Hyatt Hotels responded to calls for a boycott over hosting the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, saying it takes “pride in operating a highly inclusive environment.”
“We take pride in operating a highly inclusive environment and we believe that the facilitation of gatherings is a central element of what we do as a hospitality company,” a spokesperson for the Hyatt Regency Orlando in Florida told news outlets. CPAC is slated to end on Sunday, Feb. 28, after hosting its annual gathering of conservative political activists, speakers, students, and elected officials.
“We believe in the right of individuals and organizations to peacefully express their views, independent of the degree to which the perspectives of those hosting meetings and events at our hotels align with ours,” Hyatt’s statement continued. “Our own values support a culture that is characterized by empathy, respect, and diversity of opinions and backgrounds, and we strive to bring this to light through what we do and how we engage with those in our care.”
Hyatt received criticism, particularly on Twitter, for hosting the event—apparently because it’s a conservative-leaning event—with some claiming it promotes “white supremacy.” Some also claimed that CPAC would become a “super-spreader” COVID-19 event. The hashtag #boycottHyatt trended for a period of time on Saturday.
On various random Twitter posts from Hyatt, Twitter users attempted to criticize the chain for hosting the event.
On its final day on Sunday, former President Donald Trump is scheduled to make an appearance and deliver a speech, potentially setting the stage for a second run for president in 2024.
Trump senior adviser Jason Miller stated that the former president will express his concerns about the direction President Joe Biden has taken since coming into office. Biden has faced blowback, including court challenges, for taking numerous executive actions to reverse Trump administration policies aimed at boosting the economy and strengthening border security.
Trump will focus on issues such as the amnesty push for illegal immigrants, the halting of the border wall construction, and the blocking of the Keystone XL Pipeline, Miller said.
“The focus here, really, is the exact things the president predicted would happen if Joe Biden were to be elected president on the policy end have already started to happen,” Miller told Mediaite founder Dan Abrams in a radio interview on Thursday.
CPAC is usually hosted in Washington D.C., but because of COVID-19 rules, the conference moved to Florida.
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