The Hotel Bel-Air is pushing back against viral allegations of racial profiling, claiming an internal probe cleared its employee of any wrongdoing after actress Daphne Blunt publicly accused the high-society hotspot of discrimination.
While declining to elaborate on the specifics of the interaction, a hotel spokesperson confirmed they launched an immediate investigation following Blunt’s viral TikTok posts.
Blunt accused a bar manager of racially discriminating against her by refusing to serve her alcohol despite allegedly accepting ID’s from her two white friends.
“We have zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind and take these allegations very seriously,” Hotel Bel-Air said in a statement to The Post.
“At the heart of our Hotel is a commitment to making every guest and employee feel valued, respected, and safe — we do not tolerate prejudice of any kind. Out of respect for the privacy of our guests, we do not publicly comment on the details of private matters. We can confirm the concerns were acted upon immediately, and a comprehensive internal investigation concluded that our employee acted in accordance with California law.”
The allegations sparked a wave of backlash online, with angry social media users flooding the hotel’s Instagram page and demanding the manager be fired.
The statement marks the first time Hotel Bel-Air has publicly addressed the controversy, which erupted after Blunt posted a TikTok in July describing her experience at the iconic property.
According to Blunt, the encounter began when sat down for drinks and dinner with two friends and was asked to present identification. She said she initially couldn’t find her physical ID and asked whether the hotel would accept a government-issued digital ID. Shortly after that was declined, Blunt said she found her physical California ID inside a pocket of her Birkin bag.
Blunt alleged that despite producing her ID, a manager still refused to serve her, but accepted the ID’s of her two white friends.
“I just had no other way to feel about this than to know that it was racially motivated,” Blunt said in her TikTok video.
The hotel also condemned the wave of criticism directed at the staff member involved.
“While we respect the right of individuals to voice their concerns, we are troubled by the online personal attacks directed at our team member, who carried out her responsibilities both in a professional and appropriate manner,” they added.
The statement suggests the property disagrees with Blunt’s characterization of the encounter and believes its employee followed California law.
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