Six current and former employees of The Plaza are suing the famed hotel, accusing it of promoting a “rape culture” among staff, court records show.
The lawsuit, filed this week, accuses the Fifth Avenue hotel of “normalizing and trivializing sexual assault and abuse” and having “century-old ideas about how women should be treated in the workplace.”
Management reaction to complaints, according to the suit, “ranged from indifference to outright hostility.”
The suit charges that the female employees were subjected to constant sexual comments and advances. In one instance, one of the current employees, hired last year as a hospitality coordinator at The Palm Court, said a general manager made lewd moves on her and promised to give her a good performance review if she didn’t complain to human resources officials.
“You know you want this,” he said to her after he cornered her in a coat closet in February and tried to kiss her, the suit charges. When she tried to fight him off, he added: “I see you like to play,” according to the suit.
A representative for Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which manages the hotel, said in a email: “Any attempt at harassment or discrimination toward our colleagues and guests has not and never will be tolerated. We are proud of our differences, actively prioritizing gender equality, diversity and inclusion. We take all claims of harassment or discrimination seriously, take appropriate remedial action where warranted, and do not retaliate against any staff member who raises a claim of harassment or discrimination in good faith.”
