When you book a hotel that has a gym, pool, or other amenities, you expect to be able to use them. Maybe there’s an extra charge, but you’d be told about it ahead of time. According to one Marriott guest, though, that’s not always the case.
Family gets kicked out of Marriott hotel gym
TikTok account @thejacobowitzfam posted a heated interaction between a Marriott general manager, a maintenance manager, and the family’s matriarch, Pearl Jacobowitz.
“Family kicked out of hotel for using amenities. Marriott: Courtyard Victorville Hesperia,” the text overlay reads.
The clip opens with Pearl facing both managers, locked in a tense back-and-forth—apparently about equipment in the gym.
The general manager and maintenance manager are trying to get Pearl and the person filming (possibly her daughter) to leave, allegedly because they had camera equipment and were filming inside.
Pearl doesn’t think she was approached the right way.
“I am a patron here, OK?” she says. “Now, I expect to be treated like anyone else. Which means when you approach me, you don’t yell at me.”
The maintenance manager, Richard, replies, “Nobody yelled at you. We just told you, you can’t have that in here,” seemingly referring to the equipment.
He then asks for their last name and room number, clarifying, “The person on the reservation is the patron here; the other people are guests here.”
Pearl reminds him not to yell at her, saying, “I told you that once, and I’m telling you that twice.”
Richard fires back, “Let me talk to you really quiet so you can hear me properly. Does this look like a gym area, or is this a photo shoot area?”
Pearl says she’ll leave, but doesn’t appreciate the tone. “Give me a second to get out of here,” she says. Richard responds, “I’ll stay here ’til you leave.”
Family posts part two of the interaction
Part two picks up with Richard standing by the door, threatening to call the police. “Call them now,” Pearl says.
The argument escalates until Richard leaves the room, with Pearl following him and questioning if she’d be treated the same way if she were white.
“Are you following me? Are you harassing me? Let me get my camera,” Richard says.
The person filming approaches him, holding the camera close to his face, and he responds, “We don’t allow filming in here, I’m gonna ask you to leave.” Both managers then walk away.
What went down here?
It’s tough to catch all the details since everyone’s talking at once, but one TikToker in the comments claimed the situation actually happened in 2021.
According to them, it stemmed from the family using the gym as a filming space rather than to work out. They said there was music playing and film equipment set up, which led to noise complaints.
“They got asked to leave because they were not using the equipment, just the room to film,” they wrote. “The gym room is for using the gym, not to be setting up film equipment to make videos not even related to the gym.”
According to this commenter, the staff allegedly told the family they could stay if they used the equipment, but since they didn’t, they were asked to leave.
“Also, why wait 4 years to post the video now? & why not post the whole video not just a part of it?” the commenter continues. “The hotel and company are obviously very aware of this situation because people keep calling.”
Fitness rules in Marriott hotels
Rules can vary by location; however, one PDF of Marriott’s fitness room guidelines doesn’t mention anything about camera equipment.
But it’s generally understood that commercial filming—like for a movie, ad, or large production—requires permission from the property.
It’s also worth mentioning that California, where this happened, is a two-party consent state. That means both people need to know they’re being recorded, and it seems like Richard only realized it near the end of the interaction.
Commenters are staunchly on Pearl’s side
In the comments, users overwhelmingly took Pearl’s side, criticizing Richard and Modesta, the two managers.
“Richard is stretching his job title and duties,” one commenter wrote.
“He is extremely aggressive, combative, and unprofessional. I am completely dumbfounded as to why a maintenance worker is addressing guests,” stated another. “That’s odd especially the way he’s acting like it’s his property. That maintenance manager position has gone to your head.”
Other commenters said they’ve already called the hotel, urging management to fire both managers.
“Modesta no longer works there… I am working on Richard next,” a third shared. “Help by calling to report him for harassment.”
“I just called on Richard and the manager said the general manager is no longer working there but Richard is still working there so y’all call and make sure Richard lost his job as well,” similarly wrote another.
@thejacobowitzfam So, are we hotel patrons or not?! #marriott #4u #marriottbonvoy #olebrandselect #fyp #hesperia #applevalley #short #foryou #foryoupage #victorville #shorts #explore #explorepage #family #pov #live #fypage #fypシ #grr #bringitback #foryou #trend #fam #vacation #zyxcba #trending #losangeles #blacktiktok #black @Marriott Bonvoy @Courtyard by Marriott ♬ original sound – The Jacobowitz Fam
The Mary Sue has reached out to the family via TikTok direct messages. It also contacted Marriott hotels via email.
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