The doorman greeted businessman Daniel Koch with "Welcome to the Ritz-Carlton," 
although the luxury chain had abandoned the Central Park South hotel four days earlier.
The front desk clerk didn't mention the change, and bellman again welcomed Koch to the Ritz-Carlton.

 

By nightfall it began to rain, and the bar filled up. A jovial bartender poured martinis and addressed guests by name. "It's business as usual," an ebullient waiter said. "The employees always ran the show anyway." In fact, not one manager was on the property that night.

​

After a two-year legal dispute with the owners of the New York hotel and three others
(in Washington, Houston and Aspen, Colo) the Ritz-Carlton Co. cast off the properties
Aug. 2. Behind the scenes, senior front-office agent Christopher Jevas and most of the front-
desk staff planned to quit within days. "The owners are harassing us to answer the phones
as the Ritz-Carlton," Jevas said. "It's not worth being caught in the middle and watching
a great team fall apart. The employees have been left in the dark by both Ritz-Carlton
and the owners. We have no rate structure. People are scared."

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About 12 of the property's 140 guests who woke up in a nameless hotel Aug. 2 promptly checked out, Jevas said. Others stayed, but later called the hotel demanding a refund.
Sixty percent of groups booked at the hotel called to cancel, he said.

​

The owners then handed out a letter to guests at check-in, taking them through their
side of the lawsuit with such comments as, "The Ritz-Carlton's conduct comes on the 
heels of a growing mountain of powerful evidence against them," and concluding with,
"We hope your stay is enjoyable." The owners delivered the letter, along with one from
the Ritz-Carlton camp, for two days before deciding it might be better to say
nothing at all.​