Hyatt criticizes CPAC over stage, ‘hostility’

Says layout looked like Nazi symbol; attendees showed ‘disrespect’ to staff

Hyatt Hotels distanced itself further from the stage design at the CPAC 2021 conference in Orlando this past weekend, saying it would have scrapped the layout if it knew about its resemblance to a Nazi symbol.

The hotel chain also criticized CPAC attendees for the “disrespect” it showed employees who asked them to follow company policy and Orange County law requiring masks because of the pandemic.

In response, CPAC’s attorney issued a letter accusing Hyatt of “slanderous” and “false and malicious claims” and said Hyatt was involved in every step of the design process. A CPAC spokesman also said Hyatt employees in Orlando were grateful for the business of the Conservative Political Action Conference, which drew ex-President Trump and a bevy of top Republican leaders.

Despite the dispute, CPAC still hasn’t ruled out holding the event at the Hyatt again, or a possible return to Orlando. The stage at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, a diamond shape with bent extensions branching off, resembles an Odal rune, a symbol used on some Nazi uniforms. The Nazi symbol was used by white nationalist groups at the Charlottesville protest in 2017.

Matt Schlapp, the lead organizer of the Conservative Political Action Conference, called the idea that the stage design was deliberate “outrageous and slanderous.”

Hyatt issued an initial statement Sunday saying it took the concerns about “the prospect of symbols of hate being included in the stage design at CPAC 2021 very seriously as all such symbols are abhorrent and unequivocally counter to our values as a company.”

Hyatt’s statement added that all event logistics, including the stage, were managed by CPAC. When the Nazi resemblance was first raised, the company said, it discussed the issue with CPAC and were told “any resemblance to a symbol of hate is unintentional.”

But Hyatt then put out a follow-up statement after the conference ended.

“Had we initially recognized the potential connections to hate symbolism, we would have proactively addressed it prior to commencement of the event,” Hyatt stated. “Unfortunately, this became clear to us only after the event kicked off.’

Hyatt said it only allowed the event to continue because of CPAC’s denials about any Nazi connection and because creating a new stage in the middle of the conference would be “a disruptive situation.”

“We understand and respect the opinions of those who might disagree with that decision,” Hyatt stated.

In response, CPAC attorney David H. Safavian sent a letter to Hyatt executive chair Thomas Pritzker accusing the company of having “attacked its own customer by caving into the pressures of the politically motivated social media who seek to destroy CPAC.”