An accusation of racial profiling against the Hyatt Regency Convention Center in downtown Denver prompted the hotel management Tuesday to apologize to the president of the National Association of School Psychologists.

Hotel officials also promised to retrain its staff, compensate individuals and donate to organizations important to the psychologists’ trade group.

“Hyatt Regency Denver sincerely apologizes to National Association of School Psychologists’ President Dr. Celeste Malone and her guests at an event in our hotel during NASP’s 2023 Convention for not providing them with an experience that is consistent with Hyatt’s strong commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion,” according to the letter signed by General Manager Greg Leonard.

“Our goal is to treat every person who walks into our hotel with empathy and dignity, and we believe that we did not deliver on that experience for Dr. Malone and her guests on the evening of February 8,” Leonard added.

In a statement posted on the association’s website, the group said that, on Feb. 8 —  the night of its annual convention starting — hotel security staff shut down a party in the presidential suite hosted by Malone, who is Black. Guests were asked to leave, and security officials stayed in the room to make sure they did, the group said, adding that “no warnings were given,” even when hotel policy requires one or two warnings before any action is taken.

It occurred “30 minutes before quiet hours are enforced,” the group said.

The group said the gathering did not have music and fewer guests were present than the occupancy limit for the room. The group said called the actions by security staff “inexcusable and harmful.”

“Celeste and her guests DID NOTHING WRONG,” the group said. “The security staff’s inexcusable and harmful behavior would not have happened had the guests in the room not been Black and Brown individuals.”

The group demanded a public apology from the hotel, refund of any room charges and fees to guests of the party, compensation to Malone and donations to the association’s Minority Scholarship Program, Howard University and the Black School Psychology Network.

The hotel appears to have agreed to association’s requests.

“In addition to retraining the team, we are planning to compensate and apologize to the individuals involved and make substantive donations to organizations important to NASP,” Leonard, the hotel manager, said in the letter posted on the association’s website.

In an email to The Denver Gazette Tuesday, Mindy Hartley, a school psychologist from Cherry Creek Schools who attended the conference, described the party’s attendees feelings.

The Hyatt Regency’s security staff, she said, “reminded all of us that no matter how accomplished you are, how much you give back to your profession, and how great a leader, if you are Black or brown you will still be subject to surveillance, scrutiny, needing to provide more explanations, and subject to unwritten rules and policies for people who look like you.”

The Denver Gazette reached out to Leonard and association officials, who didn’t immediately respond.

In an updated statement on its website, NASP said its executive director and Malone met with Leonard and Hyatt’s senior vice president for Global Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. The group said it appreciates the chance to work with Hyatt on diversity and inclusion efforts in the hotel chain and in the psychology field.

“This has been a painful and difficult situation. NASP’s goals have been to help secure reparative action, to support the Black school psychology community, and to highlight the work that still needs to be done,” the group said.