Marriott International has made a strong apology to the Chinese government and taken down its websites in the country following a series of "errors".
The chain's CEO and president, Arne Sorenson, has intervened in the issue with a firmly worded statement after two incidents which he says could lead to sackings within the organisation.
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The problem started when regions within China where labelled as countries in their own right on drop-down menus on a mailshot sent to members of its loyalty program.
The political and cultural hot potato of Tibet "autonomous region" was one of the items listed, as well as Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong.
The action is said to have triggered anger within the Chinese government.
We will learn from this experience, make changes to ensure errors like this don’t happen again, and continue to focus on making sure our Chinese guests feel respected and have wonderful experiences as we have the privilege of serving them in our hotels in China and around the globe.
Arne Sorenson - Marriott International
The problem was compounded when an employee clicked "like" on a tweet about the saga that, in Sorenson's words, "incorrectly suggested our support of this position".
In a bid to quickly diffuse the row, Marriott says it has scrapped the survey and, at the request of the Chinese government, pulled its websites and apps in the country.
This, it says, is to "conduct a full review and audit" of its digital services.
Sorenson says:
"Upon completion of a full investigation into how both incidents happened, we will be taking the necessary disciplinary action with respect to the individuals involved, which could include termination, changing our approval and review procedures for online content, reviewing our customer feedback channels, and enhancing training to ensure these situations don’t happen again."
Furthermore, Marriott says it does not support any individuals or groups that have a mission that "subverts the sovereignty and territorial integrity" of China.
Sorenson adds:
"As a company, we take very seriously the privilege and opportunity we have to serve guests in countries around the world – and particularly in China, a market we have been in for over 30 years."