Bouncer Denies Navy Officer in Uniform Entry Into Posh NYC Hotel Bar During Fleet Week. The Reason Might Make Your Blood Boil.

A New York City hotel is apologizing after a bouncer wouldn't let a U.S. Navy officer in uniform enter its ritzy rooftop bar during Fleet Week.

The reason? Dress code.

The bouncer on the ground floor of the Standard Hotel in Chelsea looked at the officer, noted the dress code and then blocked her and her relatives from entering an elevator headed to the hip Top of the Standard lounge Saturday night, the officer's family told WCBS-TV.

Image source: Top of the Standard NYC website

Ryan O’Connor, the husband of the sailor’s cousin, was there and said he challenged the bouncer's ruling.

“I said, ‘Wait, are you rejecting us because someone is in a service uniform?’ He kind of rolled his eyes and wouldn’t budge," O'Connor told the New York Daily News, which reported the officer was in her white uniform.

“I was wearing a $400 blazer and dress shoes. We were all dressed nice," he added to the paper. "The only person sticking out was the Navy officer."

When the issue was taken up with the hotel's front desk, the response reportedly was that the dress code is left to the discretion of the bar.

"Being one of the most exclusive clubs in the city, attracting celebrities and professionals from all over, expect a very strict dress code," Night Life in New York City noted regarding the Top of the Standard. "If you don’t fit the high standards they have set there’s not much you can do to get in."

Image source: Top of the Standard NYC website

“We were all shocked and upset,” O'Connor told the Daily News. “This was Memorial Day weekend and walking distance from Ground Zero. This should have been a no-brainer.”

WCBS noted that a relative in the party posted the following message on Facebook: “Apparently being willing to die for your country isn’t fashionable enough.”

“The fact that her uniform wasn’t labeled Versace shouldn’t have prevented her from going in,” O'Connor added. “They need to have a greater sense of the bigger picture.”

The Standard Hotel has apologized and reportedly invited the sailor and her family back, saying the dress code shouldn't apply to military uniforms: “We hold those serving in the United States Armed Forces in the highest regard," the hotel's statement read. "This was a mistake and we sincerely apologize.”

When asked about the incident, New York City pedestrians told WCBS that the hotel was wrong.

"How do you turn away someone in a uniform?" one woman asked.

"I think that's in poor taste," a man told the station.

“I mean, if someone served our country and they’re here to have a good time, let them in,” Nayanda Moore said.

The Standard Hotel declined to answer when WCBS asked if the bouncer has been fired or reassigned.

(H/T: Opposing Views)

This story has been updated.

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