Just two days ago, the Toronto Raptors joined a growing list of professional sports teams that refused to stay at the Trump hotel during road trips due to his unfavourable presidency. As of now, there are a total of 17 teams from the National Football League, National Basketball Association, and National Hockey League that announced their change in accommodation plans. If this situation continues, it is inevitable that Trump hotels will lose a line of loyal customers.
Since Trump’s announcement of presidency, it is almost indisputable that there are consequences to his businesses; however, there is no evidence of this prediction since their financial information is not accessible by the public. Now, with the influence of the respected sports teams, the continual eruption of spreading controversies “since Trump took office can’t be good for a hotel brand” (Are the president’s policies hurting the Trump hotels, 2017).
Steve Kerr, the coach of the Golden State Warriors said that “the president has made a point of dividing us as best he can… he continually offends people, so people don’t want to stay at his hotel” (Many Professional Sports Teams Are Boycotting Trump Hotels, 2017). Clearly, Trump’s values do not align with that of the Warriors and many other teams. As a result, he is losing loyal customers that once willingly returned to his hotel every trip. But Trump is losing far more than just the teams – he is losing a whole line of customers made up of sports fans, their relatives and friends.
It is no surprise that national sport leagues such as the NBA and NHL are very powerful influences and that their actions are loud messages to their fans around the world. The collective voice of the 17 teams who have already publicly confirmed their attitude towards Trump’s presidency and their change in plans will influence the choices their fans make the next time they travel. The word will spread from news, to fans, to their friends, drastically impacting a whole scope of consumers that may once be favourable of the Trump hotel.
Recently, a local start-up company invited me to be a guest at their event at the Trump Tower in Vancouver. Because of the location, however, many invited guests declined the request and others refused to attend the conference. The issue the company faced shows that the growing controversies are changing consumer attitudes toward the brand, causing them to turn away from anything related to it.
Regardless, Trump’s business is incredibly strong. All the protests, boycotts have yet to cause any significant damages.
People are waiting for him to fail. But for now, he stands taller than ever.
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