SHAME ALERT!

[Opusnone]

Several evacuee families staying at the Days Inn Hollywood, FL (954-923-7300) are being evicted by hotel management to make rooms available for 10/27 FT. Lauderdale boat show attendees.

The rooms are currently being paid for by the Red Cross, but hotel management has notified the families that they must vacate. The Red Cross told assured other lodgings, but what a pisser!

My source is an evacuee couple from Mississippi we've been helping to buy food, make phone calls, send e-mails and coordinate back home.

[Debau2005]

1. Hilton

Don't forget that Hampton Inn owned by Hilton are also having evacuees leave so that business people will not be inconvenienced.

[Lisa0825]

6. In defense of Hilton....

They said they were helping find other accomodations for them. In addition, they were VERY good during the whole debacle. They let everyone in who made to any of their hotels in the greater New Orleans area, and had people sleeping in the lobbies, halls, etc. They shipped in 18 wheeelers full of supplies to feed people. I know this because my sister works for them.

That said, it is a business, and they have already lost a LOT of money both due to what they donated and to loss of business from cancelled conventions, etc. They will lose a lot more if they can't accomodate the conventions and other events that have been scheduled in the near future.

I don't blame them for deciding there is a time to get back into business. Perhaps FEMA and the Red Cross could be more efficient at taking care of the displaced citizens, rather than expecting them to continue to cancel other people and business's pre-arranged plans.

[Debau2005]

9. I don't have a problem with them trying to make money

and get back to business. And I know if FEMA had done it's job with adequate housing this would not be an issue. However, Hilton as lost me as a business traveler. I can find other accomodations. Perhaps they should take care of their own internal issues (Paris Hilton!)before publicizing the kicking out of evacuees. I don't see the Hilton family as being in a bind for cash.

[Lisa0825]

10. Maybe not the family, but the company is taking a big hit.

Is it better to have to shut down a hotel or lay off employees because they lose money? You don't know the whole story. They are helping their evacuees find other accomodatiojns, and they did a phenomenal job of helping them when they were in immediate need. So some blurb in a newspaper is all you need to pass judegment huh? Real open minded :eyes:

[Debau2005]

11. In some cases

they are NOT helping them find anything but the door. My family is in the Hurricane area, luckily they have a house to live in, but their neighbors were not so lucky. Did I first read about Hilton in the paper? Yes, I did. I then followed it up with a call to my mother to find out the news from the area. She confirmed that hotels were having evacuees leave for the sake of business travelers. Of course, there are no businesses left, so I am not sure what business travelers they are referring to! Perhaps you should first ask me where my information came from before you assume that I blindly follow what is in the news. Don't forget that a lot of us here, have contacts in the hurricane areas and are hearing first hand reports.

[Lisa0825]

12. Point taken.

There was a very short article posted here recently, and I shouldn't have assumed that was where you got your info.

The hotels are not only in the worst areas, so in some areas, business travelers are actually coming back. Plus, a lot of these folks are people who evacuated miles away, so businesses there were never affected.

I'm sorry that anyone feels they were unfairly turned away, and I hope the hotels will do their best to place people elsewhere. You didn't mention if the experience you heard about was actually Hilton though. You said "hotels in the area." Was it indeed Hilton?

[Debau2005]

13. It was two Hampton Inns that my mother knew of.

I apologize for my tone. It has been a long day.

[Lisa0825]

14. No offense taken:-)

All's good. It's an emotional subject. :pals:

[Debau2005]

15. Thanks...

If I did get news of indictments soon I may end up in the looney bin!

[Lisa0825]

16. I KNOW!!! I'm on pins and needles here!

I'm in Texas, so I am looking forward to celebrating big time when Delay gets his due! Add that to all the DC news, and I'm like a kid waiting for Christmas. I just hope I don't end up getting socks instead of an IPOD (if ya know what I mean!)!

[A-Possum]

17. Katrina pets

I did read that Hilton allowed evacuees to keep their pets with them. Even large dogs, which were housed in a special room. I'm sure of this in NO itself and Houston (it's mentioned here and here, but I thought I also read somewhere that it was a company-wide policy. That's something in their favor.

I'm not sure what to say about the "evictions." At this point, I've heard most evacuees really want to get out of hotels, and there's getting to be serious financial issues even with apartments people have been using because FEMA isn't coming through. Tough situation.

[Debau2005]

2. Days Inn email

http://www.daysinn.com/DaysInn/control/email

[LSK]

3. meanwhile 9000 trailers sit unused n/t

[Opusnone]

4. The trailers aren't the problem

It's the insurance companies trying to get out of paying for flood damaged homes in non flood zones (which flooded from wind-driven water.

[LSK]

8. what do insurance company payments have to do with current living quarters

If FEMA could setup trailer camps faster, evacuees wouldnt have to live in Hotels hundreds or thousands of miles away.

[mongo]

5. So, if I make a gauranteed reservation on my credit card

shouldn't the hotel honor it?

I do feel sorry for the evacuee's but the red cross does have other arrangements made.

How would you feel if you drove 6 hours for vacation and then were told that you could not have a hotel room you gauranteed on a credit card?

[Opusnone]

7. I can't tell

Is this sarcasm or are you going to the boat show?

[mongo]

19. Not sarcasm and I'm not going to the boat show

OK. If the hotel just wanted to clear these people out because they could get more for a room (that they hadn't already rented) - that's despicable.

But there are plenty of annual events all over this country where people make their reservation 1 year in advance.

The hotel has a contract and a repsonsibility to these people too, that was made before these evacuees showed up.

[Opusnone]

18. URGENT UPDATE!!!

Today I sent this story to every local TV station and the two major newspapers.
I have already talked to a Sun Sentinel reporter who knew nothing about the evacuees being housed there, and one of the NBC station's anchors called me personally to ask if I would do an on camera interview tomorrow to help provide these people a local voice.

Maybe I'll try to plug DU somehow.

It seems the local media in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami knows little about the evacuees trapped in our midst.

I hope this helps them.

If you folks feel powerless, and think you can't make a difference, think again.

[Lisa0825]

20. Good for you!!!

:yourock: