Where NOT to stay

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gma
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by gma »

May I draw your attention to a little website called tripadvisor on which any visitors can post reviews of any hotel, hostelry etc. I would suggest that anyone local to the area could, and should, visit and place their reviews on there!! 8)
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ben ashton
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Re: Where NOT to stay

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Cherish pity; lest you drive an angel from your door

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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by ben ashton »

Alan P5age wrote:I thought it might be the case that there had been trouble in the past. We're not THAT nasty around here you know. I can see the hotel's point of view in this.
You could ban black people from Brixton in case they have a riot. Same logic. Its prejudiced discrimination based on occupation. This may have been a misunderstanding between management and staff in this case, (though more like back-pedalling) but thats not the point.
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by loringa »

I thought that the hotel's so-called apology was pathetic. It 'regretted' any upset..... Regretting and apologising are not at all the same thing as the late Emperor Hirohito would have been the first to acknowledge. Japan apparently regrets certain aspects of its performance during WWII but has refused outright to apologise - bit like The Metro Hotel. As for 'any' upset (a personal dislike of mine anyway) as if there is any doubt as to whether upset was caused. It should have apologised wholeheartedly for its blatant discrimination against Cpl Stringer.

As for its justification that it has had trouble with the Military before; I am assuming that if this policy is applied to the Armed Forces then the hotel will have applied to every other group out of which trouble has arisen in the past, I don't believe for one moment that only soldiers will have caused trouble previously, particularly as one who has been unfortunate enough to witness the behaviour of large swathes of the population in almost any town or city centre in the country on any Friday or Saturday night.

My American colleagues (civilian and military) are as disgusted as I am with this incident and I am in the process of informing as many as possible of the other 37 Nations I am currently working with out here. I don't imagine Woking exactly attracts tourists in the first place but hopefully a few more will now give The Metro Hotel a miss.
Last edited by loringa on Fri Sep 05, 2008 2:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Mid A 15
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by Mid A 15 »

One cannot help but wonder as to the reaction had the hotel turned away a Muslim in case he blew the place up or a black man in case he mugged the other guests!

My repugnant stereotypical examples above are no different to branding squaddies troublemakers.

This situation has arisen partly because of political correctness. Businesses used to have the right to turn customers away if they wished. Laws restricting discrimination on racial, religious (other than Christians), or sexual orientation grounds have restricted that right. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is a debate for another thread.

However one consequence is that those not directly protected from discrimination are understandably going to feel resentment when discriminated against.

One could argue that to prevent this kind of "regrettable" incident happening again one should completely remove the right of traders to discriminate against anybody or completely restore their right to pick and choose their customers.

I'll come off the fence and say that if we believe we still live in a free society I prefer the second option.
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J.R.
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Re: Where NOT to stay

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Mid A 15 wrote:One cannot help but wonder as to the reaction had the hotel turned away a Muslim in case he blew the place up or a black man in case he mugged the other guests!
... Or how about a serving Muslim soldier ??????????????

We do have 'em, you know !
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by ben ashton »

From another forum:
We've just received a load of emails on this subject which I thought I'd post here. I know that it was all a mistake and that the hotel and the individual are sorting it all out but I thought you may all be interested in the strength of feeling from our allies.

Quote:
Message: I am an American friend who is shocked by the story I just read about a wounded British soldier being denied lodging at the Metro Hotel. May he and his family derive some small comfort that this incident has not passed unnoticed and is condemned by all reasonable people. Our soldiers are our heroes. They guarantee our freedom.

Shame on them,

Quote:
Message: Hello from the US, I saw your story of the soldier that was refused lodging. Because of the name I thought I could do some damage here for you, legally only mmind you. I found that American Amusements is One of UKs fastest Leisure centers. You can check this link they apparently do online gaming also. http://www.thebigapple.co.uk/about.php The first line will tell you follow to locations. I have not found in my brief search a US connection but let me know, they deserve pressure over here if they are here to. Jim
your military are our friends

Quote:
Message: RE: Wounded Soldier Forced to Sleep in Car After Hotel Denies Him a Room

A reaction from a US Veteran standing united with all members and veterans of the British Armed Forces: (E-mailed to: The Big Apple Woking, Crown Square, Woking, Surrey)

Your policy of discrimination, particularly of service members, is despicable. As the retired international general sales manager of International Video Network (an internationally known travel video company, with multiple BBC awards and which has owned DeLorme Travel Guide) and a US veteran, I condemn your policy of discrimination against servicemen of any country. Starting today, I will advise all of my contacts in international travel circles, to adopt a mirror policy toward all of your company locations. You can also forget about any of the 2,837,000 Americans traveling to the United Kingdom, ever booking your facilities again! You deserve bankruptcy.
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by englishangel »

The problem with DHSS is that if the benefit is withdrawn or has been awarded in error (though of course the DHSS NEVER makes a mistake) it is reclaimed from the landlord, not the claimant.
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by englishangel »

It is, but it makes landlords very wary of accepting benefit claimants.
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by englishangel »

Not saying it is justifiable, and one of our biggest (most properties) landlords does take benefit claimants, but it is very difficult for them. We also have a few landlords (mainly youngish women) who positively say they WILL accept benefit claimants.
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by ben ashton »

I was getting housing benefits last year but got a cheque every 4 weeks payable to me, they had landlords name and address but I could have had it paid direct to him.
As this was paid in advance when I got a job I asked them to send a new cheque for three weeks (would have been overpaid by a week and thought this would be easier than them claiming it back afterwards) they said to pay it in anyway, and I never heard from them again =scored £50 :P
Seeing as it took them about 2 months of pissing around in the first place to get my first payment this seems fair to me!
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midget
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by midget »

Just a small point----I thought Housing Benefit was paid by the local authority, not DSS, or whatever it calls itself these days.
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J.R.
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by J.R. »

midget wrote:Just a small point----I thought Housing Benefit was paid by the local authority, not DSS, or whatever it calls itself these days.
An interesting point.

It IS paid by the local authority, but has to be counter-authorised by DSS.

WHERE the actual amount comes fom is rather a 'grey' area.
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englishangel
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Re: Where NOT to stay and where NOT to drink

Post by englishangel »

Received this via Facebook today:

Guess I won't be drinking Starbucks anymore!! !

Recently Marines in Iraq wrote to Starbucks because they wanted to let them know how much they liked their coffees and to request that they send some of it to the troops there.

Starbucks replied, telling the Marines thank you for their support of their business, but that Starbucks does not support the war, nor anyone in it, and that they would not send the troops their brand of coffee.

So as not to offend Starbucks, maybe we should not support them by buying any of their products!

I feel we should get this out in the open.

I know this war might not be very popular with some folks, but that doesn't mean we don't support the boys on the ground fighting street-to-street and house-to-house.

If you feel the same as I do then pass this along, or you can discard it and no one will never know.

Thanks very much for your support. I know you'll all be there again when I deploy once more.

Sgt. Howard C. Wright
1st Force Recon Co
1st Plt PLT


PLEASE DON'T DELETE THIS. .. ALLOW IT TO BE PASSED TO ALL IN MEMORY OF ALL THE TROOPS WHO HAVE DIED SO THAT WE MAY HAVE THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE TO SUPPORT THEM OR NOT!! !

Also, don't forget that when the Twin Trade Towers were hit the fire fighters and rescue workers went to Starbucks because it was close by for water for the survivors and workers and Starbucks charged them! ! !

JUST A NOTE TO THIS: STARBUCKS HAD STORES ON SEVERAL MILITARY BASES IN THE UNITED STATES. THEY ARE NOW BEING REMOVED BECAUSE OF THIS. GO GET 'EM AMERICA. STAND-UP FOR OURSELVES!


There are also 227 stores across the UK and there's no doubt that our soldiers would get the same response from this company.
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J.R.
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Re: Where NOT to stay

Post by J.R. »

I've e-mailed this to all in my address book.
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