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W Scottsdale and Neighbors Still Can't Seem to Get Along

Where: 7277 East Camelback Road [map], Scottsdale, AZ, United States, 85251

Things are getting heated between the W Scottsdale and its neighboring residents who are still pissed off that the hotel's outdoor bar keeps them awake at night. But that's not all they are mad about. Apparently, the hotel's partying guests are leaving trash in the 'hood too. From the Arizona Republic:

Resident Jim Anderson said bass from the music creates a beat of thumps that shake the walls of his property. And when the party shuts down, he says, people trash the neighborhood. On a recent Monday afternoon, Anderson combed through the lawn outside his home, filling an empty Milwaukee's Best beer carton he found on the street with garbage "from the pigs this weekend." He regularly picks up litter and has thought about "dumping it in their (the hotel's) lobby."

Egads! We really hope he doesn't do that. The W and the residents are just going to have to work things out. Maybe they can listen to Ben Bethel's suggestion which he posted in comments at the bottom of the Republic's article. He's the owner of the Clarendon Hotel.

However, we do have one question that's been nagging at us here: Why are W Scottsdale party guests drinking from a carton of Milwaukee's Beast Beer? That's just gross. What's next--Natty Light on the front lawn?

[Photo: Sherrie Buzby/Arizona Republic]

W Hotels / Hotels Behaving Badly / Scottsdale Hotels / → All Tags

W Scottsdale Too Loud for the Neighborhood

Where: 7277 E Camelback Rd [map], Scottsdale, AZ, United States, 85251

While us hotel geeks and a few Starwood Stalkers were eagerly anticipating of the W Scottsdale, which finally opened last month after several delays, it seems as if the surrounding neighborhood could care less.

According to the East Valley Tribune, the hotel has been a pain in the ass for the neighbors.

Since its "soft opening" on Sept. 5, some residents living near the hotel said they have been upset about noise levels and what they believe are patrons parking and littering on their streets.

And when the hotel held their official grand opening party last night, they sent out a letter to their neighbors forewarning them that a band would be playing music outdoors until about midnight. This of course, further pissed off the residents.

The live music acts aren't limited to the hotel's opening party either. The hotel plans on having more live acts which means more residents will be pissed off. We only hope the hotel soundproofed their guest rooms.

Have you stayed at the W Scottsdale? Send us a reader review!

London Hotels / Hotels Behaving Badly / → All Tags

Discourteous Hotels: London Hotel Doesn't Like Soldiers

It seems the politeness of the English doesn't extend to soldiers who want to stay the night at the Metro Hotel Woking near London, and we're a bit surprised.

This week the news came out that back in June, Corporal Tomos Stringer tried to check into the Metro Hotel while he was visiting a fellow soldier but he ended up sleeping in his car because the front desk told him the hotel had a "no military personnel" policy.

A spokesman said they'd had "some rather serious incidents" involving soldiers in the past, but then said the front desk clerk had made a mistake and apologized.

We're pretty curious, of course, about the "rather serious incidents", but we're also making a note not to wear any kind of uniform if we're trying to check in to a London hotel.

Hotels Behaving Badly / → All Tags

Hotels Don't Clean the Coffee Cups

Let's face it. We need more people like Kevin, who may or may not have a mild case of OCD when it comes to clean coffee cups.

But whatever his reason, Kevin is on a mission to teach Atlanta-area hotels that they need to clean the coffee cups in the guest rooms.

About a year ago, I started marking my coffee cups with the hotel supplied ink pen every day that I used the cup. It invariably seems to be the same cup when I return to the hotel after the cleaning staff finishes. I have made a point to bring this up to the hotel managers in every hotel I find this happening. One manager of a Sheraton in Atlanta apparently got tired of me bringing this up and refused to return my calls, so I stopped going to the Sheraton.

The Embassy Suites down the road in Atlanta seems concerned every time I bring this up, but instead of resolving the issue with the cleaning staff (which they apparently have no control over) they gave me my own ceramic "Embassy Suites" emblazoned coffee mug in a gift bag left in my hotel room and with a note asking me to bring my coffee mug with me to use while I stay at their hotel.

The photo above was Kevin's latest attempt at foiling the lazy housekeeping staff at the Atlanta Hilton Garden Inn hotel which he then presented during check-out.

Hey, at least the man has a hobby, which is more than we can say for ourselves these days.

Related Stories:
· Kevin's Photostream [Flickr]

Hotel Hell / Hotels Behaving Badly / → All Tags

Steer Clear of Crazy Drunk French Inn Owner

[Ed. Note: This is an extremely hellish Hotel Hell. As always this is just one side of the story, but seeing as local authorities allegedly escorted the guest and family out of harm's way and Visa backed up this person's claims well, you know. But as always, we invite the inn owner to respond with the other side of the story.]

On the night of July 14, 2004, the proprietor of Les Chenes Blancs, a downscale inn in rural France where my family and I were staying en route to Avignon, got drunk, went on an anti-American screaming rampage against my wife and three small children, attempted to extort 2,000 Euros (= 2,500 US$) from me by holding my family's passports and luggage hostage, cut off the phone lines when we tried to call the police, attacked me physically and stole our one-year-old son's US passport.

All of this occurred in front of several other horrified guests who have subsequently given testimony to the relevant authorities.

His actions resulted in my family and five other guests being evacuated from the inn in the middle of the night by the local Municipal Police (summoned by a guest with a mobile phone), formal criminal charges being filed against him with the French National Police in Juan-Les-Pins, and an investigation by the US State Department into the stolen passport.

Now it appears he has also attempted to defraud VISA through our US Bank account.

The day after the attack, my wife and I called all our credit card companies, including US Bank, to confirm that no unauthorized charges had been made. We were therefore surprised to come back from our trip to find this fake $1,359 charge on our statement. We did not authorize this charge, nor is Les Chenes Blancs due any money from us for our brief stay there as confirmed by the French National Police when they investigated the incident.

Indeed, the proprietor of Les Chenes Blancs owes us for all the costs associated with traveling to the US Consulate in Barcelona to replace the passport he stole.

I am an international businessman who has spent considerable time overseas. This is the most outrageous incident that has ever occurred to me on my travels and I find it hard to believe that Les Chenes Blancs (which was evidently recently acquired) is the sort of vendor VISA wants to be involvedwith. Indeed, I understand that this is not the first time since its acquisition that this sort of incident has occurred there.

Hotels Behaving Badly / → All Tags

Fairmont's 'Construction' Party a Bust

Where: Sheikh Zayad Road, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Fairmont Hotel in Dubai threw a total rager the other night for the Arabian Travel Market 2006, but the theme of the party caused a bit of a stir with labor unions since the theme of the party was "Construction Works."

The party had scaffolding, hanging cables and "waiting staff pushing wheelbarrows, dressed in blue boilersuits and hard hats." 1700 guests were also on hand to witness a dance troupe performing in workers' overalls, as a series of plywood platforms were suspended above the main ballroom.

While the theme may have seeemd like a fun idea at the time, labor unions in Dubai (like everywhere else) have recently been campaigning against long hours, low pay, and unsafe working practices.

The hotel has insisted the theme was not a political statement or meant to make fun of the labor situation. Rooms at the Fairmont cost $450 a night while construction workers in Dubai are reported to earn, on average, around $160 a month.

We think the hotel could have avoided the scandal if they just hired real construction workers instead of a dance troupe as entertainment. They already have the gear.

Related Stories:
· Hotel faces criticism over ATM theme party [ITP Business]
· Fairmont Dubai [TripAdvisor]