Soldier refused room at hotel

[Ken Davison South Wales]

We all have our interpretations of what is seen and read. The guy was on his own, in civies, recovering from a broken hand so i can't see him being much bother. As such the only thing i could consider, it must be down to company policy, nothing else.

 

The bbc would not run with this within last nights news if there was no truth in it, would they?

 

It is the sort of story they can build on so yes they would run with it.

 

I cannot see that this is a politically motivated policy, just one of property and staff protection. Shame those sort of rules are a blanket type situation.

[lyn]

Working with them in Aldershot and seeing some of the 'weekend' antics I could understand it if a group of them went in but as he was on his own I think that it was totally uncalled for to turn him away.

 

He is the same as the rest of us apart from the fact he is putting his life on the line to try & make the world a better place. I just hope the hotel chain make it up to him and make a hugh donation to 'Help for heroes' which is funding special equipment at 'Headley Court Hospital' where he was probably visiting his friend.

 

lyn

[chesters1]

Working with them in Aldershot and seeing some of the 'weekend' antics I could understand it if a group of them went in but as he was on his own I think that it was totally uncalled for to turn him away.

 

He is the same as the rest of us apart from the fact he is putting his life on the line to try & make the world a better place. I just hope the hotel chain make it up to him and make a hugh donation to 'Help for heroes' which is funding special equipment at 'Headley Court Hospital' where he was probably visiting his friend.

 

lyn

 

hows your fridge Lyn?

[yorkio]

From the BBC story:

 

"The matter had been raised by Plaid Cymru MP Mr Williams, who received a letter back from the hotel complex manager last week saying it regretted the way the matter was dealt with.

 

A manager in the letter said the hotel had in recent months "experienced some rather serious incidents" resulting from the stay of personnel from a local barracks and staff had been requested to be "cautious" in taking future bookings from the armed forces.

 

Managers were asked to assess cases.

 

"In almost every case the booking is accepted. This process does not appear to have happened in this case, for which I sincerely apologise. We also fully recognise and appreciate the tremendous courage and sacrifices made by member of our armed services"."

[didi]

Its probably run bye muslim management

[merlino bill]

OI OI,

Elton you will get splinters in your arse sitting on that fence, & lid will dissapear up your arse if he's not carefull.

 

IT WAS A BLOODY DISGRACE THE KID WAS HELPING TO ARRANGE HIS M8TS FUNERAL NOT VISIT HIM IN HOSPITAL.

 

[Elton]

He was visiting an injured mate, I think it said in the article.

 

And I'm not sitting on any fence The hotel didn't know what he was there for. Since I made that post, it's come to light that they'd had a history of trouble with squaddies. Not only that, wasn't it mentioned that this guy's had broken his wrist?

 

So, a hotel with a history of of trouble with squaddies has one turn up with his wrist plastered up. What are they going to think?

 

Like I said, most of my family were squaddies - my Grandad, my stepdad, aunt, cousin, etc. I have every respect for soldiers, but ones on leave, or living in barracks, can be a complete nightmare. My cousin will readily admit to it - he's ex-Para and was a disgrace at times, to the point that he'd hit random people in the streets just for fun. Not so long ago, out in Colchester, he was feeling a bit low and actually wanted to get a kicking, so he walked into a chip shop and started a fight with a group of lads. He told me he laughing his head off as they were piling into him.

 

Why should a hotel worker, probably paid a minimum wage, have to deal with that sort of thing?

 

Yes, they misjudged the guy, it would seem, but they were just narrowing the odds. In a similar way, I'd say, to the way that American soldier who copped all the flack when he was filmed shooting that guy on the deck in Iraq when they were clearing a building. I totally sympathised with the soldier - he wasn't going to take that risk. Okay, he had higher stakes than this hotel worker, but the process of elimination isn't totally different.

[dave k]

He was visiting an injured mate, I think it said in the article.

 

And I'm not sitting on any fence The hotel didn't know what he was there for. Since I made that post, it's come to light that they'd had a history of trouble with squaddies. Not only that, wasn't it mentioned that this guy's had broken his wrist?

 

So, a hotel with a history of of trouble with squaddies has one turn up with his wrist plastered up. What are they going to think?

 

Like I said, most of my family were squaddies - my Grandad, my stepdad, aunt, cousin, etc. I have every respect for soldiers, but ones on leave, or living in barracks, can be a complete nightmare. My cousin will readily admit to it - he's ex-Para and was a disgrace at times, to the point that he'd hit random people in the streets just for fun. Not so long ago, out in Colchester, he was feeling a bit low and actually wanted to get a kicking, so he walked into a chip shop and started a fight with a group of lads. He told me he laughing his head off as they were piling into him.

 

Why should a hotel worker, probably paid a minimum wage, have to deal with that sort of thing?

 

Yes, they misjudged the guy, it would seem, but they were just narrowing the odds. In a similar way, I'd say, to the way that American soldier who copped all the flack when he was filmed shooting that guy on the deck in Iraq when they were clearing a building. I totally sympathised with the soldier - he wasn't going to take that risk. Okay, he had higher stakes than this hotel worker, but the process of elimination isn't totally different.

 

i am with Elton on this topic, this is what i posted on another forum about it;

 

there are several very large barracks in the vicinity of woking, Pirbright the biggest and nearest of them (probably a mile away)

 

unfortunatly having a soldier as a son who is based very near to woking i can sympathise with the hotel for the behaviour of some of them.

 

my son often books a hotel room for a weekend on the lash...........ushally there ends up 4-5 squaddies to a room at 3-4 am in the morning (only 1 person booked in though)

 

even had my son and 4 friends turn up at ours at 3am for somewere to crash out

 

in this case though i think the receptionist could have used some common sense and should have called the duty manager. i also think the soldier concerned as an NCO should have been able to find alternative accomodation himself without resorting to sleeping in his car.

 

just to clarify; pirbright camp is 2 miles away, guildford is 3 miles and aldershot is 5 miles plus all the other hotels in that area, and there are loads. you would have a pretty poor NCO if you could not have found accomadation in this area.

 

and for the record as the father of a serving soldier who has done 2 tours of Afghan and 1 of Iraq you can not get more pro the british forces than me.

[hembo]

i agree with elton on this .ppast experiences in yeovil when the matelots have a run ashore,normally the weekend before a over seas posting means their list of retributions can be carried out,as long as they dont get caught that is.it happens unfortunately,the armed forces do a terrific job, but when they are on one can be total pain in the arses when mixed with alchohol.

[lyn]

hows your fridge Lyn?

 

I kept forgetting to try it but used it at my junior fish in yesterday, car parks quite level at Standford End, and it's fine. I will have to make sure we are leveled up in future.

 

thansk

 

lyn