www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,416741,00.html



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.

It was so late that Cpl Stringer, who had broken his wrist jumping off an Army truck as it was attacked, had no choice but to sleep in his tiny, two-door car, arm covered in plaster.

Cpl Stringer, of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, The Royal Logistic Corps, has now returned to Afghanistan, but his mother, Gaynor Stringer, from Criccieth, north Wales, told The Times that she is still furious about the incident.

“I’m very, very angry. It’s discrimination. They would never get away with it if it was against someone of ethnic origin,” she said.

She said they had received neither an apology nor an explanation from the hotel, which is part of a family entertainment center called The Big Apple and owned by a company called American Amusements.

"In America, they treat soldiers as heroes,” said Stringer, whose son joined the Army when he was 16 and has done multiple tours of duty in Iraq, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan.

The incident has prompted widespread condemnation from senior members of the Government, MPs, servicemen and their supporters.

Legions of army men and enthusiasts are rising up in the forums of the unofficial British Army Web site to call for a boycott of the hotel.

Quoted: She said they had received neither an apology nor an explanation from the hotel, which is part of a family entertainment center called The Big Apple and owned by a company called American Amusements.

American Amusements?

Sounds like part of this problem is on our side of the pond.

Those wacky Englishmen.

I can see why they would deny rooms to soldiers.  Soldiers are just trained killers.  Other guests wouldn't want their children in danger.  It's not like soldiers actually exist to protect people from harm.

Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.

/nods in agreement

www.arrse.co.uk/

IBV113 (In Before Vito113).

That's pretty f-ing lame, to let a wounded soldier sleep in his car and deny him a room. Shows the caliber of some people in this world.

WWV113D?

Fire mission

www.thebigapple.co.uk/contact.php

Looks like things haven't changed much.

Tommy

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
    O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
    But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,
    The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
    O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
    For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
    But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,
    The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
    O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
    Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
    But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,
    The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
    O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
    While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",
    But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,
    There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
    O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
    For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
    But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
    An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
    An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!

          -- Rudyard Kipling

I will moderate what I really wnat to say and leave it at FUCK THEM!

Give them a 30min notice, then drop a JDAM on the Hotel.

Quoted: Quoted: She said they had received neither an apology nor an explanation from the hotel, which is part of a family entertainment center called The Big Apple and owned by a company called American Amusements. American Amusements? Sounds like part of this problem is on our side of the pond.

Yup the 3rd amendment

Quoted: Fire mission www.thebigapple.co.uk/contact.php

www.bview.co.uk/listing/1702298/American-Amusements-Ltd-in-RG40


American Amusements Ltd, 1 Crown Square, Woking, Surrey, GU21 6HR.
Amusement arcades, bowling, pool and more all under one roof.
Contact Information:
Telephone 01483 727100

http://www.donowdo.com/Amusement-Parks-And-Arcades/American-Amusements-Ltd-Woking-GU21-6HR.htm



Establishment Address Town County Country
American Amusements Ltd Horsham Leisure Park Albion Way Horsham Sussex England
American Amusements Ltd Junction 1 Retail Park Leicester Road Rugby Warwickshire England
American Amusements Ltd Angel Drove Ely Cambridgeshire England
American Amusements Ltd Commerical Road Guildford Surrey England
American Amusements Ltd Mrine Parade New Brighton Wallasey Merseyside England
American Amusements Ltd Station Road East Dereham Norfolk England
American Amusements Ltd Wellington Road Wokingham Berkshire England
American Amusements Ltd The Pavilion The Esplanade Ryde Isle of Wight England
American Amusements Ltd 1-5 Lynn Road Kings Lynn Norfolk England
American Amusements Ltd Crown Square Woking Surrey England
American Amusements Ltd Unit 1 Byford Road Sudbury Suffolk England


Michael Appleton discusses his ambitions for the Big Apple entertainment centre concept with Mel Flaherty.(Profile)(American Amusements)


Publication: Leisure Report

Publication Date: 01-MAY-04

Author: Flaherty, Mel

Here's a dilemma. Spend more time at your holiday homes in Naples and Florida and indulge your passion for tennis, or invest in an ailing business and try and turn it around? Surely that's a no-brainer. So why oh why did Michael Appleton plump for the latter?

The managing director of American Amusements, the expanding amusement machine and tenpin group, is clearly a very driven character with an energy and enthusiasm for pretty much any subject he talks about, and he can talk about most at length. What prompted his decision to forgo a life of leisure for now, he explains, was a long-standing desire to grow a large-scale leisure business.

His immediate ambition is to "take out family leisure in the United Kingdom" by buying a sizeable tenpin business, ideally by the end of this year, and applying his firm's Big Apple entertainment centre concept to it.

This seems a pretty tall order for a company, which, after all, currently comprises just five entertainment centres.

However, with Bank of Scotland backing the firm in previous acquisitions including the most recent 5m [pounds sterling] purchase of the three Strikes...

directors are: Michael Appleton and Duncan Moss

[email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

http://www.american-amusements.co.uk

Quoted: Give them a 30min notice, then drop a JDAM on the Hotel.

Fixed

How cosmopolitan of them.

Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.

They are not free to refuse rooms to minorities based on color or whatever so they ARE NOT free to refuse a fucking soldier.  PERIOD.  

.

A hotel that refused a wounded soldier a room, forcing him to spend the night in his car, was backed into a “grovelling” apology today after receiving a barrage of abusive phone calls.

Metro Hotel, in Woking, Surrey, had to call in the police as their lines were flooded with angry, abusive and threatening calls from members of the public.

The attack on the switchboards came after it emerged that Corporal Tomos Stringer, 24, had been told by hotel staff that it was company policy not to accept members of the Armed Forces as guests.



www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4674411.ece

Quoted: A hotel that refused a wounded soldier a room, forcing him to spend the night in his car, was backed into a “grovelling” apology today after receiving a barrage of abusive phone calls. Metro Hotel, in Woking, Surrey, had to call in the police as their lines were flooded with angry, abusive and threatening calls from members of the public. The attack on the switchboards came after it emerged that Corporal Tomos Stringer, 24, had been told by hotel staff that it was company policy not to accept members of the Armed Forces as guests. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4674411.ece

Fucking OUTSTANDING.  Those fuckers need to be run out of town.  Making a wounded soldier sleep in his car... absolutely disgusting.

Edit: Forgot to quote kraftwerk.

Quoted: A hotel that refused a wounded soldier a room, forcing him to spend the night in his car, was backed into a “grovelling” apology today after receiving a barrage of abusive phone calls. Metro Hotel, in Woking, Surrey, had to call in the police as their lines were flooded with angry, abusive and threatening calls from members of the public. The attack on the switchboards came after it emerged that Corporal Tomos Stringer, 24, had been told by hotel staff that it was company policy not to accept members of the Armed Forces as guests. www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article4674411.ece

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - BLOODY NICE WORK, CHAPS.

Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.

If only this were true.

As an aside, I would boycott this place, but I don't fly and I have never been out of the country. I doubt that I will be over there any time soon.

Quoted: Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.   They are not free to refuse rooms to minorities based on color or whatever so they ARE NOT free to refuse a fucking soldier.  PERIOD.

UK law permits refusal to provide housing to soldiers, just as the US Constitution permits the same here in the US.

Let me play advocatus diaboli for just a minute:

Anybody ever manage a motel/hotel where one or more rooms were trashed by a bunch of drunken junior enlistedmen?

Quoted: Let me play advocatus diaboli for just a minute: Anybody ever manage a motel/hotel where one or more rooms were trashed by a bunch of drunken junior enlistedmen?

one man with his leg in a cast

if he had that cast in his head he would have got a room.
john

Anyone who would turn away a soldier home on leave from defending freedom doesnt deserve to be free.That hotel and its parent company need to move the buisness to down town Bagdad and see for themselves what that soldier does for their sorry asses on a daily basis.theres no excuse for being that damn sorry.

Quoted: Let me play advocatus diaboli for just a minute: Anybody ever manage a motel/hotel where one or more rooms were trashed by a bunch of drunken junior enlistedmen blacks?

and your response would be?

Quoted: Quoted: Let me play advocatus diaboli for just a minute: Anybody ever manage a motel/hotel where one or more rooms were trashed by a bunch of drunken junior enlistedmen? one man with his leg in a cast if he had that cast in his head he would have got a room. john

"It was so late that Cpl Stringer, who had broken his wrist jumping off an Army truck as it was attacked, had no choice but to sleep in his tiny, two-door car, arm covered in plaster."

Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.

Yep. Scumbag owners but they are allowed to be scumbags in a free market.

Probably owned/operated by Paki muslims. A lot of cheap hotels in the UK (and the US for that matter) are owned by Paki's.

Not suprising considering the state of the UK these days.

The hotel might be legally able to do refuse to rent rooms to soldiers. Likewise, folks are free to complain, write letters, and boycott the hotel, and local authorities are free to ask if that hotel really does need that liquor license.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.   They are not free to refuse rooms to minorities based on color or whatever so they ARE NOT free to refuse a fucking soldier.  PERIOD. UK law permits refusal to provide housing to soldiers, just as the US Constitution permits the same here in the US.

Amendment III

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Don't think it's quite the same thing, 3rd amendment was ment to protect civilians not boarding houses or taverns.

Quoted: Let me play advocatus diaboli for just a minute: Anybody ever manage a motel/hotel where one or more rooms were trashed by a bunch of drunken junior enlistedmen? blacks or hispanics.

GTFO with that bullshit

Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.

They should be able to but we all know thats not true.

In the US, Military and Government get a discount at hotels once you show ID.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.   They are not free to refuse rooms to minorities based on color or whatever so they ARE NOT free to refuse a fucking soldier.  PERIOD. UK law permits refusal to provide housing to soldiers, just as the US Constitution permits the same here in the US.

The Constitution refers to private homes, not hotels. This is a case of blatant discrimination.

Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.

Wrong. Discrimination is not allowed in the US. This is no different from refusing service because one is Black or Hispanic, or wears a dot on her forehead.

Quoted: In the US, Military and Government get a discount at hotels once you show ID.

If the company chooses to do so.

I can recall a minor incident in Sydney, AUS, where one of the finest hotels in the city gave (yes "gave" turns out to be the correct word) a suite to one of our E-3s based on his ID card.    After about $5k in charges run up , he sobered up and headed for home.  I happened to be the OOD and took the initial phone call from the Manager wanting to know how to bill the ship.

"How can I send the bill to the Navy."  "Use the mail."  "How long will it take to get paid."  "It won't, get a few laughs and they will throw it away."  "They can't do that he ran up the bill." "That's right, HE ran up the bill and he is responsible for it.  Pardon me for asking but who had the brilliant idea of letting a suite to a guy with no credit cards and no cash down?"  "Well our desk clerk will not be with us much longer, and the Bell Captain."  :Why the Bell Captain, he called his friends for the sailor to party with and signed most of the room service chits."  "Oh well it sounds like a civil matter, call your company lawyer and turn him on."  "I'll call the cops and come down and have them arrest him"  "Well since, US law, and Aussie law are based on English Common Law, I expect that the police will also tell you it is a civil matter.  And since your employees seem to have made several errors, they won't be very receptive to coming down." "I want you to hold him on the ship for us."  "Well I can't do that, and I expect that as he is probably broke, he might be sleeping below."  "I'm coming with the police, they have guns."  "That's nice we have guns too. Let me take your name and number, and I'll make sure he gets the message you would like to talk with him.  Anything else I can do for you today?  We'll be here for a few more days."

I think the final resolution was he voluntarily paid about $150 because he knew better than to try to check in and knew he couldn't pay.  It was one of those sailor bets about whether or not they would give him a room.  The room service and other nights the hotel had to eat.

Along that line, he couldn't have found a pub and patrons that would have helped him out?

Quoted: Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.   Wrong. Discrimination is not allowed in the US. This is no different from refusing service because one is Black or Hispanic, or wears a dot on her forehead.

Discrimination is allowed.  Ever hear of affirmative action?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.   Wrong. Discrimination is not allowed in the US. This is no different from refusing service because one is Black or Hispanic, or wears a dot on her forehead. Discrimination is allowed.  Ever hear of affirmative action?

Discrimination is prohibited against protected classes, which includes race, gender religion, etc. It does not include profession

Sleeping in the car ain't that bad......he's a soldier, I'm sure he has slept in much worse conditions before.

Quoted: Looks like things haven't changed much. Tommy I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer, The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here." The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die, I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:    O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";    But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play,    The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,    O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins", when the band begins to play. I went into a theatre as sober as could be, They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me; They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls, But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!    For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";    But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide,    The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,    O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide. Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap; An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.    Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"    But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll,    The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,    O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll. We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too, But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you; An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints, Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;    While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind",    But it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind,    There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,    O it's "Please to walk in front, sir", when there's trouble in the wind. You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all: We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational. Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.    For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"    But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;    An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;    An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool -- you bet that Tommy sees!          -- Rudyard Kipling I will moderate what I really wnat to say and leave it at FUCK THEM!

I have just emailed a copy of Tommy to them


I suggest you all do too.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.   They are not free to refuse rooms to minorities based on color or whatever so they ARE NOT free to refuse a fucking soldier.  PERIOD. UK law permits refusal to provide housing to soldiers, just as the US Constitution permits the same here in the US.

My understanding is that it is not quite that blatant.

I seem to remember that the US Constitution says you cannot be forced to provide a housing to soldier in time of war {going back to colonial times where colonists were forced to house British Troops}

This would not translate IMHO into the local Motel 8 saying they can refuse service to a service member

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.   Wrong. Discrimination is not allowed in the US. This is no different from refusing service because one is Black or Hispanic, or wears a dot on her forehead. Discrimination is allowed.  Ever hear of affirmative action? Discrimination is prohibited against protected classes, which includes race, gender religion, etc. It does not include profession

Race and gender?  So using that definition, affirmative action is prohibited because it discriminates against white males.  Does not compute.  

Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.

Fuck they are free.

They are subjects by God, where are the Royal Troops to set right his wrong!!!

Quoted: Let me play advocatus diaboli for just a minute: Anybody ever manage a motel/hotel where one or more rooms were trashed by a bunch of drunken junior enlistedmen?

Don't know, have you had a room trashed by a enlisted person who was on leave with a arm in a cast to attend a funeral?

Quoted: Quoted: I would not do business with them because of their policy, of course.  But, they are free to run their business however they wish.  And consumers are free to conduct business with whomever they wish.  That's the beauty of a free market.  If your business practices suck, so will your income.   They are not free to refuse rooms to minorities based on color or whatever so they ARE NOT free to refuse a fucking soldier.  PERIOD.

What law says that?

They should be free to refuse a room to anyone.  A Muslim.  A black person.  A woman.  A soldier.  A black Muslim woman who's a soldier.  And everyone else ought to be free to express their opinion about that.  But just because there are laws specially protecting some people doesn't mean that everyon else you think is "deserving" automatically gets the same protection.

Open your own hotel, and run it any way you like.