Jules
Former Member
Associated Press Writer
BROOKHAVEN, Miss.
At least one hotel chain has asked some Hurricane Katrina evacuees to check out so it can honor the reservations of incoming guests.
Hilton Hotels, the parent company of Hampton Inn and other brands, is trying to find other rooms for the evacuees but said they were warned when they checked in that their stays would be limited by room availability, said Hilton spokeswoman Kathy Shepard.
"We're doing our very best to accommodate these people," she said.
It's an uncomfortable situation for the hotel industry: risk bad publicity for kicking out hurricane evacuees, or anger big-spending repeat customers who travel for business.
Hurricane evacuees _ often several family members packed into a single hotel room _ can be a burden on hotel staff. They also use more water and electricity, and do not spend much on food and incidentals.
They "could be occupying a room that could otherwise be occupied by a higher-paying guest who's spending lots of money on telephone, food and beverage," said Bjorn Hanson, a hotel industry analyst with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in New York.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/06/D8D2LIF80.html
BROOKHAVEN, Miss.
At least one hotel chain has asked some Hurricane Katrina evacuees to check out so it can honor the reservations of incoming guests.
Hilton Hotels, the parent company of Hampton Inn and other brands, is trying to find other rooms for the evacuees but said they were warned when they checked in that their stays would be limited by room availability, said Hilton spokeswoman Kathy Shepard.
"We're doing our very best to accommodate these people," she said.
It's an uncomfortable situation for the hotel industry: risk bad publicity for kicking out hurricane evacuees, or anger big-spending repeat customers who travel for business.
Hurricane evacuees _ often several family members packed into a single hotel room _ can be a burden on hotel staff. They also use more water and electricity, and do not spend much on food and incidentals.
They "could be occupying a room that could otherwise be occupied by a higher-paying guest who's spending lots of money on telephone, food and beverage," said Bjorn Hanson, a hotel industry analyst with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in New York.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/10/06/D8D2LIF80.html