Mackinaw City was trending on Twitter on Wednesday, but not for upcoming Memorial Day festivities.
The buzz was about Jennifer Beila’s Facebook post from May 20th, which includes videos of a hotel worker insulting her and kicking her and her kids out of their room after midnight.
Earlier this spring, Beila traveled to Mackinaw City for a vacation with her friend and their five kids. They planned to stay in Mackinaw City and travel to Mackinac Island the next day. As they were settling down for the night at the Crown Choice Inn & Suites in Mackinaw City, Beila says they woke up to the sound of running water from the bathroom.
When she went to the front desk to inform them of the problem, she was met with an employee who told her to fix it herself, claimed she was responsible for damages caused by the leak, kicked her out of her room, and called the police to press charges.
All while calling her an “idiot,” a “dumb democrat” and other insults. Beila claims she never discussed politics with the man.
The employee is a cousin of the hotel’s owners, Joe and Enzo Lieghio, so when Beila went to find a new hotel, she avoided any other hotels owned by the family. She quickly discovered that she had few other options in town, and the moms and kids ended up driving to Gaylord for a place to spend the night.
The Lieghios own the majority of the hotels in Mackinaw City, along with many other businesses. Joe Lieghio says after considering all the information from the confrontation, they fired the employee involved in the dispute.
“We don’t condone this behavior, and it doesn’t in any way reflect our views,” Joe Lieghio told IPR.
The video gains traction right as Mackinaw City prepares to welcome tourists over Memorial Day weekend.