Comedian Mark Curry has accused a hotel in Colorado of racially profiling him over the weekend. As of Tuesday, the hotel employees involved in the incident are suspended, NBC News reported.
Curry hit up his Instagram account over the weekend to unpack the drama that allegedly occurred at The Mining Exchange, a Wyndham hotel in Colorado Springs, People reported. Curry was reportedly in town for a comedy show gig, according to TMZ. On Dec.10, he posted a video to social media showing part of his encounter with two male staffers who allegedly pressed him about his guest status at the hotel.
The clip showed Curry sitting in the lobby and drinking a cup of coffee during the encounter. “Black man and a hotel lobby, it’s impossible that he has a room here,” Curry captioned the Instagram video.
“No, I have a suite! He walks up to me with no badge on,” Curry said about one of the male staffers who allegedly said he worked security. “I don’t know who this man is. And asked to see my hotel key Wyndham racism,” Curry continued.
Curry noted in the video that the man continued to harass him after he refused to answer his questions. Curry then made a complaint at the check-in desk, but when the desk attendant also asked if the actor was a hotel guest, Curry responded, “Didn’t you check me in?”
Curry explained that there are “Three hundred White people in the lobby, 300, eating and drinking,” and none of them were bothered by the hotel employees. For this reason, Curry refused to confirm with staffers that he was staying at the hotel.
“I sat down in the lobby to have some coffee, get out of my room and these motherf—ers going to jam me up, ask me, do I belong in the hotel?” he said in the video.
One of the employees in the clip accused Curry of pulling the race card.
Once The Mining Exchange caught word of the incident, the hotel apologized to Curry and released a statement saying the company is “committed to providing a safe and inclusive space for all guests and employees.” In addition, the hotel employees involved were suspended until further notice, according to a hotel representative.
Curry was offered a “full refund of his stay” and an “invitation to return, at no cost, anytime in the future,” the hotel said.
“As a respected community partner, we are also using this opportunity to revisit training with our staff, helping to ensure all interactions are reflective of our company values,” the hotel said.
The Mining Exchange vowed to “continue working each and every day to ensure that our hotel remains a space that is open and welcoming to all.”
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