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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to expect everyone to boycott the Metro hotel Woking

78 replies

cheshirekitty · 04/09/2008 21:29

because it is their management policy not to give rooms to military personnel.

Story is injured soldier from Afghanistan was in UK on sick leave and was visiting another injured soldier. Tried to book a room in this hotel and was turned away because he is in the military.

The **. Please do not book at this hotel and tell your relatives and friends.

OP posts:
morningpaper · 04/09/2008 21:30

I promise I will definitely boycott the Metro Hotel in Woking

TheHedgeWitch · 04/09/2008 21:49

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Original poster
cheshirekitty · 04/09/2008 21:50

Yeah, too late. Why did he have to spend the night in his car when they had available rooms.

OP posts:
saltire · 04/09/2008 21:54

They only apologised because they were in teh news and realised it wasn't good for business, and because the tosser Armed Forces minister had written to them

TheHedgeWitch · 04/09/2008 21:57

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saltire · 04/09/2008 22:02

I have just been readin some of the comments on teh Have Your Say board on the BBC website. Shocking.

DanJARMouse · 04/09/2008 22:06

I wouldnt stay there even if it meant a night in the car. Ok, they have appologised, but only because they have made the news. And even then, the manager refused to be filmed.... not exactly the actions of a company who want to hold their hands up and admit they are WRONG.

Ronaldinhio · 04/09/2008 22:11

Army prescence in Pirbright and Woking can be a bit rough so maybe they decided their policy for that reason.
Surely they can decide who they sell their rooms to as it's their business?
YABU

TheHedgeWitch · 04/09/2008 22:24

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2shoes · 04/09/2008 22:24

yanbu
but can you do the same with the leatherhead leaisure centre. they chucked out disabled war veterns as some dozy woman complained.

hf128219 · 04/09/2008 22:26

Well who really knows the true story?

poppy34 · 04/09/2008 22:26

apparently been threatening phone calls to the hotel today...

hf128219 · 04/09/2008 22:29

This is the thing about stories like this - I wasn't there so it is difficult to comment (with any real accuracy).

All I know is that a British soldier was not permitted to stay at that hotel. Whether the hotel - or the soldier - was in the wrong is another matter.

TheSmallClanger · 04/09/2008 22:29

I agree with TheHedgeWitch. I used to go out in Colchester with my cousins a lot and squaddies aren't known for their good behaviour, whether singly or in groups. I don't get this tabloid mentality that Forces people are all honest, upright heroes.

DanJARMouse · 04/09/2008 22:36

ok, so there are some that act like twats, just like there are a hell of a lot of civvy guys doing the same.

If it was a case of being "not allowed due to company policy" they are wankers.

A lot of our service personell are good people, with partners and children.

I would be heartbroken if I thought my DH was labelled as a "paid thug" (BBC HYS) as he so isnt.

Ok so DH isnt in the forces anymore (medical discharge) but he is still proud of what he did and the tours in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Original poster
cheshirekitty · 05/09/2008 08:36

My dh did tours in Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. Now retired. Was invited to Buckingham Palace to receive his medal (the Queen obviously does not think he will vandalise her house).

What if the hotel policy was no sahm's, no NHS, no Welsh, no Irish etc. It is discrimination and they should be held to account.

OP posts:
Ronaldinhio · 05/09/2008 08:43

Did he ask the Queen for B&B after a potential night out in Woking?
Perhaps a different answer me thinks...

They put these rules in place for a reason!! No-one turns away trade in this market without very good cause

Original poster
cheshirekitty · 05/09/2008 08:52

Ronaldinhio, no he did not ask for B&B, but I am quite sure he would have got it if he had asked!!!

My dh was in the RAF for 25 years, and I travelled around the world with him. We obviously had plenty of time to see how service personnel acted out of work time.

Now he is in civilian street, we have been to a few 'do's at the company he now works for. I cannot believe the bad behaviour of some of the people in civvie street, compared to the behaviour of service people.

You have obviously had a bad time with service personnel. But it could have easily been a bad time with civvies. So what are you going to do, ban everyone?

OP posts:
littlelapin · 05/09/2008 08:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

FlightAttendent · 05/09/2008 09:04

I can understand them banning groups of blokes from whatever profession, especially if badly behaved but just a single man on his own, acting respectably, well it sucks.

wannaBe · 05/09/2008 09:07

you know what I think this "we don't know the whole story" response is a cop out for people who don't want to admit they don't have an opinion.

I think it's disgusting. If black people regularly caused trouble in woking city centre would it be ok to say no blacks? I think not. Or perhaps no breastfeeding mothers as some people find breastfeeding offensive? or maybe no children as they are disruptive? Being able to refuse to serve a particular person because of their behavior is of course any business's perogative, however being able to refuse to serve someone because of their profession is not on IMO.

So some militry personnel cause trouble in large groups. Well go down to your local city centre on a Friday and Saturday night and watch the fights, the drinking, the generally antisocial behavior that goes on and I bet that most of them are not in the forces. Most of them are doing jobs like any of us. There's a massive culture in the city of traders with too much money going out and drinking heavily and snorting vast quantities of coke, but would we have all traders banned from a hotel? mm I think not.

As an aside, I really don't get this opposition to the military in this country. Where do people think we would be without a military? seriously.

wannaBe · 05/09/2008 09:11

lol ll great minds...

have you moved yet?

I can understand the policy of banning large groups of lads, or women even (hen parties no less disruptive than stag parties) but whole professions not on.

Ronaldinhio · 05/09/2008 09:13

Fact are they have had bad experiences of military personnel recently and decided not to rent a room to him. The mistake they made was telling him why rather than saying they were full.
They'll know what to do in future as will any other hotels with the same policy in the area.

hf128219 · 05/09/2008 09:13

A cop out wannaBe? No, it's not. I can't give an informed judgement as I was not there.

I, however, believe there is no smoke without fire.

Soldier or not a soldier, that is not the issue.

wannaBe · 05/09/2008 09:16

he was asked for ID and produced his military one. It was only at that point that they refused to rent him a room. They couldn't really then suddenly decide they were full could they?

And none of us were there, but I think the fact they haven't come out and said that the soldier in question had done anything wrong is very telling that it wasn't an issue with this particular soldier.