A story in the business section of Sunday's New York Times (September 29) involving a Marriott in Quincy, Massachusetts quoted an attorney in the case as contending that Marriott's booking of a gaming convention downgraded the hotel as a convention site. The suit is between the Flatley Company, the hotel owner, and Marriott, which operates the hotel for Flatley. Among Flatley's complaints was a gratuitous attack on gaming fans -- that the booking of a gaming convention last January made the hotel less attractive for professional groups. The article quotes William E. Wallace III, an attorney for Flatley. 'Once you get those guys [D&D fans], you're not going to get the orthopedic surgeons convention,' he said. This would undoubtedly be news to the many hotels that host both pop culture events and professional groups, often simultaneously (the Marriott next to the San Diego Convention Center comes to mind). Perhaps if you've got a 'III' after your name, anything but opera is d?class?.
At Issue in Marriott Lawsuit
Posted by ICv2 on September 29, 2002 @ 11:00 pm CT