One day before its debut ceremony, the Temptation Awards has had its venue yanked for the second time in less than a week.
The Beverly Hilton pulled out of its contract on Monday and now the replacement ballroom, the Ritz-Carlton Huntington in Pasadena, has similarly turned tail.
When I called the Pasadena hotel this week to confirm the event would be there (the new location wasn’t on the Temptation Awards website), both the reservations manager and the catering manager, Jill Hilts, confirmed that a ballroom had been booked but said they didn’t know what type of party had booked it. “There is no listing of ‘Temptation Awards’ or ‘Awards’,” Hilts said at the time.
It would lead one to assume that the event had not been booked with a disclosure of what type of event – no matter how classy for adult entertainment, what with its black tie requirement and all – this would be.
The Awards have released a press statement quoting a letter written by Hilts reading, “This is an awards ceremony that celebrates the ‘porno’ industry, and the Ritz-Carlton does not.”
Ms. Hilts was unavailable when I called the Ritz-Carlton but her assistant was only able to confirm that the event had been cancelled. She said she knew nothing about the awards, nor did anyone in the office know anything.
“Jill Hilts did not make a statement about the porno community?”
“I don’t know anything.”
With the understanding that the third time’s a charm, The Temptation Awards ceremony is now booked at downtown’s Westin Bonaventure Hotel.
I asked Temptation spokesperson Dusty Marie if the previous two hotels had been aware of the nature of the event.
“George Whitty had given both places his business card, which indicates where he’s from. The word ‘adult’ is on his business card,” she said.
“It seems odd that two big hotels would risk a breach of contract suit unless they can prove they didn’t know anything about it,” I said.
“It’s definitely a gray area because his card is pretty clear.”
Marie said that, “upon doing some research”, the Ritz-Carlton came back to Whitty with concerns about the nature of the show, especially after seeing the award for Best Anal Scene (the Ritz-Carlton ballroom was already being prepared for the awards when the plug was pulled). Whitty assured them that there would be no nudity or lewd acts, but Hilts issued the above statement regardless.
I asked Ritz-Carlton General Manager Martin Nicholson if he felt the event had been misrepresented, but he has not commented as of this writing.
Marie said that Whitty had included a clause in the Bonaventure contract indicating that the hotel was “all right with the idea that this was an adult awards show and that porn stars would be present”.
We could always host the awards at Gram Ponante Towers, Aviary, Helipad, and Fortress of Turgitude. There is no judgment here (unless it’s about Arizona).
Whitty will talk about his experiences with the L.A. hotel industry tonight on KSEX on the Wanker and Pride of Saugus Show.
It is no secret that many porn performers are also escorts. I plan to ask as many as I can if they’ve ever trysted with a customer at the Beverly Hills Hotel or Ritz-Carlton-Huntington.
Previously: Beverly Hilton resists Temptation
See also: Temptation Awards
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