'Secret Codes' Case: Black Workers Sue Adams Mark Hotels for Discrimination

The Adams Mark Hotels chain faced multiple federal discrimination lawsuits in 1999 alleging staff used code words to segregate Black guests, charged them higher rates, and provided inferior service. The Justice Department opened an investigation. A 2000 consent decree required the chain to pay $8 million and institute anti-discrimination training. The case was one of several major hotel discrimination actions of the decade.