Charging Ahead With Chain Hotels

Tim Seeley’s Oct. 7 letter regarding added-on hotel charges reminded me of a stop my wife and I made at a chain hotel in Woodland, northwest of Sacramento, in September. When I checked in, I was told I had to sign a contract stating I would pay for all damages to the room, such as water damage, plumbing damage, spots on the carpet and damage to the furniture, bedding and walls. If I had refused, they would have charged me a night’s lodging because it was too late to cancel my stay.

The next morning I asked to have the contract returned to me with a statement on it that the room was in good condition. At my insistence, the room was inspected by two maids who told the manager that it was OK. The management refused to return the contract but, at my insistence, wrote on my receipt that the room was in good condition.

If I were a kid in his 20s planning on a wild party, there might have been some justification for this. But my wife and I are 74-year-old senior citizens who just wanted a night’s rest after traveling all day.

We spent the next two nights at another chain’s hotel in Carpinteria. When we got the bill, we found a $1.93 “energy surcharge” for each night. That is about $58 per month. I’m sure that is more than the total energy cost for a month.

RICHARD E. BARRETT

Santa Ana