotel. The person of interest was a guest at the hotel who had been using the N-word to disparage Marriott associates and others at the hotel,’ Davis, 58, said to the Sarasota Herald Tribune in a statement
‘I think he could have been much more sympathetic with my son in the conversation they had initially,’ Davis said.
A millionaire African-American businessman and his son were the victims of a virulent hate crime this week while on vacation in Florida.
Frank Davis was enjoying his Fourth of July holiday with his son, Michael, at the upscale Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota when they discovered a note inside their room that read: ‘You’re a N****r.’
The incident evidently occurred after an unidentified person snuck into Davis’ hotel room while he and his son were at breakfast and left the disturbing 2-by-5 post-it note on a bedside lamp, according to The New York Post.
‘I was stone cold for 30 to 40 seconds when I read the note,’ Michael Davis, 27, told The Post.
Frank Davis (pictured) was enjoying his Fourth of July holiday with his son, Michael, at the Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota
‘My first thought was, what did we do to deserve this? We tipped well, we were beyond nice to all the staff.’
The note so unnerved the Davis family that they immediately phoned the police and the front desk of the hotel to report what happened.
The Sarasota Police Department said they are still investigating the incident while no suspects have been named.
Frank Davis, 58, co-founder of the multi-million dollar real-estate investment company Horizon Group, said that the note left him deeply saddened.
Nevertheless, the life-long diversity advocate, who recently donated $5 million to his alma mater, Bucknell University, for a new building and for minority recruitment, took a broad view of situation.
‘It is critical that we all be champions for diversity and inclusion every day,’ he said.
Although the hotel, part of the Marriott chain, refunded the family’s Marriott points used on the six-day trip, the Davises claimed that management refused to help them find suitable accommodations, checking into another lodging two hours away.
‘The whole experience has been very awful and saddening. Despite our best efforts to be friendly, welcoming guests, someone chose to hate us simply for the color of our skin,’ said Michael Davis, whose mother is from New York City.
A Marriott spokesperson said that the company has apologized to the family over the incident and that the staff at the Sarasota facility will be undergo sensitivity training.
‘The matter is being actively investigated and appropriate actions will be taken,’ the spokesperson said.