Did the Ayres Hotel Costa Mesa Host Holocaust Deniers?

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Posted by Gustavo Arellano in Gunkist Memories

July 7, 2008 7:02 AM

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Every year, the Holocaust deniers over at the Newport Beach-based Institute for Historical Review organize a conference in Orange County in which they hear from some of the world's most notorious Jew bashers. The location is always a closely guarded secret for the obvious reasons--the IHR conference would be rightfully protested by any decent human being, and the hosting hotel would suffer a PR nightmare.

Folks, get your pickets ready. The Weekly has learned that the IHR used the facilities of the Ayres Hotel in Costa Mesa on June 14, when the group hosted notorious Holocaust denier David Irving (standing left in the picture alongside IHR director Mark Weber). The IHR's website merely states Irving "packed the hotel meeting room in southern California" without disclosing the location.

But in a June 13 email to supporters obtained by the Weekly, Irving revealed the location would be the Ayres. He even provided a map!

A worker with the Ayres Hotel Costa Mesa couldn't find proof that the IHR booked a conference at the hotel on June 14. However, Weekly intern Gray Beltran visited the location and confirmed that the hotel's conference rooms feature the same distinctive design as shown in the picture above.

This isn't the first time the Ayres chain has hosted controversial speakers. KFI-AM 640's John and Ken Show frequently books the hotel for their live appearances at different locations, and Save Our State has held fundraisers at the Ayres as well.

Comments (5)

Bob Squalonero says:
July 7, 2008 09:56

Gus,

At the risk of sounding like a total conspiracy nut, I've gotta ask the following question: How does one know if the Ayres Hotel in Costa Mesa was not a decoy, and IHR had their conference elsewhere?

I ask this because for IHR to "even provide a map" of where they're holding their conference (knowing that someone will look this up on the internet), seems a bit too obvious.

Also, regarding the picture, Irving & Weber could've had it taken at the Costa Mesa Ayres Hotel, prior to the IHR conference.

I'm no fan of IHR, but knowing that they attract protests, there's the possibility they could've thrown a decoy (but then again, I may be overestimating the intelligence of IHR members).

Anonymous says:
July 7, 2008 10:03

is jew bashing the equivilant to questioning the number of jews (and others) whom actually perished during the holocaust? This could be a carbon copy register article.

Gustavo Arellano says:
July 7, 2008 13:04

Bob: Without revealing too much about how I learned about Irving's talk, let's just say very few were privy to the information I was provided. IHR didn't provide the map; Irving did, and only as a direct link (you can't find it by going through his home page). And if IHR and Irving did use the Ayres as a decoy, they sure had a lot of time to do it--look at all the pictures on the website!

Anon (I know who you are but won't spill the beans): The Register doesn't cover hate groups; your comment, on the other hand, is EXACTLY what neo-Nazis say in attacking the Holocaust. Congrats!

G.Jones says:
July 9, 2008 10:19

Gustavo: Anon is Mike Tardif, right? Mike, why not just admit it?

Gustavo Arellano says:
July 9, 2008 11:24

Gila: I don't get in the habit of outing anons (unless it's a Register reporter or public figure), but I can tell you it's not Mike. Besides, his obsession is gay marriage and Mater Dei!

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