Woman suing Portland hotel for $300,000 claiming racial discrimination
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PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — A California woman is suing a Portland hotel for $300,000 saying she was discriminated against on the basis of race.
Felicia Gonzales tells FOX 12 she was checking into the Residence Inn by Marriott near the Lloyd Center in January 2019 when the clerk asked her to sign a form saying she wouldn’t have any parties in her hotel room.
“She said you have to sign this or else you cannot check into your room, so I went ahead and signed it,” Gonzales recalls.
But she says something about that didn’t feel right to her.
She’d stayed at other Marriott properties before and had never been asked to sign a “No Party” policy form, so she went back to the front desk to see if other people were required to sign the form.
She says she watched at least three Caucasian and Asian guests check in, and they were never given that form.
She believes she was asked to sign it simply because she’s African-American.
“I’ve never felt like this before, this is the first time this has happened to me,” Gonzales told FOX 12. “You hear about it, but when it happens to you it’s a little different, so I just want other people to be able to go somewhere and feel comfortable and be treated as everyone else who comes in and not to be singled out.”
A Marriott spokesperson sent FOX 12 a statement, saying:
“We do not comment on pending litigation. 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’ lawyer, Greg Kafoury, tells FOX 12 since they’ve shared her story, they’ve heard from other people around the country who say the same thing has happened to them – including another person in Portland.
A trial date has not been set.
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