Football fans contribute to hotel crunch

By Jeff Burlew

DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/12550280.htm

Hurricane Katrina evacuees John and Dorothy Mysing of Diamondhead, Miss., are leaving their Tallahassee hotel room Sunday morning to make room for football fans.

The Mysings, who have been staying at the the Sleep Inn on Capital Circle Northwest, said they were told by hotel staff that they would have to leave the room because it had already been booked by fans attending Monday's Florida State/Miami game. They have been staying at the hotel with Dorothy Mysing's 87-year-old mother and three dogs.

"I was pretty shaken up," she said, "until we did get confirmed reservations someplace else."

The family plans to drive to a hotel in Montgomery, Ala.

"So many people have said it just shows you where people's priorities lie," she said.

The Tallahassee Democrat learned about the family after being contacted by the office of Mississippi Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck. The Mysings had contacted Tuck's office trying to get information about shelters.

The FSU football game prompted fears that evacuees would be forced to leave their hotel rooms to make room for fans. But FSU officials were appealing to fans coming to Tallahassee to stay with friends rather than in hotels.

Leon County Commissioner Cliff Thaell released a statement Friday saying that hotel space was available and that stories about people not having a place to stay were "Internet rumors."

Wendy Hill, a Sleep Inn employee, said the hotel was "trying to accommodate everyone's needs, the evacuees and the game people. We are trying to do everything that's within our power."

Anthony McGuffey and nine family members spent two nights at the Collegiate Village Inn on West Tennessee Street before they were told the nightly rate was more than doubling because of the game.

The family, who squeezed into one sedan to evacuate Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Katrina, was quickly running out of money anyway - they left the Crescent City with only $105 among them. But McGuffey said he was angry that the $45 rate at the hotel was increasing to $105 because of the game.

"A football game ain't no excuse," said McGuffey, who also was grappling with the possibility that other family members didn't survive the hurricane.

Since Wednesday, they've been staying at the American Red Cross shelter at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thomasville Road. McGuffey's car ran out of gas in the parking lot, which he said left him unable to find temporary work or visit a park with his four children, who range in age from 3 to 9.

"Now we're down to 22 cents," he said. "We found two pennies on the ground."

Finding rooms

Barry Adams, president of the FSU Alumni Association, said the organization was asking members in the Tallahassee area to call friends and alums from out of town to get the word out. And President T.K. Wetherell said some fans were opting not to come to the game, in part because of $3-plus gas prices.

About 120 people were staying at the Mormon Church shelter, which has a capacity of 225. The Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross had six other shelters on standby Friday.

The Leon County Tourist Development Council established a hotel hot line with a recording listing hotels and motels with available rooms. The recording listed about a dozen Tallahassee hotels with vacancies and several others in nearby communities. The city and local universities were participating in the service.

Also, houses of worship of various faiths were teaming up to offer a "Family to Family" service designed to match evacuees with Tallahasseeans who had a guest room or apartment to spare. The Rev. Brant Copeland of First Presbyterian Church said some 200 people had called to offer rooms. Only about a half-dozen families were matched through the service; Copeland said he thought more would be as word got out about it.


We have our share of refugees here, and many being turned out for the Miami/Florida State game this weekend.  

I have a reservation.

They need to call the local TV stations and complain.

The hotels/motels have to honor their reservations. If they don't they get sued for breach of contract.

In most states, by law, if you cannot accomodate someone with a reservation, you must provide them comparable lodging free of charge, pay their cab-fare to the other property,(if you can find one), and provide them with free long distance phone calls so they can notify everyone of their change in property. Then your likely to be sued for the inconvienience.

I don't have a problem with it.

It's a bummer the refugees had to move but that's the way it works.

Oh....I don't know ANYTHING about Hotel Management.

Quoted: The hotels/motels have to honor their reservations. If they don't they get sued for breach of contract. In most states, by law, if you cannot accomodate someone with a reservation, you must provide them comparable lodging free of charge, pay their cab-fare to the other property,(if you can find one), and provide them with free long distance phone calls so they can notify everyone of their change in property. Then your likely to be sued for the inconvienience. I don't have a problem with it. It's a bummer the refugees had to move but that's the way it works. Oh....I don't know ANYTHING about Hotel Management.

Thank you. I have been arguing with people all weekend long who have wanted the hotel managers strung up or shot, and I have tried to remind them that this is the case.

I personally would not have taken a room that I knew would displace a homeless family...I would have simply camped out and made an adventure out of it......that said, I dont think there is a lot the management companies could do....if a person has a reservation, and they are intent on utilizing the reserved room...the management has a responsibility to honor that contract. Sucks for the victims of the storm, but life isnt always fair.

Still, I thinks its a bit cold for a consumer to put their comfort enroute to a damn sporting event ahead of a displaced family....but its a free country (for the moment at least)

I hear ya. Some people just don't think. They fixate on something negative and proceed to assign blame without having any knowledge about the subject.

It's like the people around here are sure Bush and Cheney and the Oil Coompanies are price gouging for gas and getting rich. They have NO conception that the electric pump motors on the Colonial pipeline have no electricity to pump gas up here. Not to mention the 10 refineries in the affected region that aren't producing due to storm damage.

Fuckin idiots!

I would absolutely call ahead to check my reservation. Knowing thousands of people migrated to the panhandle. If i knew my room was occupied by hurricane victims i sure as shit wouldnt displace them again over a football game. My buddies and i would rent a winnebago and hit a KOA
campground, and have a big ole tailgate party, hurricane vics welcome

Quoted: I would absolutely call ahead to check my reservation. Knowing thousands of people migrated to the panhandle. If i knew my room was occupied by hurricane victims i sure as shit wouldnt displace them again over a football game. My buddies and i would rent a winnebago and hit a KOA campground, and have a big ole tailgate party, hurricane vics welcome

Right on!
Wish more folks felt like us

Quoted: Football fans contribute to hotel crunch By Jeff Burlew DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/12550280.htm Hurricane Katrina evacuees John and Dorothy Mysing of Diamondhead, Miss., are leaving their Tallahassee hotel room Sunday morning to make room for football fans. The Mysings, who have been staying at the the Sleep Inn on Capital Circle Northwest, said they were told by hotel staff that they would have to leave the room because it had already been booked by fans attending Monday's Florida State/Miami game. They have been staying at the hotel with Dorothy Mysing's 87-year-old mother and three dogs. "I was pretty shaken up," she said, "until we did get confirmed reservations someplace else." The family plans to drive to a hotel in Montgomery, Ala. "So many people have said it just shows you where people's priorities lie," she said. The Tallahassee Democrat learned about the family after being contacted by the office of Mississippi Lt. Gov. Amy Tuck. The Mysings had contacted Tuck's office trying to get information about shelters. The FSU football game prompted fears that evacuees would be forced to leave their hotel rooms to make room for fans. But FSU officials were appealing to fans coming to Tallahassee to stay with friends rather than in hotels. Leon County Commissioner Cliff Thaell released a statement Friday saying that hotel space was available and that stories about people not having a place to stay were "Internet rumors." Wendy Hill, a Sleep Inn employee, said the hotel was "trying to accommodate everyone's needs, the evacuees and the game people. We are trying to do everything that's within our power." Anthony McGuffey and nine family members spent two nights at the Collegiate Village Inn on West Tennessee Street before they were told the nightly rate was more than doubling because of the game. The family, who squeezed into one sedan to evacuate Louisiana ahead of Hurricane Katrina, was quickly running out of money anyway - they left the Crescent City with only $105 among them. But McGuffey said he was angry that the $45 rate at the hotel was increasing to $105 because of the game. "A football game ain't no excuse," said McGuffey, who also was grappling with the possibility that other family members didn't survive the hurricane. Since Wednesday, they've been staying at the American Red Cross shelter at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Thomasville Road. McGuffey's car ran out of gas in the parking lot, which he said left him unable to find temporary work or visit a park with his four children, who range in age from 3 to 9. "Now we're down to 22 cents," he said. "We found two pennies on the ground." Finding rooms Barry Adams, president of the FSU Alumni Association, said the organization was asking members in the Tallahassee area to call friends and alums from out of town to get the word out. And President T.K. Wetherell said some fans were opting not to come to the game, in part because of $3-plus gas prices. About 120 people were staying at the Mormon Church shelter, which has a capacity of 225. The Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross had six other shelters on standby Friday. The Leon County Tourist Development Council established a hotel hot line with a recording listing hotels and motels with available rooms. The recording listed about a dozen Tallahassee hotels with vacancies and several others in nearby communities. The city and local universities were participating in the service. Also, houses of worship of various faiths were teaming up to offer a "Family to Family" service designed to match evacuees with Tallahasseeans who had a guest room or apartment to spare. The Rev. Brant Copeland of First Presbyterian Church said some 200 people had called to offer rooms. Only about a half-dozen families were matched through the service; Copeland said he thought more would be as word got out about it. We have our share of refugees here, and many being turned out for the Miami/Florida State game this weekend.

Well we ain't go nothin no mo so let's all jus go to tha park!!!!!!!!!!!  WTF does not having gas money have to do with going to a free park?

Maybe the University can open some of their gynamsiums etc to house their fans.

maybe the park is not within walking distance

If he has no gas, home, job, or money the last thing on my mind would be setting a darned foot in a park.

listen ive never been in that situation, but being stuck in a hotel room with all those people would make me stir crazy. Good release for the kids i would imagine

It just struck me as the one thing that stood out in the article.  Well we don't have anything so too bad we just can't go lay around in a park somewhere.  

Some people really do have a sense of entitlement. I wonder how many of these now homeless people staying in this hotel or others were offering beds and food to homeless bums a couple weeks ago? Or when life was all peaches and cream did they not dare to cast a sideways glance at the bum on the street corner and simply stepped over him.

Now they are whining about the selfishness of football fans. Life goes on. It isn't all about them.

Hotels should honour reservations regardless of whether the law requires them to or not. Holiday makers and sports fans may want to look elsewhere for where they stay, but at the same time maybe these families should be looking elsewhere.

Expect no one to give a shit about your existence and plan for life accordingly and you'll lead a much more productive and happy life.

In cases like these, folks just there for entertainment should be turned down. As long as the refugees pay, they should be able to stay. This is an emergency situation. To hell with a stupid football game. Folks need a place to stay.

In cases like these, folks just there for entertainment should be turned down. As long as the refugees pay, they should be able to stay. This is an emergency situation. To hell with a stupid football game. Folks need a place to stay.

+1  Shit man, it's an emergency situation.