BET Co-Founder Denied Check-In At Florida Hotel Because He Wouldn’t Remove His Sunglasses

BET co-founder Bob Johnson says he won’t be returning to one of Florida’s five-star hotels after its employees wouldn’t let him check-in.

After handing over his car and luggage to the bellhop and valet, Johnson made his way to Eau Palm Beach’s front desk to check in for this two-night stay. In doing so, Johnson gave the hotel clerks his Florida driver’s license, passport, and American Express card. Then [the clerk] said, “Mr. Johnson, you need to take off your sunglasses,” Johnson said.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

When Johnson refused to take off his prescription sunglasses, she denied him access to his room. “She said ‘well, I can’t check you in if you don’t take off your glasses,’” Johnson said. Eau Palm Beach spokesperson, Nick Gold, said the employee followed the correct protocol in a statement. “It is standard operating procedure in the industry to ask to make sure that the person who is presenting themselves to check-in and they present identification that it does match and if they’re wearing dark glasses with a ball cap low over their face, you want to make sure that it is the same person, much like what would happen at TSA rules going through the airport,” Gold said.

Johnson, who owns over 100 hotels, said he’s never heard of such a “silly” rule and claimed it didn’t make sense. “I think it’s a silly rule and I think it has overtones of racial profiling,” Johnson said. When police arrived at the scene, they tried to get the two parties on the same terms, but Johnson eventually decided to leave.