Wounded Soldier Forced to Sleep in Car After Hotel Denies Him a Room

[Revmitchell]

A wounded British soldier home from Afghanistan on sick leave was forced to spend the night in his car after a hotel refused him a room.

Corporal Tomos Stringer was told by staff at Metro Hotel, in Woking, that it was company policy not to accept members of the armed forces as guests. The 24-year-old had traveled to the Surrey town to help with funeral preparations for a friend killed in action.

More Here

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

Is this even legal? I don't think it would be legal to discriminate based on your profession.

Perhaps one of our British friends can help us understand this.

I do know that when I was in the army in every base town there were certain places of business that were "off limits" to military personnel. This often included hotels where hourly rates were preferred if you know what I am getting at. Those places supposedly would not serve military if they knew out of courtesy to the base commander who had asked them not to. Could this be something like that? I don't know, just trying to make sense of this.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

There is a good deal of interest in finding out the particulars about American Amusements the hotel's parent company. Folks may not get to Woking but if AA has other interests look for a boycott.

 

[carpro]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/04/AR2008090403440.html?hpid=sec-world

Hotel Near London Apologizes for Turning Away British Soldier


By Kevin Sullivan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, September 5, 2008; Page A16

LONDON, Sept. 4 -- A British hotel apologized Thursday to a soldier refused lodging by a desk clerk who told him the hotel had a "no military personnel" policy.

 

[Squire Robertsson]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/04/AR2008090403440.html?hpid=sec-world

Hotel Near London Apologizes for Turning Away British Soldier


By Kevin Sullivan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, September 5, 2008; Page A16

LONDON, Sept. 4 -- A British hotel apologized Thursday to a soldier refused lodging by a desk clerk who told him the hotel had a "no military personnel" policy.

This is what the OP is about. RevM just referenced the Fox feed. I saw it first referencing a London paper.

The question remains who is the hotel's parent company?

 

[North Carolina Tentmaker]

LONDON, Sept. 4 -- A British hotel apologized Thursday to a soldier refused lodging by a desk clerk who told him the hotel had a "no military personnel" policy.

That apology would be a lot more affective if it included statements that the clerk was incorrect, it was not the hotel's policy and he had been fired.

I can't get the link to work anymore.