Discrimination at Ritz Paris

Hi,

We are residents of California and recently visited Paris France.

We were discriminated against and not allowed entry into the Ritz Paris based on my skin color. This does not happen in the US. We have been to the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco an number of times and this has never happened to us.

When we entered the Ritz Paris to have a drink - the concierge told us that %26quot;%26quot;This is not possible%26quot;%26quot; and gave us no reason why. We were attired in Semi Formal clothes. Moreover, this is not the dress code regulation as they let in people dressed in Burkhas, and Arabic clothes.

This is discrimination and needs to be reported to the right channels. Its a shame that a hotel of the caliber of Ritz is doing this in todays world

Any advice on where to lodge a complaint?

Thanks

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Are you sure it had to do with your skin color? About 5 years ago a friend and I (we are white) entered the Ritz for a drink. No sooner did we enter the lobby than 2 security guys escorted us right back out the door. When I asked why. They said the bar was only open for registered guests. Now I know that is not true. I always assumed it was really because we had on jeans and sneakers. We had been to Pere Lachaise that morning.

My friend was so outraged that she has vowed never to return to Paris.

I just shrugged the whole thing off. Sort of a weird experience.

In my travels I%26#39;ve not found the French to be predudiced against people of color.

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Suzanne %26gt;%26gt; The French absolutely have color issues. You are aware of the recent riots in Paris that had everything to do with color, religion, and prejudice (lack of jobs, opportunity, housing, etc.)? If not, you should Google Paris and Riots and read up.

Lila %26gt;%26gt; Before you assume that you were barred entry based on race, you should inquire further with the Ritz. Describe your experience and demand an explanation. Speak with the hotel manager and if he/she can%26#39;t provide a logical reason, go above his/her head.

I once had a problem at a restaurant. I wasn%26#39;t sure if it was a race issue or not. Being that it was a famous, lucrative chain of restaurants, I did a little research on the company and got the names of all the higher-ups. When I wasn%26#39;t given a reasonable explanation for my treatment by the local restaurant manager, I went over her head and contacted the VP of Customer Service. Suffice it to say that the manager was fired and the entire staff received a week-long training in customer service. My meal was refunded and I was offered more meals on the house, which I passed on (it was a reeeeeeally bad experience).

Don%26#39;t pull the race card straight off, because that might not be the reason. Give the Ritz a chance to explain. If the explanation seems fishy or is too lame, then go higher up.

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%26gt;%26gt; This is discrimination and needs to be reported to the right channels. Its a shame that a hotel of the caliber of Ritz is doing this in todays world

Any advice on where to lodge a complaint? %26lt;%26lt;

Apart from the obious letter to the chairman of the Ritz (and maybe to the PR of Al-Fayed group), you can try SOS-Racisme.

discrimination@sos-racisme.org

You might also write to the

D.G.C.C.R.F.

Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes

59, boulevard Vincent Auriol

75703 PARIS Cedex 13

It%26#39;s the official authority of consumer%26#39;s rights.

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%26gt;%26gt; The French absolutely have color issues. You are aware of the recent riots in Paris that had everything to do with color, religion, and prejudice (lack of jobs, opportunity, housing, etc.)? If not, you should Google Paris and Riots and read up. %26lt;%26lt;

Although I absoloutely agree that there is a strong discrimination problem in France and a latent racism that can be tracked back to colonial era, I don%26#39;t like the throwing of all %26quot;The French%26quot; in a single bag. %26quot;French society%26quot; or %26quot;French administration%26quot; would be more accurate.

I certainly wouldn%26#39;t allow myself to write that %26quot;the British%26quot; have color issues because of Brixton, or that %26quot;Americans%26quot; have a color issue because of Watts and R. King, the latter events being much more serious than the last fall%26#39;s riots.

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That%26#39;s great info on where to file complaints.

As for my use of the phrase %26quot;the French%26quot; I apologize. Let me rephrase. France has color issues, as does the United States and many other countries and societies around the world. While not all people in any given society are prejudiced or racist, discrimination can be institutionalized and corrupt the very fabric of many societies or cultures.

I wouldn%26#39;t compare the Rodney King riots to those in France and say that one was more serious than the other. Each situation was different, with race and prejudice fueling the fires that burned quite hot in both Los Angeles and Paris. I think both instances suggest a deep and serious problem for both societies.

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I%26#39;m white as paste and have been turned away from both the Ritz and the George V in Paris. We went for a drink, like you. It was too close to cocktail hour and the place was filling up. They reserve it for hotel guests first.

When I%26#39;ve gone for a drink at off hours I can get in.

Les

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Les, your post made me laugh out loud (the %26quot;white as paste%26quot; bit).

Maybe that%26#39;s what it was then for both Lila and Suzanne?

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Of course, I am well aware of the riots. I was in Paris at the time.

I had a converstaion with a Parisian tour guide about the situation and she told me that the French are not racist against blacks. She said they are racist against Arabs, especially Algerians. Since some of the nicest people we had contact with were Algerians this is hard for me to understand.

This is just what I was told by one person so I have no way to know if it is true or not.

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I wouldn%26#39;t be surprised. When I peered in the bars were pretty crowded. Whether they technically %26quot;can%26quot; do it I don%26#39;t know, but hey, I wasn%26#39;t going to stand there and argue with them, it seemed pretty logical to me.

I have French friends that get turned away too. They like to go to the fancy schmancy bars before dinner and sometimes, regardless of their attire, they don%26#39;t pass muster.

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I have a hard time believing that the hotel turned you down based on your skin color.

However I know that a few hotels and trendy places will do it because of your attire or because you do not fit their %26quot;profile%26quot;.