50 signatures reached
To: Peter Plamondon, Jr., Co-President Plamondon Hospitality Partners - Frederick, Maryland, Marriott, and Christopher J. Nassetta, CEO Hilton
Marriott & Hilton Hotel Rooms for Homeless
We're giving our cancelled hotel rooms to veterans, homeless citizens, and area shelters for mothers with small children to use for a warm room, clean bath and a soft pillow for the night.
Why is this important?
After all, we've already paid for the room thanks to your new 'one day's notice' cancellation policy and 'one night's room rate' penalty fee. We'd like something positive for our fellow man to come from our personal expense.
It's a reasonable request. Thousands of business and government travelers are regularly subjected to last minute changes in travel plans beyond their control. Still, we enjoy patronizing your hotel chains and sincerely appreciate their comfort and services. So let's face facts.
You know all too well that the majority of us (travelers) are required to guarantee or prepay our own reservations, in advance, for reimbursement according to company policies or GSA federal travel regulations. If we can't cancel our reservations in time to meet your new policy, the pricey one night's fee comes directly from our pockets, never qualifying for reimbursement. Federal policy prohibits payment for services not rendered. Effective Jan 1, 2015 (your policy change date), you've disqualified yourselves from federal traveler reservations via Fedrooms.com.
So let's you and I (Jane or John Doe traveler) make the best of your policy with a compromise for the common good. Instead of lining your pockets with income derived from selling a single room twice or left paid for and empty, let's set up a network for contacting over-crowded shelters and homeless veterans and mothers with small children to provide them with a night of respite from their struggles. It's a wonderful idea and doable.
Locally, we have this need, a very desperate need for shelter from the cold, right here in Frederick County, Maryland. And you have hotels here, 4 or more and another on the way. All we need to do is spread the word to area travelers and notify our shelter and mission. Perhaps you may help us with referrals and a streamlined process for notifying you of our substitute guest's names for check in?
Friends signing this petition support this concept. We hope you will too!
_________________________________________
The Inspiration:
New York Times Article Nov. 17, 2014
Excerpt: Two worldwide hotel companies, Marriott and Hilton, recently announced that they would increase their fee revenue by tightening rules on last-minute reservation cancellations. Business travelers have long been accustomed to being able to cancel a reservation at many hotels, without charge, as late as 6 p.m. on the day of arrival.
Effective Jan. 1, those days are gone at the two chains. The companies say that if you don’t cancel your reservation by the day before your scheduled arrival, you’ll be charged a penalty of one night’s room rate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/business/marriott-and-hilton-announce-penalty-for-last-minute-cancellations.html?_r=0
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Think Progress
Excerpt: After WDEL published the story, Brad Wenger, general manager of the nearby Christiana Hilton, chimed in on the comments section that his hotel would offer “10 rooms to homeless individuals tonight at no charge.” He told ThinkProgress that he’s “been working with local shelters to identify individuals in need.” Indeed, with frigid temperatures in the northeast causing many local shelters to be over capacity, he didn’t expect to have trouble finding people who could benefit from the offer.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/01/08/3609625/luxury-hotel-homeless-christmas-cancel/
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Frederick News-post
Alderwoman Kelly Russell reserved five rooms at the Travelodge on Monocacy Boulevard for the homeless on Friday, hoping to give some of those without shelter refuge from the cold.
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/politics_and_government/alderman-books-travelodge-rooms-for-homeless/article_a6f6f871-1b46-591b-b502-56ad0f2223ad.html
It's a reasonable request. Thousands of business and government travelers are regularly subjected to last minute changes in travel plans beyond their control. Still, we enjoy patronizing your hotel chains and sincerely appreciate their comfort and services. So let's face facts.
You know all too well that the majority of us (travelers) are required to guarantee or prepay our own reservations, in advance, for reimbursement according to company policies or GSA federal travel regulations. If we can't cancel our reservations in time to meet your new policy, the pricey one night's fee comes directly from our pockets, never qualifying for reimbursement. Federal policy prohibits payment for services not rendered. Effective Jan 1, 2015 (your policy change date), you've disqualified yourselves from federal traveler reservations via Fedrooms.com.
So let's you and I (Jane or John Doe traveler) make the best of your policy with a compromise for the common good. Instead of lining your pockets with income derived from selling a single room twice or left paid for and empty, let's set up a network for contacting over-crowded shelters and homeless veterans and mothers with small children to provide them with a night of respite from their struggles. It's a wonderful idea and doable.
Locally, we have this need, a very desperate need for shelter from the cold, right here in Frederick County, Maryland. And you have hotels here, 4 or more and another on the way. All we need to do is spread the word to area travelers and notify our shelter and mission. Perhaps you may help us with referrals and a streamlined process for notifying you of our substitute guest's names for check in?
Friends signing this petition support this concept. We hope you will too!
_________________________________________
The Inspiration:
New York Times Article Nov. 17, 2014
Excerpt: Two worldwide hotel companies, Marriott and Hilton, recently announced that they would increase their fee revenue by tightening rules on last-minute reservation cancellations. Business travelers have long been accustomed to being able to cancel a reservation at many hotels, without charge, as late as 6 p.m. on the day of arrival.
Effective Jan. 1, those days are gone at the two chains. The companies say that if you don’t cancel your reservation by the day before your scheduled arrival, you’ll be charged a penalty of one night’s room rate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/18/business/marriott-and-hilton-announce-penalty-for-last-minute-cancellations.html?_r=0
___________________________________________
Think Progress
Excerpt: After WDEL published the story, Brad Wenger, general manager of the nearby Christiana Hilton, chimed in on the comments section that his hotel would offer “10 rooms to homeless individuals tonight at no charge.” He told ThinkProgress that he’s “been working with local shelters to identify individuals in need.” Indeed, with frigid temperatures in the northeast causing many local shelters to be over capacity, he didn’t expect to have trouble finding people who could benefit from the offer.
http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2015/01/08/3609625/luxury-hotel-homeless-christmas-cancel/
__________________________________
Frederick News-post
Alderwoman Kelly Russell reserved five rooms at the Travelodge on Monocacy Boulevard for the homeless on Friday, hoping to give some of those without shelter refuge from the cold.
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/politics_and_government/alderman-books-travelodge-rooms-for-homeless/article_a6f6f871-1b46-591b-b502-56ad0f2223ad.html