Manchester Hyatt Feeling Crunch From Boycott

As reported earlier on GayAgenda.com, Doug Manchester, the owner of the Manchester Grand Hyatt and The Grand del Mar donated $125,000 to support Proposition 8, a California ballot measure that would ban same-sex marriage.

The GLBT community immediately  started a boycott of the hotels which have been largely successful.  The American Association of Law Schools and the San Diego County pension board even decided to move events elsewhere.

Manchester sited this was not a problem. He told the Wall Street Journal, “We have received support from those that are in favor of Prop. 8, which has made up for some of what is being lost as a result of the boycott.”

It was later reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, that his CFO wrote in an e-mail stating the hotels were losing millions because of the boycott, and that “nearly every other luxury hotel in California is actively seeking out and marketing to the gay community to get their business. . . . We should be doing the same.”

The Hyatt Corporation distanced itself from Manchester, saying it was an inclusive organization and that “Doug Manchester in no way speaks for Hyatt”.

Because of his political views, Manchester can now be sued by his investors for the lost revenues. According to on-line sources, hotel rooms normally selling for $238 a night at the Grand Hyatt are going for $95 on Priceline.

Sorry Doug, looks like homophobia isn’t paying off.