Hotels Gouge After The Storm

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Generic's picture

Hotels accused of gouging people after the storm. It's one thing to need to make money, it's another one to have no compassion at all. 


After the storm here, where many people were without power, the hotel that was used as an example of gouging is still pointed at in this city and viewed with disdain.




Joey Camb's picture

There has only been one time when we have had a weather change bad enough to strand people and we did very cheap rates for them.

what happened was it was a sunday and it was the last day of an event at the conference center which weirdly has very few windows to the outside. We only had 2 rooms booked for that night and I had let the chamber maid go home early due to the weather as snow was expected and she has to walk home. Anyhow about 2pm it starts snowing people start comming out of the event about 4.30 and by then the snow is 6 inches deep and as the councils wern't expecting anything like it there had been no gritting or anything done. So put our lovely gas fire on in the lounge which you can see from the street, put all the lights on so you could clearly see we were open and looked cheery - sold every ruddy room! had to run round and make up rooms as people were stranded! Looked after 1 ladies daughter while she was packing up her stand over the road who was a nice little girl.

The saddest thing was one of the couples stranded was a lovely older welsh couple who knew if it was bad here it would be terrible where they were going so wasn't worth setting off (wales is all mountains and windy roads) they were just absolute troopers - went to the grocery store and got their tea and then toddled off to have a lovely church service at the town center church. They had booked with us for the next year but about 6 months later their daughter called to say she had sadly passed away,  -  it was one of her last wishes that the daughter make sure her reservation was cancelled. They were full of what i call Dunkirk Spirit.

Also in between all of this was trying to get 2 german teachers back to the airport who were teaching the next day! was worried the airport was closed and we had to run along the street with their bags to get to the taxi! I was like "where are you and we will come there!" it was bedlam.

I didn't price gouge though did cheaper than we normally would have done as was pleased with all the extra business though I was ruddy knackered!




Arks's picture

There's one convenience store/gas station in town that raised its gas prices 50% on the day of 9/11. I've not set foot on their property since.

Yes, forgive me, but I'm not the forgiving type!


All saints can do miracles, but few of them can keep hotel. ~ Mark Twain


Madeleine's picture

I've seen hotels around here offer locals REDUCED rates to stay if there is a snow emergency where the roads are closed.

Wonder what would have happened had those same people booked online with the rates as quoted? Would they have been honored at the door?




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