Read more: Local, Economy, Recessions, Hotels, Begging for Customers, Grand Strand, Refusing, Rent Rooms, Locals
During one of the worst recessions in years, when many hotels are begging for customers, some Grand Strand hotels are refusing to rent rooms to certain people.
Angela Lee's mother got a brochure in the mail touting the beauty and amenities of several Grand Strand hotels. Angela happened to be planning a beach vacation with her mother and son so she called one of the hotels, Bluewater Resort, to make a reservation.
Everything was fine, she says - until she told them she lives in Conway. "Oh, you're a local. I'm like, yes, I am. Um, I'm sorry, we don't rent to locals. And I'm like, why," explained Angela.
Angela was told the hotel has had a bad experience with locals trashing rooms. Bluewater's manager, David Dozier, declined to speak to us on camera, but told NewsChannel 15 locals who rent rooms tend to hold big parties and disturb other guests.
The director of the Myrtle Beach Hospitality Association, Pauline Levesque, says that's a common complaint from hotel managers.
"Numbers of family members come and therefore their insurance is invalid, they're not registered at the hotel, too many people at the hotel, and then the paying guests, their stay isn't what it should be," she added.
Angela Lee isn't buying it.
"I'm very sure that somebody from New York city or Tennessee even could trash a room just as well as somebody living here in Myrtle Beach," said Lee.
She wonders about all those chamber of commerce ads, inviting people to come to friendly Myrtle Beach.
"We have beautiful places and smiling faces, but not for the people who live here," Lee said.
The manager of the Bluewater apologizes for the mailer that went to someone in Conway. He says that shouldn't have happened.
As for Angela, she has since found a hotel that does rent to locals and we should point out, there are many of them. She says they're planning on having a lot of fun at the beach.
The hospitality association has made up a list of hotels that will rent to locals. You can find that link below.
www.mbhospitality.org/docs/HotelsLocals2009.pdf
