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Abilene hotels don't always rent to Abilenians
Related StoriesIn Abilene, some hotels allow local folks to stay the night. Others do not.
But the "no locals" policy is not something that everyone is aware of.
With skyrocketing gas prices, some people are opting for "staycations" and maybe renting a room for the night so the family can relax, swim or just get out of the house.
Take the case of Leah Holamon of Abilene who went to the Comfort Suites University on Interstate 20 on July 11 to spend an evening scrapbooking with her 5-year-old daughter. What began as a mother-daughter overnight outing turned into a nightmare she detailed in a letter to the editor of the Reporter-News.
Holamon booked a room through an online reservation service, but when she handed the clerk her debit card, she said she was told she could not have the room because she was local.
Corporate officials contacted the Reporter-News on Wednesday saying there was no policy at the Comfort Suites or at their Holiday Inn Express (on South Clack) barring local customers.
"This was a miscommunication on our part, and it is not our policy to ban local customers," said Abdellah Choukri, vice president of operations for the hotels. "I just feel horrible about this situation, and I can't apologize enough. We just dropped the ball that night. I hope we can make this up to her."
But there are other Abilene hotels who do not allow local customers, such as the Holiday Inn Express on I-20.
"If a customer comes in and they have an Abilene address, we do not rent rooms to them," said Richard Lee, franchise manager for the hotel at 1802 E. I-20. "It is a policy that has been in place for years. We do not market to locals. We are a highway hotel."
The same goes for the Fairfield Inn on I-20. Management there said they have had problems with local people drinking and trashing the rooms.
Many other local hotels, however, realize that families sometimes must get a room, either for fun or out of necessity. That includes when disaster or tragedy strikes.
For example, the Quality Inn on I-20 rents to local residents.
"We absolutely rent to local customers," said Prya Tweedie, regional manager for the hotel. "We are glad to do it, and we always have."
The Civic Plaza Hotel on Pine Street always rents to local customers, as does the Holiday Inn Express on South Clack.
"We just always require that you have a photo ID when you are paying cash," said Daphne Sims, housekeeping manager.
Days Inn at 1702 E. I-20, also rents to local customers, but they must be 21.
"If they have ever caused a problem at the hotel, we won't rent to them," said Bobbie Arnold, front desk manager. "But overall we always rent to locals."
The MCM Elegante has family fun packages designed for local or almost local customers. They only have one stipulation -- they do not rent to anyone under 21.
"But there are exceptions to the rule," said General Manager Joann Schibi. "If a military serviceman or woman under age came in, we would rent to them."
Schibi said the hotel is getting lots of local business this summer.
"They are staying here because they don't want to travel more than 30 minutes from home or they are right here in Abilene, and we have a lot of things to do here," Schibi said.
As for Holamon, she said she expressed her frustration to the clerk. She was told they did not rent to locals because some had trashed the rooms.
Later, after the manager was made aware of the situation, he offered her a room. She, however, did not accept.
"I would sooner sleep in my car," she said. "I can't believe they would treat a local customer like this."
All of the hotels in Abilene were full that night, she said, so she drove to Weatherford to stay the night.
Posted by abilene2 on July 24, 2008 at 12:31 a.m. (Suggest removal)
so this lady lives in abilene, and got so pissed off that instead of just going home, she had to get revenge and drove 2 hours to weatherford to stay in a hotel. seriously...?
while i do believe the hotel really wouldnt rent the room to a local, knowing this about her way of thinking leads me to question what really is going on with this person.
Posted by ropers40 on July 24, 2008 at 2:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
If I promised my kid a night out I would do whatever it took to try and make it happen. All
Comfort Inn Suites did was cost itself money, and made itself look stupid. We have decided to ask the hotels if they take locals before we block off rooms for our daughters up-coming wedding, they will only get the business if they take locals.
I have a question, would this be considered a discrimnatory practice if they are baseing it on things that other people have done.
Posted by donny on July 24, 2008 at 5:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
There is so much drug trafficing through hotels, The low end hotels must be hard pressed to rent to locals. Take a look at south 1st street hotels.
Posted by up_in_here on July 24, 2008 at 6:59 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Brownwood, Eastland and Sweetwater have nice new hotels and she drove to Weatherford?
Posted by sirgrumpy1 on July 24, 2008 at 7:42 a.m. (Suggest removal)
My wife and I are from C-City and we have stayed the night in Abilene...sometimes you have to have a night away from the house. I would have been pissed off too, if they refused to let me stay.
I believe the idea was a promise to a child...the hotel management really needs to suck it up and offer this poor lady some sort of 'freebee' for her problem. I realize that some hotels have a "NO LOCALS" policy; however, we are not all 'drunks and yahoos' that are going to tear the room up...quit the stereotyping...have your people use some common sense and see that the lady obviously had a child with her at check in...did she look like a ruffian to you?
Posted by mliatx on July 24, 2008 at 7:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Abilene2 - You should read my full letter to the editor on the opinion page. If so you will see that this was more than trying to get revenge.
It was a matter of keeping my word to my young daughter who had had a really rough month medically and who had been looking forward to this night for several days.
Actually I was on the Internet and telephone for quite a while before deciding on Weatherford. Most places didn't have rooms on short notice or they were extremely high.
I did see a really nice and new LaQuinta on the way to Weatherford in Eastland. It did not come up in my searches the night before when I was searching.
Leah
Posted by rampbrat on July 24, 2008 at 7:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm with ropers40 on this one. And what difference does it make where she went? And I'll be checking to see if motels rent to locals before I reserve rooms for friends and family. They don't want my busniness? No problem, I'll take it somewhere else.
Posted by ICURlistening on July 24, 2008 at 8:08 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm glad Leah stood up for herself and her child. All too many times mothers are not treated respectfully when dealing with "corporate professionals."
Posted by ksb3 on July 24, 2008 at 8:14 a.m. (Suggest removal)
THANK YOU ARN for printing the names
of the "offending" hotels. I live
60 miles from Abilene and frequently
spend the night there on shopping
trips. I'm glad the Elegante is one
of the "good" ones.
AND I20 hotels....I guess you will
use some common sense the next time
a local wants to stay at your hotel.
Plus I'll bet there is no use offering
Leah a freebee, I can imagine what
her response would be. hahahaha
Posted by leroy on July 24, 2008 at 8:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
“Corporate professionals” would be more concerned about the image of the hotel. The “corporate professionals” did the right thing in this situation; they made it right as soon as they could. Don’t confuse an employee/manager/owner in this situation with “corporate professionals”. This is not an uncommon practice of a privately owned businesses. We have the right to not like it, and they should be more clear of their policy, but it’s their right.
Posted by JohnB44 on July 24, 2008 at 8:48 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Who cares why she chose to go to Weatherford? The point of this story is that she was refused service because of her address.
I understand market targeting, but I'm not sure it is legal to have a policy of excluding certain consumers... for ANY reason. There should be three requirements to rent a room: Valid picture ID; 21 or older; Able to pay.
Refusing service based on mailing address is rediculous. What's next? Refusing service based on appearance?
The "No Locals" policy is a dangerous way of thinking and I'll bet the ones who decided this are not familiar with the Constitution or the Bill of Rights. I'll bet the ones who wrote the "No Locals" policy are not even American citizens.
Posted by mliatx on July 24, 2008 at 10:16 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Corporate Professionals were fine to work with. I found the man in the article easy to talk to, very apologetic and understanding. I was very at ease and felt that he was sincere.
I also wanted my daughter to know it was ok to stand up for herself. She's young but old enough to understand that there is a time and a place for everything. She learned that well.
Posted by squid on July 24, 2008 at 10:19 a.m. (Suggest removal)
those hotels have the right to refuse service to whomever they chose. This isnt too hard to understand, and Donny already said it. Drug traffic/use, and prostitution are the prime reasons for this kind of policy.
Posted by mbs0606 on July 24, 2008 at 10:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
To any hotel owners or managers,
I would suggest instead of a no local policy, have some requirements. As JohnB44 said above, have a valid picture ID, be 21 or older, and be able to pay. However, I think maybe the local should present a valid credit card that is in the customers name. That way if there are some damages you have a credit card to pay for them and you have a person to contact.
Posted by M1 on July 24, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I don't believe there is a violation of a civil right for this policy in general. The specifics of the policy or of the particular customer however may include a civil rights violation. If the area where the hotel bans patrons is manipulated so that only certain neighborhoods are included the hotel's policy might be discriminatory if it involves a protected class of people. If the policy is not applied consistently and the person who is denied service is a member of a protected class (race, gender, religion, country of origin, age), there may also be a civil rights violation.
Posted by mliatx on July 24, 2008 at 10:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I agree that the ability to refuse service is their right. But you need to be discerning when applying such a policy. Quoting someone on the original letter to the editor post:
A woman with her young daughter with scrapbooking supplies - not a threat. 6 young men wearing frat shirts and carrying coolers - hmmmm...
I am 40, had a valid ID and credit card and wasn't paying cash.
People destroying hotel rooms is a real threat. But not every local checking into a hotel room is a threat.
Posted by ropers40 on July 24, 2008 at 10:46 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The one thing I do know that I can do is to not stay at any of the hotels that have this policy, corporate owned or independent. Yes I will check when making my reservations.
Do these people not realize there could be reasons behind having to stay in a hotel in your home town. I had to when the city collapsed my sewer line and couldn't fix it till the next day.
This being Abilene they refused to pay for their screw-up.
Sorry didnt mean to get off subject.
Boycott these establishments or have your visiting family or friends do it.
Posted by leroy on July 24, 2008 at 10:47 a.m. (Suggest removal)
mliatx
Your quote: "But you need to be discerning when applying such a policy".
Change your comment from "NEED" to SHOULD and I'd agree with you. I agree with you on principle, they should have common sense, but the don't HAVE to have common sense. One of the great things about this country is we ALLOW stupidity and that stupidity may cause their business to fail. We can't force them to run their businesses well. Heck, we don't even have insight into how their business works, this policy may have served them well over the years.
Posted by dusty1 on July 24, 2008 at 10:57 a.m. (Suggest removal)
civil rights violation? Really? Are you crazy? OH, and the genius who stated that the owners of the hotels were not US citizens and didn't know the bill of rights....Are you a racist? Or a Xenophobe? If knowing the bill of rights was the standard to be allowed to operate a business in Abilene, we are in serious trouble.
Posted by ropers40 on July 24, 2008 at 2:04 p.m. (Suggest removal)
dusty1: If you own a business then you should be damned well informed to what you can and cannot do, if for no other reason to protect yourself.
I was recently in Dallas and stayed at a hotel that the people running the desk could only say hello and welcome. Do you honestly believe they were in full understanding of the laws that apply in this country. The one thing I want to know is when did the patron become the person that has to do the groveling. I believe all people deserve a right to be a business owner, just as we as patrons expect them to know what in the hell they are doing.
Its like trying to deal with doctors that cannot speak or understand enough English to converse with their patients.
There should be an English test that must be passed before you are licensed in this country.
Posted by donny on July 24, 2008 at 2:11 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Johnb44 is an idiot. The drug traffickers have all that stuff evidently you need to go by the cost of the hotel. Low end hotels need a no local policy.
Posted by anaka on July 24, 2008 at 3:19 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The Whitten Inn University on I20 gladly accepts locals. My husband and I live about 15 minutes away from it. We are newlyweds and like to get away from the house every few months and we always stay there. They have very nice rooms with all the amenities. They even have rooms that allow pets - not quite as nice, but still very comfortable. I've even seen them host a local wedding reception in their small dining area (music and dancing only). The staff are very professional and courteous, and the room charge very reasonable. I would recommend it to any other abilinian who wants a night or weekend away from home.
Posted by mliatx on July 24, 2008 at 4:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Please note that Comfort Suites corporate office was made aware and that this is not their standard policy. I have spoken to Abdellah Choukri and I believe that. I am at ease at this point regarding my personal experience but do not regret bringing this to the publics attention so that this doesn't happen to someone else.
I urge everyone to make phone calls before booking rooms locally or for those coming out of town and see if they rent to locals.
We also have local B&B's that rent to local residents.
Leah Holamon
Posted by mliatx on July 24, 2008 at 4:21 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Leroy - correct...it should be common sense.
Posted by Wraith on July 25, 2008 at 1:09 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This no local policy is crazy. What happens if your in-laws come in town ? God forbid you mention they stay in a hotel. So I get peace and quiet. Win-win. Plus if locals damage a room, hold them responsible.
Posted by ICURlistening on July 25, 2008 at 9:02 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I was referring to the "corporate professional" behind the desk and the one she spoke to on the phone. Do you know what facetious means?
Posted by DB on July 25, 2008 at 10:25 a.m. (Suggest removal)
The Best Western on Ridgemont also accepts locals.
Posted by dolphinstar521 on July 25, 2008 at 12:33 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Can I ask...what is considered a local? I mean, how far away do u have to live from Abilene to not be considered a local? 30miles, 45miles?
Posted by crazylady on July 25, 2008 at 1:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I have made several reservations for family members with different hotels in the mall area, I have never had a problem with being a local. I guess I'll continue to use hotels in this area and not the ones along I-20. If I can't stay there neither will my family members.
Posted by jrgonzo1 on July 25, 2008 at 5:51 p.m. (Suggest removal)
TO THE LADY AND HER DAUGHTER, I WORK FOR A FULL SERVICE MARRIOTT IN FORT WORTH, IF YOU EVERY NEED A ROOM I CAN GET ONE FOR YOU, AT A VERY LOW RATE. I HAVE FAMILY IN ABILENE. IS THE RESIDENCE INN ON I-20 OPEN NOW?!? THIS "HIGHWAY POLICY IS CRAZY" WHAT ARE THESE HOTELS ON I-20 THINKING?!?!?! TIMES ARE HARD RIGHT NOW, REVENUE IS REVENUE. OH, BY THE WAY GO EAGLES!!!
Posted by ebtry on July 26, 2008 at 12:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
And you wonder why Abilene, which was the same size of Lubbock only a fear years ago has not grown.
Such ignorance.
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