Warning-Problem with guns and Marriott Hotels

[warbird]

Kathleen.Matthews@marriott.com, 301-380-7770. Also include her assistant, Marilyn Cole at: marilyn.cole@marriott.com
Chad Callaghan, Vice President of Loss Prevention: chad.callaghan@marriott.com. Also call his assistant Pat Murphy at 301-380-7814 or page him at: 800-313-9391.
Customer Care at https://www.marriott.com/suggest/suggest.mi

[Rob454]

IMO its their building their policy. your choice to not stay there. Unless they plan on searching every luggage and person staying there I cant see how they are gonna enforce the policy

[Bug Splat]

I stay at a Marriott at least once a month. Glock 17 goes with me every time in my bag. I have not told them about the gun and they have not asked. No reason to bring it up. I don't trust leaving it in my car so I bring it into the room with me.

[socalblue]

IMO its their building their policy. your choice to not stay there. Unless they plan on searching every luggage and person staying there I cant see how they are gonna enforce the policy

No, the problem is in not properly communicating & posting the policy. Let people know up front when they are booking the room, post the legally required signs in ALL required locations.

In NC the hotel arbitrarily created instant criminals by:

1. Hiding the policy when the NRA booked the rooms & meeting spaces
2. Having no signs posted
3. Taping paper signs in some locations DURING THE MEETING
4. Attempting to place off limits areas not authorized by NC law

The GM should be fired & the hotel should return all fees/charges.

Do you think the NRA would be so stupid as to support a hotel having a no firearms policy, esp during the national convention?

This has created a huge backlash against this specific property & Marriott as a whole. Speaking with some friends in my industry they are planning on changing travel policy to preclude Marriott unless there is no other choice. Between our five groups the chain stands to lose several million $ a year.

[Gryff]

I bring $50-75K per year to local hotels through the meetings that I plan and manage. Looks like the Marriott is off my "Potential Venues" list.

PS. Emails now sent. I'm glad I read this now. I'm getting ready to book a $15,000 meeting for December and was considering one of the local Marriotts.

[PonchoTA]

I stay at Hilton brands if possible because they allow "double dipping" (getting Hilton points AND air miles).

I haven't stayed at a Marriott in a looooooonnnnnngggggg time! This is just more reason not to.




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[slyMon]

[sniper5]

I love it when my formerly liberal wife reads stuff like this. All her life until recently she was under the impression from her family that guns were sold EVERYWHERE, and all you had to do was plunk down money and walk out with one, and you could just strap one on or throw one in a suitcase and there were no laws to stop you. Now that she's on our side of the fence, she'll ask: "Can we do. . .?" Me: "No that's illegal/not possible/the company won't let you. . ." and she'll say: "That's STUPID!" And I'll say: "Yup!"

[todd2968]

Just sent an email to Kathleen Mathews:

I just found out your corporate policy bans the lawful carrying of handguns within your hotels. I travel quite a bit and always stay Marriott, even before I join the rewards program. Since I am a member of the NRA and allowed to lawfully carry in select states, I am forced to ban your establishment due to your policy.
If I have misinformed please write me back with your correct policy.
Thank you for your time,



Thanks for the heads up

[warbird]

Ladies and gentlemen, I am sure some of you have recieved great service from this chain but this particular hotel knew what they were hosting and to do this at the last minute after booking was wrong. Chains often do not announce policies like this until after you arrive and it is too late to do anything else. This time maybe they should pay the price for this kind of conduct and that their industry seems to condon. Sometimes a backlash like this is all that is needed and things change but if not then many of us will know where we will not be staying. I for one do not like the idea of having to sneak anything in and being in violation of the law because they notified me after the fact. And the thanks goes to Steve Jones of the national examiner for alerting us to this issue.

[todd2968]

I'm trying to find any kind of reliable article where this is stated not just blogged about. When I send this to everyone I know for a boycott, I want this to be reliable and not some kind of opinion piece.
Any one find anything like that ?

[todd2968]

I went on the Marriot web site as a rewards member and sent a personal email to Tom Marriott.
Then I went to the blog page inside the Marriott sight and someone beat me to it by at least an hour, this is gonna be big, and if Marriott doesn't say something fast they will soon wonder where their business went!!!
There in a Marriott face book and twitter, but I don't indulge in that stuff, but feel free to light them up if you do.

I feel dumb it's is Bill Marriot, not sure where I got TOM

[warbird]

Todd2968: I sent you the source I got it from and here it is for everyone else. I pulled it from the OutdoorsTrader.com off the front page where National Examiner gun articles are published by various regional and national writers for them who submit their columns. I believe David Corea is writing one on this issue and a few more might be by the time you read this note. Anyone with the NRA can or should be able to call headquarters and confirm it.

[gotshotgun?]

A hotel is not like a normal business, when you rent the room that room becomes your dwelling and you have every right to have a gun in there.

[PonchoTA]

A hotel is not like a normal business, when you rent the room that room becomes your dwelling and you have every right to have a gun in there.

and the laws say so too.

I would bet that this particular instance, the hotel manager (or somebody high up at THAT establishment) freaked out about "what if they bring their guns?????" and this was a kneejerk reaction and not necessarily company policy.

Seems to me, because it sounds like the signs were put up hastily, and after the fact when the conference began. I would be that the same high up person didn't realize it was a NRA event until that morning.


Dunno, my 2 pennies!


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