Hotel forced to apologise after it refused wounded British soldier a hotel room

[SUBMAN1]

This is terrible! WTH? Did anyone see this a couple months back? I'd boycott their whole chain over this!

My bad - this is today!!!

-S



http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/a...do?expand=true

Hotel forced to apologise after it refused wounded British soldier a hotel room 'because he was in the Army'

Last updated at 09:15am on 05.09.08


Apology: The Metro Hotel in Woking, Surrey


The hotel which refused to give a room to a soldier who had been wounded in Afghanistan was forced to make an apology last night.

Corporal Tomos Stringer, 23, had booked to stay at the Metro Hotel, in Woking, Surrey, while helping organise the funeral of a friend killed in action.

On arrival, reception desk staff asked him for identification and he handed them his military pass.

Corporal Stringer, who was not dressed in uniform at the time, was astonished when they turned him away, claiming it was not company policy to allow Armed Forces personnel to stay at the hotel.

Yesterday the Metro Hotel, owned by American Amusements Ltd, also based in Woking, at first declined to comment.

But after news of Corporal Stringer's treatment emerged, it was flooded with angry calls from the public and issued an apology, blaming a mistake made by the receptionist on duty.

A spokesman for the hotel said: 'The Metro sincerely apologises for any upset caused towards Corporal Stringer and his family.

'The hotel management has always had an open door policy to all its visitors and guests, including members of the military and Armed Forces, and will continue to do so.'



Turned away: Corporal Tomos Stringer was refused entry to a hotel in Surrey because he works for the military


Last night his mother Gaynor, 60, criticised the 'outrageous' treatment of her son. She has contacted Defence Minister Derek Twigg, who called the hotel's actions 'deplorable'.

Mrs Stringer, a volunteer in a charity shop, said: 'It's a disgraceful way to treat someone who is prepared to give his life for Queen and country.

'Soldiers in America are treated like heroes and get applauded everywhere they go, but our boys are being treated like scum.

'I find it incredible that a hotel is even allowed to effectively ban a customer because of their choice of career – especially when that career is protecting our country.'

Corporal Stringer, who serves with the 3rd Air Assault Support Regiment of the Royal Logistic Corps, based in Colchester, is now back on the frontline, fighting in Helmand province.

He joined the Army at 16 and served in Iraq before being posted to Afghanistan. He is due to return home from his second tour of the country at the end of the month.

His father Philip, a 79-year-old retired printer who served three years with the Royal Horse Artillery, called for a change in the law to prevent something similar happening in the future.

Outraged: Gaynor Stringer with a photo of her son Tomos, who is now back in Afghanistan

'My son thought the whole thing was awful,' he said. 'Had this happened to a Muslim or black person it would, quite rightly, have been discrimination. It should be the same to turn away someone because he's a soldier.

'Tomos ended up sleeping in his car with his arm in plaster, which is terrible.'

The incident occurred on June 22 while Corporal Stringer, of Pentrefelin, Criccieth, North Wales, was on four weeks' recovery leave.

He had broken his wrist jumping from his military wagon when a truck in front hit a roadside bomb. Doctors sent him home for further treatment after it failed to heal.

While in Britain, he decided to visit a friend to see if he could help with preparations for the funeral of a colleague killed in Afghanistan.

Corporal Stringer made a reservation at the Metro, a £60-a-night budget hotel, but when he went to check in at around 10pm, dressed in his civvies, he was refused entry.

He asked to see the manager, but staff claimed he was unavailable. By then it was too late to find another room in the town, so he decided to spend the night in his car outside.

A woman who answered the door at the £2million Surrey home of American Amusements' director Michael Appleton said: 'Mr Appleton will not be making a comment.'

[Digital_Trucker]

How can this be called a "mistake"? If they have no such policy, then where did the idiot behind the desk come up with it? (yeah, I know, they pulled it out of there arse)

[Jimbuna]

A common ploy.....blame it on some poor unfortunate who needs a job and won't make a fuss or protest their innocence for fear of losing their job

[STEED]

What a poor apology.

Yes just another case of poor treatment to are member of the Armed forces.

I am bloody sick to the back teeth with these arse holes saying this and that. These scumbags can not get it in to there thick skulls are Army did not invade Iraq on there own, Tony Blair ordered them in.

I support our forces and our American Allies.

[Sailor Steve]

Hotel forced to apologise after it refused wounded British soldier a hotel room

I feel sorry for the poor hotel, getting slandered like that. It didn't refuse anything to anybody, and, being a building with no mouth, has a hard time apologising.

It's like when someone near the president speaks. "The White House today said..." when actually the White House said nothing at all.

I think the hotel should sue, except of course the hotel can't talk to a lawyer or even make a complaint...

[Jimbuna]

The perverse outcome will probably be more people making bookings just to be able they have stayed there :hmm:

[Digital_Trucker]

@ Steve :rotfl:Journalism, ain't it amazing?

[Platapus]

"Corporal Stringer, who was not dressed in uniform at the time, was astonished when they turned him away, claiming it was not company policy to allow Armed Forces personnel to stay at the hotel. "

I would like to learn more about this.

1. I can't believe that a clerk would simply make up a phony policy on the spot.

2. On the other hand, I can't imagine any reason why a hotel would have such a policy. It does not serve any purpose I can identify.

It should not be difficult to find out whether this hotel had or did not have any policy about not allowing military to stay at the hotel. This should be the first question answered.

Like so many such situations, there may be more to this than is reported.

Not that I am intimating that a reporter would only report part of a story in order to garner emotional reaction. No way, that would be wrong.

[Frame57]

If the clerk did this, all I can say is that he/she would be crapping my boot laces out of his/her arse for quite some time if I lived close enough to drive there.

[UnderseaLcpl]

I'm inclined to believe that the desk clerk was responsible. No business would have a policy like that. That would be financial suicide.

Well, on the bright side, he saved 60 monopoly monies. And he can probably get a complimentary stay now. Win freakin' win!