The parent company of the San Antonio property, which has been sued by the EEOC on behalf of resort employees for allegedly creating a hostile environment for Hispanic workers, issued a statement refuting the allegations. The statement pointed out that half of the complainants in the EEOC filing are still employees of the resort, and that more than half of the resort’s management team is Hispanic.
C&RB reported yesterday on the lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on September 24th, alleging that a hostile working environment was created at the La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas for Hispanic employees who were subjected to ethnic slurs and “English-only” directives.
Destination Hotels, parent company of La Cantera Resort & Spa, then issued the following statement in response to reports about the lawsuit:
“Destination Hotels absolutely denies recent EEOC claims regarding its workforce at La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio. The claims are three and four years old, and do not reflect our values and commitments. No employee has ever been fired for speaking Spanish or any foreign language, and half of the complainants in these claims are still employees of the resort.
“We are proud to employ a diverse, multi-cultural workforce, more than 72% of whom are racial and ethnic minorities, with 54% being Hispanic. More than half of the total resort management team is Hispanic. Eighty-four percent of the referenced banquet department associates are racial and ethnic minorities, and more than 72% of all banquet associates and 100% of current banquet management are Hispanic. Not only is Spanish regularly spoken, but also Arabic, Farsi, Korean and about nine other languages.
“We take our responsibilities seriously and are proud of the opportunities and work environment we have created for more than 700 La Cantera associates as they support their families. We invest in our associates and provide ongoing training and resources to address workplace issues. We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment or retaliation in any form, from within our organization or by our patrons.
“We want to reiterate that we are absolutely committed to our associates, our guests and our community. One example—we continued to pay all full-time associates throughout a five- month renovation at the property, when the resort was closed, as a commitment to them and their families.
“At Destination Hotels, we celebrate the heritage of San Antonio, and work hard to foster an environment in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity.”
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