Georgia, USA
Only 3 out of 5 stars: Hotel has guests kicked out because of poor ratings by the police
The small town of Helen in the US state of Georgia is completely modeled on Bavarian Alpine villages and is therefore popular with tourists
© John Greim // Picture Alliance
Actually, Susan L. only wanted to stay in a hotel with her granddaughter for a few days. But then suddenly the police stood at the door. The manager didn’t like her rating.
A tranquil Alpine village in the old Bavarian architectural style in the middle of Georgia – that is the small US community of Helen. Susan L. only wanted to spend a few days there and had booked a hotel through a booking page. But they had to leave their room on the first night – accompanied by the police.
A mail from the hotel portal was to blame, the 63-year-old told the US TV broadcaster “WKYC”. After checking in, she asked if she was satisfied with the room and asked for a rating. When she only gave 3 out of 5 stars, a question followed, which was not true. L. replied with an honest assessment: “A bit shabby, pool not open, toilet does not flush properly.” That should still cause trouble.
Expulsion with the police
At about 8.40 p.m. the phone rang, she recalls from the TV station. “This guy got really upset and told me he was going to kick me out, the police were on their way. We had to get out,” she recalls. In fact, shortly afterwards, police officers stood in front of the door and asked the two vacationers, who were already dressed in pajamas, to leave the premises.
“Can they really get me out of the hotel in the middle of the night because I gave it 3 out of 5 stars?” She claims to have asked the policeman. “And he replied, ‘Yes ma’am, this is the legal framework.’ I found it scary and creepy, “said the expelled woman. At least the police helped to find an alternative hotel in the small town.
Quirky legal situation
According to the TV broadcaster, the publicly viewable police report only contains one reason for the expulsion: “L. gave the hotel a bad rating,” a police officer entered as the reason for the operation. In fact, the relevant law seems to allow guests to be shown outside the door before the end of their booked stay. Actually, this is intended for rule violations and unpaid bills, according to the TV station. But an additional clause with the very unspecific formulation “and other actions of the guests” would allow such extreme interpretations.
Faced with the expulsion, however, the hotel manager denied the rating as a reason. However, he admits that it was about the complaints. “You called me ten or eleven times in an hour. Sink defective, everything was wrong,” he complains. He had therefore offered to repay the money before she would write a review. However, it does not fit the story that the website had still not paid the money back two months after the vacation in September. It was only after the television station interfered that it landed on the account.
Source:WKYC