Hotel turns away stranded soldier on Memorial Day
Manager of the hotel blames situation on new employee
A swanky Manhattan hotel turned away a Navy officer from entering its lounge during Fleet Week because her white uniform was against the dress code policy.
According to the New York Daily News, a bouncer at The Standard hotel blocked the Navy officer at the elevator to the lounge at about 8 p.m. Saturday when she arrived with three other people. The Navy officer was in her uniform; the three other people were dressed in cocktail attire, the paper reported.
“We walked in, went to the elevator and were stopped by a doorman who said, ‘Hey man, there’s a dress code,’ said Ryan O’Connor, the husband of the sailor’s cousin. “I said, ‘Wait, are you rejecting us because someone is in a service uniform?’ He kind of rolled his eyes and wouldn’t budge."
The Standard responded to the group by email Sunday and invited the sailor, who is stationed in Virginia and requested anonymity, to return to the hotel.
“We most certainly do appreciate and take a lot of pride (in) all the young people giving their lives to defend our nation,” manager Nayara Branco wrote to the family, according to The News.
“As per regular protocol, our team at the Top of The Standard is instructed to enforce a dress code -- which obviously should not apply to military uniforms. Once again, our sincere apologies for the miscommunication at our end, the issue has been brought to all of our team’s attention and it will certainly not repeat itself,” the manager at Top of The Standard & Le Bain said.
O’Connor said the apology was a first step, but the hotel has to make sure it follows through.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
