A recent stay at the Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota, Florida for African-American CEO and Millionaire Frank Davis wasn’t pleasant as he found a note near the lamp that read “You’re a N*gger.” A resident of Manhattan, Davis and his son Michael, who works as a consultant, were victimized by a racial slur on July 4, the day where the country is set to celebrate its Independence. The note was found after returning home from breakfast and was attached to a lamp.
“I was stone cold for 30 to 40 seconds when I read the note,” Michael shared with the New York Post. “My first thought was, what did we do to deserve this? We tipped well, we were beyond nice to all the staff.”
After reading the note the Davis family contacted both the front desk and the local police, however, no suspects have been named.
Michael Davis stated the hotel management, which is a part of Marriott weren’t as responsive to the incident as local authorities. Marriott did refund the reward points that were used to book the stay. The family moved to a different hotel two hours away after the franchise did not put forth the effort to switch them to a comparable hotel. One of the vice presidents for Marriott would eventually extend a phone call regarding the issue. Updates from the property state the issue “is being actively investigated and appropriate actions will be taken,” one of those is a sensitivity training.
Frank Davis is the co-founder of Horizon Group, which was a venture he started after rising the ranks of various Fortune 500 companies. The Post states he has promoted diversity throughout his life and donated $5 million to Bucknell University, his alma mater, that will aid in a new building and minority recruitment.
