MACKINAW CITY, Mich. – An employee at a Mackinaw City hotel who was captured berating a guest in a now-viral video has been fired.
Last month, a woman staying at the Crown Choice Inn & Suites in Mackinaw City recorded her interaction with a hotel employee, who berated the guest as she attempted to address a plumbing issue in her room.
Jennifer Biela, her friend and their five children checked into the hotel on April 9 and planned to only stay the night. That night at around 11 p.m., Biela’s son heard water running -- the toilet had overflowed. The mother went downstairs to report the problem and found no one at the desk, so she went to the adjoining property instead.
Biela says the man behind the desk was extremely rude to her, prompting her to take out her phone and record the interaction. The man can be heard lashing out at Biela, calling the woman an “idiot” and a “dumb Democrat” in the video.
Watch clips from the video below.
Original story: Video: Mackinaw City hotel worker berates, kicks out family after woman makes complaint about plumbing
After lashing out at Biela, the man ordered her and her family to pack up and leave the hotel. He called the police, who arrived and said that they saw no sign of malicious intent on Biela’s part, but advised her to leave anyway because the hotel wanted her gone. The group drove to Gaylord at 2:30 a.m. to find a hotel to stay at for the rest of the night.
“I want them to know we’re very sorry for what happened. My family in no way agrees with anything that was said or how they were treated,” said hotel owner Joe Lieghio.
The man behind the desk, who is cousins with Lieghio, has since been fired as of Thursday night, officials said.
Biela says that despite the apology, she has no intention of returning to the Crown Choice Inn & Suites.
“I would implore them to look into the reviews and the comments on the Better Business Bureau,” she said. “This was not an isolated incident.”
Related: Bizarre call to Troy hotel unearths possible kidnapping, drug, mail and identity theft cases