Stamford’s La Quinta Inn & Suites recently agreed to pay a $1,800 fine to settle claims the hotel had unfairly changed its reservation policies during Hurricane Sandy.
According to Consumer Protection Commissioner William M. Rubenstein, the hotel on Harvard Avenue had required its guests to make reservations for seven nights, forcing customers to stay at more expensive hotels or in less than safe conditions.
“After a thorough review of the facts and the law, it is our position that lodging facilities may not change their regular, everyday prices nor their regular required lengths of stay based on weather predictions,” Rubenstein said in a release. “Natural disasters are a time when we should all pull together. No one should be out to make an extra buck as a result of the misfortunes of others.”
Officials at LQ Management L.L.C., which owns the hotel, have denied allegations of unfair practices, saying they instituted the seven-day-stay policy to avoid overbooking in their automatic reservation system.
Rubenstein said the agreement with La Quinta should act as a notice to all Connecticut hotel operators that any change to normal rates and terms will be considered a violation of the Unfair Trade Practices Act.
