This article pisses me off

If you think that story pisses you off, this one will sooo get you boiling ;)

'The hasty appeal yielded one of the most controversial contracts of the Hurricane Katrina relief operation, a $236 million agreement with Carnival Cruise Lines for three ships that now bob more than half empty in the Mississippi River and Mobile Bay'

'If the ships were at capacity, with 7,116 evacuees, for six months, the price per evacuee would total $1,275 a week, according to calculations by aides to Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.). A seven-day western Caribbean cruise out of Galveston can be had for $599 a person -- and that would include entertainment and the cost of actually making the ship move.'

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/27/AR2005092701960.html
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']Its their job to maximize profits and make shareholders happy. Thats just how business works.[/QUOTE]

The company itself is encouraging its chains to give priority to hurrican victims, individual hotels are the ones kicking out people.
 
[quote name='rodeojones903']Its their job to maximize profits and make shareholders happy. Thats just how business works.[/QUOTE]

And that's why it's legal to increase room prices during natural disasters.... oh wait it isn't.
 
[quote name='alonzomourning23']The company itself is encouraging its chains to give priority to hurrican victims, individual hotels are the ones kicking out people.[/QUOTE]

It all depends on who is paying for the added cost of housing refugees - is it the franchising hotel company or the individual hotel owners?

After all, it's easy to create unfunded mandates (see: No child left behind)
 
[quote name='camoor']It all depends on who is paying for the added cost of housing refugees - is it the franchising hotel company or the individual hotel owners?

After all, it's easy to create unfunded mandates (see: No child left behind)[/QUOTE]

Well, the hotels are individually run, so they wouldn't really be paying for the hurricane victims. At least I know days inn is individually run, since a friends family owns one.
 
[quote name='alonzomourning23']Well, the hotels are individually run, so they wouldn't really be paying for the hurricane victims. At least I know days inn is individually run, since a friends family owns one.[/QUOTE]

Yes well this is a tough situation. I'm sure that the hotel model is not built around housing refugees who overcrowd rooms, use more electricity and water, and offer no chance of repeat business. It's very easy for me to say that the refugees should be allowed to stay at the hotel indefinately, but I don't have to pay for the water, electricity, maid service, and other costs of running a hotel.

I would definately agree that refugee families who follow the normal hotel rules (IE they don't overcrowd the rooms, make reservations through the proper channels, etc) should not be kicked out. However I am uneasy about legislation that would force corporations to be charitable - I really believe that non-profits, charities such as the Red Cross, and government agencies are responsible for finding these people housing, not the local Days Inn.

Of course, I am glad that some hotels are bending the rules for these victims of misfortune and if I ever did witness a hotel cold-heartedly kicking out a pleading refugee family without attempting to make alternate arrangements then I would take my business elsewhere.
 
[quote name='camoor']Yes well this is a tough situation. I'm sure that the hotel model is not built around housing refugees who overcrowd rooms, use more electricity and water, and offer no chance of repeat business. It's very easy for me to say that the refugees should be allowed to stay at the hotel indefinately, but I don't have to pay for the water, electricity, maid service, and other costs of running a hotel.

I would definately agree that refugee families who follow the normal hotel rules (IE they don't overcrowd the rooms, make reservations through the proper channels, etc) should not be kicked out. However I am uneasy about legislation that would force corporations to be charitable - I really believe that non-profits, charities such as the Red Cross, and government agencies are responsible for finding these people housing, not the local Days Inn.

Of course, I am glad that some hotels are bending the rules for these victims of misfortune and if I ever did witness a hotel cold-heartedly kicking out a pleading refugee family without attempting to make alternate arrangements then I would take my business elsewhere.[/QUOTE]

The legislation states that those who can pay cannot be kicked out. No one is suggesting they have to stay without paying. It is a loss for the hotels since they can't let in guests who pay more (by utilizing services), but the people there are paying.
 
[quote name='alonzomourning23']The legislation states that those who can pay cannot be kicked out. No one is suggesting they have to stay without paying. It is a loss for the hotels since they can't let in guests who pay more (by utilizing services), but the people there are paying.[/QUOTE]

Yes, but are the families following the rules as well (by not overcrowding rooms and making reservations). I'd have to know more before I changed my position on this, my only point is that worsening a tragedy by bankrupting a hotel through forced charity work would not solve anything.

On the other hand, the carnival cruise story angers me, because those are my darn tax dollars and I'm paying the carnival company too much for a significant but lucrative change to their business process!
 
[quote name='camoor']Yes, but are the families following the rules as well (by not overcrowding rooms and making reservations). I'd have to know more before I changed my position on this, my only point is that worsening a tragedy by bankrupting a hotel through forced charity work would not solve anything.

On the other hand, the carnival cruise story angers me, because those are my darn tax dollars and I'm paying the carnival company too much for a significant but lucrative change to their business process![/QUOTE]

But they are paying. If a hotel is going to go bankrupt by not having high paying customers using all the extras they offer for a few months, then they were likely heading that way anyway.

I remember the carnival cruise part, most people refused to go on it.
 
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