Facing Discrimination on the Job

 I’ve had a handful of unusual experiences while working in hospitality, but one moment that has always stayed with me happened when I worked security at the Hyatt in Denver. It wasn’t the kind of situation you prepare for during training, and honestly, it wasn’t something I expected to deal with at all.

One night, I was helping a coworker handle a frustrated guest whose key card had stopped working. Simple issue, right? Usually, we get it fixed, and people go on with their night. But this guest came into the lobby already yelling at the front desk staff, so we stepped in to calm things down.

The moment he looked at my name tag “Alvaro” everything shifted. Instead of focusing on getting his key card fixed, he started making racial comments in Spanish. It was clear he wasn’t trying to connect or be funny; he was being intentionally disrespectful, using my name as an excuse to take shots at me. I remember feeling caught off guard, not because I hadn’t heard ignorant remarks before, but because it came out of nowhere in a situation that didn’t call for it at all.

What made it worse was that he didn’t stop with me. He turned to my coworker who’s not just a colleague but a friend and started making comments about her appearance, questioning whether she was a man or a woman. Watching someone attack her like that hit even harder than the things he said to me.

In that moment, it wasn’t about a hotel key, or a guest having a bad day. It was about someone using their frustration as an excuse to judge, insult, and dehumanize the people standing in front of them.

We handled the situation professionally, but afterward I remember just standing there thinking about how unfair it is that people feel entitled to say things like that simply because they’re upset. Discrimination isn’t always loud or dramatic sometimes it shows up in these quick, ugly moments that leave a mark long after the incident is over.

That night taught me that respect can’t be assumed, even in a job built around customer service. But it also reminded me how important it is to stand alongside your coworkers, support each other, and not let someone else’s ignorance define the way you see yourself.