Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/03/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On November 27th me and my husband traveled to ******* to enjoy the holiday with family. I am also a travel hairstylist so upon arriving I immediately go start hair and my husband went ahead to check into the hotel. We recently had to get a dog and have not stayed in a hotel with the service animal until then. He checked in and he was rushed at check in and made to sign forms which she had covered and made him initial. After he was there with the dog and seen with the dog now 2 times. I receive a phone call at 10 asking did I have a pet, I told her as stated before its a service animal. So I'm guessing she missed us signing the form. She told me to come in to sign the form. I was still out doing hair and why did she not stop my husband to sign. Upon arriving there was a shift change and now I am being told I have to leave the hotel and I'm a liar, it was not a service animal. He also asked about what kind of service animal it was and what it was for. I know my rights! Even though I did not have to explain I did. I felt discriminated against with much racism. After debating for 5 minutes they call the police to ****** us out at 11:30 at night with my two kids the night before thanksgiving. I talked with ******* the general manager and she basically believed everything they said and the reason I was kicked out is because of the service animal that is really a service animal. They also went on to tell my husband we will not get a refund and also charged my card extra for a pet fee. I am so sad my girls had to experience such racism. My account is in the negatives and it's because they are charging me for things I did not do.

  Business response

  12/13/2024

  The entire incident is on video recording with audio and has been saved for future needs.
  On 11/27/24, there was a reservation for 1 Adult to arrive under the wife's name. That morning, she called in and added her husband's name as the arriving guest. There was no mention of kids or pets arriving. 
  At 5:24 p.m., the husband arrives to check in by himself with no mention of any other guests that would be staying in the room. The wife was not present during check-in. The husband was on his cell phone throughout the check-in process. The agent advises him during check-in that all rooms are non-smoking and not pet-friendly, and he signs a registration card agreeing to the terms and conditions. Video footage shows that the husband was explained the registration card and given plenty of time to review and complete it. The registration form was not covered, as the wife claims, in fact it was highlighted. The guest was also provided a hotel welcome later with his key packet, which states that we are not pet-friendly. 
   At 6:47 p.m., the wife and husband arrive at the hotel separately, pulling up directly in front of the entryway. They get out of their vehicles and head directly into the lobby. They were already in the middle of a domestic dispute. The wife requested that the FD Agent call the police and have the husband removed. She was advised that if those were the actions she wanted, she would need to call herself since it was an issue between them. They began yelling and arguing, and the FD Agent told them to take it outside. They argued further out-front, about a ******* purchase approximately $230 and his supposed cheating. The couple continues to call each other explicit names before taking off in separate vehicles. This entire scene took place in front of other guests. 
  At 8:21 p.m., the husband returns to the desk, apologizing for his wife's behavior and stating that she was upset with his response to a prior situation. He states that is "how she always handles people." He apologizes again for how rudely his wife (the agent on duty) treated her and states that she went to stay with her mom. He apologizes to the agent on duty again before leaving the desk. 
  According to the agent on duty, shortly after 10 p.m., she spotted the husband outside with a puppy. She reminded him that we are not a pet-friendly property and asked him to please come by the desk.
   At 10:08 p.m., the husband is seen carrying the puppy through the lobby and approaching the desk. The agent asks if there is anywhere for the pet to go. The husband claims he saw us listed as pet-friendly online and stated, "If I had known yall weren't pet-friendly, I would have never checked in." The husband said he doesn't mind leaving with his pet but needs a full refund before he leaves. She advised that she is in contact with management about that. He goes upstairs with the puppy because he left the shower on and asks for her to call him when she hears back. 
  At 10:18 p.m., the desk agent calls the guest back as he exits the elevator without the puppy. He is advised that the pet cannot stay but is more than welcome to stay if he makes other arrangements for the puppy. He was informed If he decided to gather his belongings and leave, the pet fee would be waived due to the holidays, but he would still be responsible for the night; the second night would be returned to their card. He said that wasn't an option because his wife's mom does not allow pets at her house. He kept arguing back and forth with the agent, demanding a full refund be processed immediately. He had unreasonable expectations on the return of authorized funds. He kept making remarks like, imma need that money before I can leave. The agent reminded him that he was informed at check-in, signed a registration card agreeing, and was provided a welcome letter that stated that we are not pet-friendly. The husband replies, "I wasn't paying attention to all that when I checked into the hotel. He begins to show her pictures of how he's crated in the room, and he doesn't come out. She informs him she does have to follow hotel policy, and management says the pet has to leave. He says, I understand that, and all she (*******, the manager) has to do is give me my money back so I can leave. The husband continued to be argumentative towards the agent. She expressed she would not argue with him. He stated, I gave yall my money tonight; they can give it back to me tonight." She informed him that he would be responsible for the night. He told the agent he would not leave if he did not get his money back and walked out the lobby door at 10:28 p.m. 
  At 10:59, the wife called and reached the agent on duty. She was informed that her husband must gather his belongings and leave if he can't find accommodations for the pet. The agent informed the wife that the hotel is not pet-friendly and the dog cannot stay. The agent told the wife that her husband did not disclose that he had an animal when advised at check that we are not pet-friendly, and he signed an agreement. The agent states she will not argue with her and is following policy. She says she is just trying to locate her husband, and the agent is able to gather an ETA for his arrival.  
  (The next agent arrives at 11 p.m. and takes over by 11:10 p.m.)
  The husband arrives back at the property at 11:41 p.m. The new agent on duty informs him he needs to leave. The husband replies, "Okay, so where's my money?" The agent advised that he was not authorized to provide a refund and that the guest was responsible for the one night. And the guest says, "Well, then you're gonna have to contact the police." 
  The agent contacts the police at 11:42 p.m., requesting an officer to ****** him from the property. When the agent explains to dispatch why the guest needs to leave, the Husband starts yelling, You're a liar. I just asked for my money back. You're stealing my money. You know what you did. Youre the liar. Then, he proceeds to head up the elevator.
  The wife calls the desk at 11:47 p.m., reaching the night agent. She is informed that he has to vacate the room due to today's incidents and that he does not have the availability to process a refund immediately, as her husband requests. The call ends.
  The police arrive at the hotel at 11:49. The agents are discussing the details of the situation with the police when the husband comes off the elevator with his belongings. He immediately became very aggressive towards the agent. The police advise him that none of that matters. The hotel has rules. He signed agreeing to no smoking and no pets. The husband was shown where he signed the reg card and then yelled, I dont care about that; you are a liar. The police informed him that he was responsible for reading and understanding anything he had signed. He continues to try and argue with the front desk. The police intervened, trying to calm the guest down. The husband tells the officer he just got the puppy and will be training it soon. He showed the officer a random website that said we are pet-friendly online; the police told him that it was not the hotel website but a 3rd party site and to always double-check information online not posted by a business directly. The police told the husband he needed to head outside and confirmed with the desk the guest would be trespassed from the property. The police advised the guest they would need to contact the manager in the morning regarding any refund, as the desk agents said. The guest continued to argue with the police and was escorted off the property at 11:54 p.m.
  The guest was only charged for the first night of their stay and the applicable pet fee. Since they checked out, the wife has left multiple reviews/surveys online, making defamatory accusations of racial discrimination against the hotel and accusations of throwing a family out. In fact, there was never any discrimination at all. Simply a guest who got caught sneaking a pet into a not-pet-friendly hotel. The husband was the primary guest at the hotel, and the wife appeared briefly during the dispute in the lobby. At no time were there any kids at the property.
  
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩