I can't even believe this!!!!

[Ka D'Argo]

Do you know what I just heard?!? it makes me really mad that something this petty would go on. All the refugees from the hurricane that went to Tallahassee, Florida are being forced out of the hotel rooms because of everyone that had reservations for the FSU vs Miami want their rooms so they can watch a stupid game!!! this is ridiculous, this is a time when we need to all come together and help people in need. I am really upset by this

Check this Out (http://www.sptimes.com/2005/09/01/Worldandnation/FSU_Miami_game_to_for.shtml)
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[Kurt_eh]

:g2f:

[Ka D'Argo]

Antwan Hinkle, front desk manager at the Quality Inn, said it would be unfair to people who have planned trips for months if they were told just days before the game they no longer had rooms

Unfair??? You wanna know whats unfair, these people who have lost everything in their life is unfair. Not being able to go see a football game isn't unfair, not on this scale. I am so angry by this right now, so pissed-off i just dont know what to do. My heart hurts and when i read something like this i get so angry at man-kind that i dont know what to do. In this time of need, people are worried about a football game!!! I know i keep saying the same thing over and over again, but i am trying to hear it in my head to see if i can see the sense in it and i just can't! it is so cold hearted and hateful that it makes you wonder if mankind is doomed to our own greed and hatefulness. :cry2:
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[Col.Batguano]

I wish I could say I couldn't believe this but going through my own problems right now trying not to get into trouble for the inability to pay for having life saving brain surgery, and the massive amount of read tape I have to go through because I didn't want to DIE!
I was watching something on CNN and Cspan on how the president had to pass special legislation so the survivors wouldn't be billed for clean up and rescue.
I love my country but OMG do we have our priorities ass backwards.

[oorat]

thats insane. "oh sorry, yes you've lost your home in what is touted as one of Americas greatest disasters, an entire city is under water, but Mr. Smith here wants to watch a needs to see who will win the football game, I'm sure you understand, it's only fair".

What I think is fair is that hotel getting sued for causing undue stress upon the refugees. People sue for things that like all the time in this sue happy country,

"I was burned by a cup of coffee because I didn't realize it was hot, so I'm suing the resturant because they didn't tell me it was hot".

I think the refugees would have a better case for emotional dispair compensation for this then that old lady did for burning herself with coffee.

just makes me mad.

[sny]

Playing devil's advocate here a bit, but this bit of the story rather leapt out at me.

"There is absolutely no compassion here whatsoever," Lynne Bernard wrote on a bulletin board on the Web site of the Times-Picayune of New Orleans. "The Hampton Inn in Tallahassee is pretty much throwing us out because of a football game."

Errr... these refugees are posting on the internet? And maybe the reporter who compiled this story just left it out, but there doesn't seem to be any gratitude expressed for the time the hotels did allow these people a place to stay.

The story makes it sound like the hotels are putting mere football ahead of these people's welfare. But I would bet that isn't the real reason. They're putting money first. And maybe we have no right to judge them harshly for doing it.

All the hotels mentioned by name in the article, as far as I can determine with a quick Google, are very likely to be independently owned and operated. Meaning some independent entrepreneur would be losing a rather large chunk of their income if they turn away paying customers that are down on the books as definitely coming. Hotels don't make money by cancelling reservations.

Now, in the case of the Courtyard Marriott that has only 15 of its 154 rooms taken out of rotation, that might not be a big hit to the bottom line. For the Quality Inn that had several dozen of its 90 rooms filled by storm refugees... that's a very big chunk of their earning power. Let's assume "several dozen" is, at minimum, three dozen. That's a third of the hotel's earning potential taken away, plus the extra expense of housing these people and providing for them, presumably.

For all we know, the owners and employees of these hotels need those rooms to be filled by the paying customers during football games just to make a decent profit for the year. I've heard of some smaller hotels just more or less breaking even for most of the year, and making most of their profit during a busy "tourist season" that only lasts a few weeks, or during certain periods when fans come to town for large sporting events. These hotels in this story could be in that situation.

It's easy to sit back and say "Well, everyone ought to be pulling together.", but why should a hotel owner be forced to give up what might be more than they can afford because of circumstances that are just as much beyond their control as they are beyond the control of those displaced? What good would it do for them to possibly run their business into debt? Also, I notice no one commended the hotels for housing the people displaced from the storm as long as they did.

Putting them up even for a few days might have been a very large strain on the hotelier's wallet. The way I see it, forcing or pressuring the hotels to house people for free might be the same as asking a small mom and pop grocery to hand over their entire inventory for relief efforts for free, or asking an individual to donate all their savings to the Red Cross. Yes, it's noble to help out. It's generous. But you can only give what you can afford to give.

I'm sure we would all love to give each and every one of these people enough money to rebuild some semblance of their old lives. But I'm fairly sure not many of us could afford it. That story only tells a very narrow, single-sided view of the situation. (I notice the only "defense" the hotels got was one indirect quote from a front desk manager, who may or may not know the full scope of factors behind the decision to honor the reservations.) Maybe the hotels could afford to do it if they really wanted. Maybe they couldn't. If the hotel owner is an independent franchise getting no help from "corporate", I'd say it's pretty likely they're really relying on those reservations to keep them in the black. I don't know that to be the case, but I doubt that tiny blurb tells the entire story.

[NYPinTA]

Here is a reverse story from Alabama:
http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/4829648

Also, in the middle of this article it points out that "Florida law requires hotels to honor all reservations."

[AyuRocks]

thats insane. "oh sorry, yes you've lost your home in what is touted as one of Americas greatest disasters, an entire city is under water, but Mr. Smith here wants to watch a needs to see who will win the football game, I'm sure you understand, it's only fair".

What I think is fair is that hotel getting sued for causing undue stress upon the refugees. People sue for things that like all the time in this sue happy country,

"I was burned by a cup of coffee because I didn't realize it was hot, so I'm suing the resturant because they didn't tell me it was hot".

I think the refugees would have a better case for emotional dispair compensation for this then that old lady did for burning herself with coffee.

just makes me mad.

Because it's a pet peeve - http://www.centerjd.org/free/mythbusters-free/MB_mcdonalds.htm

[freckle]

It's easy to sit back and say "Well, everyone ought to be pulling together.", but why should a hotel owner be forced to give up what might be more than they can afford because of circumstances that are just as much beyond their control as they are beyond the control of those displaced?
.

Because it would be the right thing to do.
In the hotel business id expect reputation is very important, and their reputations are potentially ruined.

[zen98034]

Because it would be the right thing to do.
In the hotel business id expect reputation is very important, and their reputations are potentially ruined.

It is a business, the right thing to do is to stay in business. They are not going to take a hit on their reputation for honoring their reservations, they would take a hit from anybody that would want to make a reservation from them in the future if they don't. Forcing somebody that is in business to make money, to lose money, is so wrong I can't believe it has to be pointed out. It would be like telling somebody that owns a large van that because it could be used to transport refugees that the right thing to do would be to give it up to the relief effort, how many individuals would do that? Why does everybody always think it is O.K. to force business to loose money? Is it because you perceive they must have more money than you do since they own a hotel and they can afford to loose some of it? Who are we to decide how much money somebody should make? If that hotel looses enough money then the people that work in the hotel are at risk of loosing their jobs. What are we going to do for them?

Mitch

[Nicola]

It is a business, the right thing to do is to stay in business. They are not going to take a hit on their reputation for honoring their reservations, they would take a hit from anybody that would want to make a reservation from them in the future if they don't. Forcing somebody that is in business to make money, to lose money, is so wrong I can't believe it has to be pointed out. It would be like telling somebody that owns a large van that because it could be used to transport refugees that the right thing to do would be to give it up to the relief effort, how many individuals would do that? Why does everybody always think it is O.K. to force business to loose money? Is it because you perceive they must have more money than you do since they own a hotel and they can afford to loose some of it? Who are we to decide how much money somebody should make? If that hotel looses enough money then the people that work in the hotel are at risk of loosing their jobs. What are we going to do for them?

Mitch

From what I understand the people in the hotels being evicted are paying customers.

Don't see them losing money letting these people stay.

[zen98034]

From what I understand the people in the hotels being evicted are paying customers.

Don't see them losing money letting these people stay.

That does change it a little, I had assumed the rooms were being comped. But then FL law kicks in.

Mitch

[sny]

Because it's a pet peeve - http://www.centerjd.org/free/mythbusters-free/MB_mcdonalds.htm

You, too, huh? It always irks me, too. All the people who jump on that poor woman for suing never mention that the restaurant was breaking safety regulations and that she got third degree burns and required skin grafts, and the corporation basically went "So?". It wasn't exactly "My ketchup is red. Think I'll sue..."

Because it would be the right thing to do. In the hotel business id expect reputation is very important, and their reputations are potentially ruined.

Berating the owners of these hotels for this is a bit like jumping all over someone who donated $20 to the Red Cross because he didn't donate $100. They allowed these people a place to stay, at least for a short while. Now, no matter what they do, they get the short end of the stick. If they ask the displaced to leave, they get bashed for being heartless. If they don't honor reservations, they're alienating paying customers, are in violation of the law, and are likely losing out on some income. Even if they get those with reservations to cancel and allow the displaced to stay, they're still possibly losing out on the income. Talk about a lose-lose situation...

Even if the displaced are paying customers, the hotel still has the problem of possibly alienating repeat customers who would likely bring more money into the local economy (and possibly the hotel itself, if they spend on little luxuries like room service, etc.) and what the law requires regarding reservations. Any way you go at it, the hotels could be between a rock and hard place on the issue.

I'm sure the hotels take no pleasure in chucking anyone displaced by the storms out of the hotel and into a shelter, whatever the reason for the decision. I don't get the feeling that hoteliers are particulalry cruel and heartless people. I can't believe there isn't a good, solid reason behind the decision, whatever it might be in each case. Something far more vital than just "Well, the football game is this weekend... can't be depriving people of their football. Take a hike."

[oorat]

Because it's a pet peeve - http://www.centerjd.org/free/mythbu...B_mcdonalds.htm

well, include me among the ignorant then. I will never bring it up again.

But then FL law kicks in

In times of emergencies some laws have been and should be overlooked. but then again, we're not allowing other countries to help us, not even canada right now, and our secretary of state is out on vacation in new york buying shoes and catching shows on broadway. so I guess I can't really say I'm shocked at how things work out anymore.

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/09/us-refuses-jamaicas-offer-to-help-with.html

http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/09/breaking-sec-of-state-condi-rice.html

Im sure most of the hotels don't want to just kick people out, and I'm just angry that more can't be done. and in some regards to certain parties, more iisnt being done to help out. I work for a casion in iowa, our corp offices are in mississippi, theyve given us the option of surrounding any personal time or vacation time we have left and donate what money we would have gotten from that to the refugee fund, i've got about 32 hours of p.t. left that, all my vacation is gone already, so im gonna let my 32 hours of pay get used for something better then sitting on my keester watching tv.

[Clarsax]

I'm sure the hotels have more on thier mind other than evicting storm survivors because it's football season. They can't break the law about honoring all reservations unless the government steps in to give them special permission. As it is, those with reservations for the football game could also sue the hotels for not giving them the rooms they reserved. If the football fans sued the hotels, and no doubt there would be at least one who did, the hotels could lose everything that way, and the law would support the fans. It sucks, but our country is obsessed with sports and celebrities. It's been that way for a good century, that an actor or sports player is always more important than anything or anyone else, even someone who desperately needs help. I can't blame the hotels, they're just trying to do thier jobs without anyone suing them or bringing up the Florida law against them. They let the survivors stay as long as they could and I think that's at least something.

[MotorWerk]

Couldnt the game be postponed?