Boycott The Nags Head Inn (Outer Banks, NC)

Aug 14, 2004
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An Open Letter To The Nags Head Inn


As you know, several weeks ago I stayed at the Nags Head Inn with a dear friend of mine. Her recent bout of chemotherapy had rendered her nearly immobile due to, among many other things, terrible pain and severe blistering of her feet. Being the eternal optimist that she is (and that you have to be when battling this disease) she had hoped to be feeling better by the time we checked out, two days later. We hoped for the best, knowing that the beach house we had reserved would not be available until mid-afternoon on the day of check-out. We knew that if her condition did not improve, there was no way she could endure the period from hotel check-out to beach house check-in without an appropriate place to rest (i.e., in a bed with her feet elevated). Unfortunately, her condition did not improve over our two days at the hotel, and we were left with quite a dilemma.

Hoping to find a modicum of compassion at the Nags Head Inn, I asked the staff at the front desk if we could stay a few hours past check-out, given the extraordinary circumstances. Much to my surprise, considering the typically generous attitudes I've encountered when visiting other establishments in the Outer Banks, the answer was no. I was told over and over again, in no uncertain terms, that the policy of the Nags Head Inn is to charge an extra day to anyone who stays past check-out. I questioned several members of the staff about this policy, including the general manager, and received exactly the same response each time. (What they lack in compassion, they more than make up for in consistency.) Not wanting to let this regrettable episode ruin what would otherwise turn out to be a very nice vacation, I decided to pay the additional $175 so that we could stay the extra few hours.

Ignoring the cancer issue for a moment (and the fact that this occurred on a Sunday, of all days) I have stayed at many hotels where the staff was more than happy to let me delay my checkout for reasons as innocuous as a meeting that ran too long or a poorly-timed airline flight. In all cases I received a friendly "Take as much time as you need. Don't worry about it. Just be sure to stay with us the next time that you're in town." And I do, precisely because of their attitude. (As opposed to your company's incomprehensible "Pay us or get out!" attitude.) This may seem somewhat foreign to you, but many establishments desire return visits from their customers. They are willing to go out of their way, and maybe even forfeit a small amount of short-term profit, in order to ensure a long-term relationship with their clients. Perhaps there are so many people seeking hotel rooms in Nags Head that you don't have to concern yourself with pleasing your customers, since there will always be more. Frankly, I cannot think of another reason why a hotel with your attitude would still be in business otherwise.

Now, given the fact that our checkout was delayed because my friend was terribly ill, I cannot help but find your corporation's attitude anything but utterly appalling. Even if you are profit-driven enough to charge someone an extra $175 because they couldn't finish packing in time, how can you possibly sleep at night after forcing that kind of ultimatum on a cancer patient? Is the money that important to you? Is it so important that you are blinded to kindness and compassion and concepts as simple as helping others? I have to believe that even the most greed-possessed among us would decry your actions.

Yet, your email response to my concerns states that "You knew when you came to the area that there would be a gap between check out time at any hotel and check in time at your rental home. This was a chance that you chose to take." In other words, "It's your own stupid fault!" While I would ordinarily be offended by such a statement, I must confess that I am entirely unmoved by this declaration, as it is exactly the kind of response that I have come to expect from the Nags Head Inn. And although I agree that we knew the potential for an unpleasant outcome existed, I found it much more likely that the unpleasantness would result from an impending hurricane and mass evacuation, rather than the wanton and callous disregard of our situation by a cash-obsessed corporation. As I explained previously, we were quite hopeful that she would feel better by the time we checked out. We were also quite hopeful that if not, we could rely on the kindness of the people in the Outer Banks to see us through. This attitude had never failed us in the past, but of course we had never stayed at the Nags Head Inn. And despite the fact that this disheartening experience has deeply tarnished my view of the business community in the Outer Banks, I remain quite confident that if we had stayed at any other hotel in the area, we would have been treated with respect and compassion, and this most frustrating occurrence would have been avoided.

Instead, I was told by your front desk staff that the only way housekeeping could have all available rooms ready for other patrons was by ensuring that every customer checked out on time. This statement, which I find very difficult to believe, is also implied in your email. The only way that this statement can possibly be true is if the cleaning of every available room in your hotel begins at check-out time. Otherwise, a customer could stay somewhat beyond check-out time without hindering your ability to clean all available rooms. Therefore I am very curious to know which claim is correct. Does the cleaning of every available room in your hotel begin at check-out time, or is the statement which your front desk staff made, and which your email implied, untrue? (I can likely help you answer this question, as there were a number of housekeepers still cleaning rooms on our floor when we checked out later that day.) Assuming that the cleaning of all rooms does not begin at check-out, and we could have therefore stayed somewhat longer without rendering the room unavailable, I can only come to the conclusion that the motivation for charging us an extra day was greed. It is readily apparent that the Nags Head Inn is much more concerned with their customers' wallets than with the customers themselves.

And while it is true that we were most generously offered a seat by the pool (which was surrounded by screaming children slinging wet Nerf footballs about) this is hardly a comfortable arrangement for someone whose persistent pain can only be made slightly more tolerable by extensive bed-rest and a never-ending parade of pills. (We were not offered, as you claim, a stay in your “conference/hospitality room” unless that room consists of the chairs in your lobby.) And if you understand in the least how cancer can ravage not only one's body, but one's self-image (which, given your company's actions, seems unlikely) you just might be able to comprehend why someone with this horrible disease would not want to be put out on public display, even in surroundings as ideal for the compromised immune system as a hotel pool. In fact, you might even be able to understand how contemptible, condescending and absolutely abhorrent your comment is that we "would not be out in the hot sun." You obviously just don't get it.

Your email goes on to state that "you would not consider anything but staying in that room at no charge." This is untrue. The only alternative offered by your staff was the "pool option" which I described previously as an inappropriate, if not completely absurd, alternative. I did ask the front desk staff whether prorating the room was an option, and I was told that it was not. (Although I felt that it would have been fair for us to pay a portion of the daily rate, assuming that the outlandish housekeeping claims mentioned earlier were true, I must agree that prorating the room is not an option, as I cannot imagine any corporation with even the slightest amount of human concern asking for a prorated amount.)

Finally, your email states "I know that you do not want to see the Nags Head Inn’s view on this." This could not be further from the truth. I have been waiting nearly two weeks to hear your view. I was very curious to find out how a corporation, and the people within that corporation, could justify treating their customers in such a manner, particularly one as ill as my friend. I had hoped that by hearing your rationalizations, I could somehow understand your actions, and perhaps convince myself that this most discouraging situation was not due to an intentional disregard for the happiness and well-being of others, but a terrible misunderstanding that could be resolved. Unfortunately, this has not turned out to be the case, and I fear that we are all the worse for having endured it. I sincerely hope that no one associated with the Nags Head Inn is ever affected by the scourge of cancer, but if they are, I pray that they find more compassion in their journeys than did we.


John Morris,
Fredericksburg, VA
 

Landloct

Kelly Slater status
Jul 18, 2002
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While I sympathize with your friend's situation and wish her the best for recovery, just to play devil's advocate....

Would we be seeing a similar letter aimed at the hotel if your itinerary had been reversed, and you'd checked out of your rental house and gone to check in at the Nags Head Inn, only to be told that they didn't have your room ready for you yet because the previous occupant had stayed a few hours past check-out time due to extenuating and/or unforeseen circumstances on their part?
 
Aug 14, 2004
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The point I try to make in my letter is that letting someone stay past check-out does not deny someone else a room. Even assuming that every room is booked, unless the housekeeping staff starts cleaning every availble room at check-out time, and every available room is being cleaned all the way up to check-in time, there is by definition the opportunity for some customers to stay beyond check-out time, with hindering their ability to clean every room. In my letter, I just arrived at that conclusion by logic, but having posted this letter in many venues, and having been contacted by many veterans of the hotel industry, I now know that the argument about someone not getting a room because someone else stayed past check-out is completely without merit.
 
Aug 27, 2004
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WOW...I am at a loss for words after reading your post. I have been visiting OBX for 14+ years, and stayed at the Nags Head Inn several years ago. The people there were so friendly and went out of their way to help... I'm shocked that you and your friend were treated in such a uncompassionate way. My prayers go to your friend. And, I do hope, that after your bad experience, you and your friend were able to enjoy your time in the Outer Banks. I know from experience that dealing with cancer causes undescribable emotions, as both of my parents recently passed after having cancer...I must believe there is a middle ground here. Perhaps you are over-reacting, perhaps they could have done more... I'm just sick that you had such a bad experience. I'm sure they could have offered SOMETHING better that the pool area... Please don't write off the Outer Banks. After 14 years and purchasing a second home there, [and living very near you in Northern VA], I can still say that the people there are good people and far friendlier than those in Northern VA. I really do believe your experience was an exception. BEST of luck to your friend. I am heading to OBX in the near future...I might just stop at the Inn and have a chat...
 
Aug 14, 2004
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Trust me, I was in total shock myself (having traveled down to the Outer Banks almost every year since I was a kid). But it was no fluke. I spoke with the general manager about three weeks ago and she said she felt that they did the right thing and would do it again (but was thinking about offering us a refund because they had received several angry emails... not because they felt badly about what had happened, mind you... and she asked whether that would resolve the issue). I told her that I was sticking by what I told the Better Business Bureau: a refund, an apology and a significant contribution to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. She said she would get back in touch with me in a couple of days, but it's been three weeks and I haven't heard back. I guess the contibution to the foundation was more than they could take. (Or maybe it was the apology.) Anyway, we haven't written off the Outer Banks, just the Nags Head Inn.
 

sflsurfer

Nep status
Aug 29, 2004
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Ketchikan, AK
They have no defense for their refusal given the fact that they were able to rent the room to you for the fee. If they were so concerned about the availability for the room, that would have meant that the room was reserved already by another cutomer. Since they were able to rent it to you for another night, they had nobody waiting therefore had the capacity to be considerate and have compassion for a fellow human being. It is obvious, that they have no morals and are only concerned about the almighty dollar. Trust me when I say that I will never stay there on my trips even if I have to sleep in my truck cuz everywhere is booked!
 
Aug 14, 2004
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Thought I would pass along an update. Here's what has been going on at the Frommers.com message boards. Someone claiming to be an owner of the Nags Head Inn has posted a couple of messages. (Can't say if he is really an owner or not, but the first response has enough history in it to make me think it might be legitimate.) The first message was pulled after about a day, but I saved a copy of it.

Nags Head Owner Post #1:
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To Whom It May Concern:

I am one of the owners of the Nags head Inn. Generally matters such as the Morris vendetta are handled by my competent staff, over half of whom have been with us for over ten years. The vile nature of this individual’s allegations and innuendo now forces me to personally respond.

In 1983 with all of their personal savings, some borrowed money from two relatives, two high school buddies from Raleigh, N.C. put enough capital and negotiations together to purchase a small mom and pop motel in Nags Head, N.C. Their objective was to live a dream by seeing if quality service provided for a good value would work in the resort hospitality business. In less than two years by using only their own hard work and by following their creed of the best service and value they could provide, they doubled the revenues of that mom and pop. They sold it and took the profits and invested all of them plus more borrowed money in the construction of a new facility. The Nags Head Inn was incorporated as a small business corporation in 1983. The only shareholders in that corporation are those two high school buddies. Sorry, no big corporation exists, just two working stiffs. The new motel was built over a three-year period and opened in 1988. Without any professional training or major capital investors, we have operated under a creed of excellent value and excellent treatment of all our guests. Since that time over 520,000 guests have enjoyed their stay at our facility. Fewer than one dozen written complaints have been received from those 520,000 guests. You may judge whether or not Mr. Morris’ representation of the facts is true by how these facts contradict Mr. Morris’ statements. We dispute his self-serving recollection of the facts and we stand on our sixteen-year track record as a total contradiction to everything he has alleged.

Cancer has directly touched both of our families and I’m sure almost all of you as well. We resent and are totally disgusted by the way Mr. Morris is attempting to use this disease for his personal financial gain and distorted ego fulfillment. Some people defy logic with their actions. Mr. Morris appears to us to be one of those people. We have chosen to ignore him and let the remaining 519,999 of our previous guests serve as testimony to how we run our establishment. I’m sure most people can see that the facts as represented by Mr. Morris do not square with our reputation. Mr. Morris never requested or asked for anything. He threatened, demanded and tried to bully and intimidate both our staff and several innocent bystanders and guests in the lobby of our hotel. Mr. Morris’ angry little world revolves only around himself and he will even use his sick friend to try and reach some sort of ego fulfillment. Mr. Morris was offered several reasonable options but refused all attempts to work with us to resolve the situation. Instead of respecting the other guests who were trying to check in and the employees whose only job was to clean his room for the next occupants, he chose instead to try and extort his entire expenditure under a threat of an internet blackmail campaign.

Our company policy has been that in those few instances where we did reach an impasse with a guest, that we would usually refund their entire payment with the provision that they not return to our facility. Because of his now fulfilled threat and verbal assault as well as his continuing conduct on other internet sites we have decided not to refund any money ever to Mr. Morris. We are certain that any payment made to him, will only encourage him to attempt other extortions to satisfy his ego. Nothing we can do will ever change Mr. Morris and we will never bow to his attempted extortion and threats. We can only ignore his actions, restrict his access to our property and continue to provide the best service and quality we can provide to all our guests just as we always have for the last twenty one years. This letter will most likely be our only response to this situation. It is refreshing that even prior to hearing the truth about this situation many posters have seen through Mr. Morris’ attempted extortion.

The Nags Head Inn, Inc.


My Response:
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That is certainly quite a scathing response, filled with personal attacks and genuine animosity. I, however, would like to keep this on a factual level, so I will respond to it on a point-by-point basis, as I did your previous email response to me. Again I am pleased that you have not disputed any of the facts put forth in my original post. You certainly imply untruthfulness on my part, but point out no such occurrences. That being said, I will now respond to your post.

1) You claim that my allegations are of a vile nature. My allegation is that the Nags Head Inn would not consider letting us stay in our room for even the slightest amount of time past check-out unless we paid for a full day. You are absolutely correct, that is vile.

2) After the history of the creation of your empire, you state "Fewer than one dozen written complaints have been received from those 520,000 guests. You may judge whether or not Mr. Morris’ representation of the facts is true by how these facts contradict Mr. Morris’ statements. We dispute his self-serving recollection of the facts and we stand on our sixteen-year track record as a total contradiction to everything he has alleged." Yet you do not refute any of the statements made in my original post. Since that post is a point-by-point rebuttal of your original response to me, incorporating quotes from your email, I'll assume that none of the facts contained therein are in question. And since you did not refute my account of the events in that response, or in your current post, I can only come to the conclusion that there are no facts in dispute. If there are, please state them clearly. Having spoken to your general manager, the only point that appears to be in question is whether we were offered a stay in the conference room. I never heard such an offer made, but your general manager tells me that it was, and I believe her. But even if I had heard the offer, I suspect that it would have made little difference in the eventual outcome, unless perhaps there was actually a bed in the conference room.

3) You state "Cancer has directly touched both of our families and I’m sure almost all of you as well. We resent and are totally disgusted by the way Mr. Morris is attempting to use this disease for his personal financial gain and distorted ego fulfillment." Your disgust would be warranted, if the statement that you made was true. It appears that you believe my repeated posting of this open letter is a vendetta, and perhaps part of my distorted ego fulfillment. In fact, I am only doing this in order to let everyone who might be in a similar situation know the policies of the Nags Head Inn. For anyone who is in a situation where a loved one's health can change from day to day, they should know that they cannot expect an extended stay from the Nags Head Inn, no matter how dire the consequences. This is very useful information. I only wish that I had seen such a post before our trip to the Outer Banks. It would have saved us a world of heartache. And as far as using this disease for my personal financial gain, I can only assume you mean a refund. I sincerely doubt that most people would call a $175 refund for a three-hour stay financial gain.

4) You state "Some people defy logic with their actions. Mr. Morris appears to us to be one of those people. We have chosen to ignore him and let the remaining 519,999 of our previous guests serve as testimony to how we run our establishment." It seems logical to me that someone being ignored in a case such as this would pursue other avenues, as I have done. Perhaps the logic that eludes you is my desire to warn other people in similar situations about the lack of flexibility they can expect from the Nags Head Inn. It all seems quite logical to me.

5) You state "I’m sure most people can see that the facts as represented by Mr. Morris do not square with our reputation." I refer to Point 2 above. If there are any facts in dispute, please state them clearly. I stand by my original post.

6) You state "Mr. Morris never requested or asked for anything. He threatened, demanded and tried to bully and intimidate both our staff and several innocent bystanders and guests in the lobby of our hotel." It is quite true that I never requested anything. My hope was that the next time a situation like this arose, or hopefully one much less severe, the Nags Head Inn would think twice about how to handle it. After being told several times that the Nags Head Inn believed it acted appropriately in our case, I no longer held out hope that the Nags Head Inn would change their ways. I resorted to posting their policies on the web so that people would at least be forewarned (and perhaps even relay their concerns about these policies to the Nags Head Inn via phone or email). I am unclear as to what you are referring when you say threatened, demanded and bullied. I suspect that the innocent bystanders were the two ladies checking out the lobby who I told "the best thing about this place is that if your friend has cancer and needs to stay a couple of hours past check-out, they charge you a full day." Again, it was the truth and I stand by it. If there are any other instances in which you feel I was threatening, demanding or bullying, please state them clearly.

7) You state "Mr. Morris’ angry little world revolves only around himself and he will even use his sick friend to try and reach some sort of ego fulfillment. Mr. Morris was offered several reasonable options but refused all attempts to work with us to resolve the situation." I discussed your outlandish statement that I am using a sick friend to boost my ego in Point 3. I discuss the inappropriateness of the options offered in my original post and in Point 2, but I am curious about the phrase that I refused all attempts to work with you? Aside from the disputed conference room option, the only other option offered by the Nags Head Inn was the "pool option," which I discuss in my original post as being a poor option for a cancer patient. What other attempts were made? Please state them clearly. The only other option proposed was the prorating option, which I suggested, and which was quickly dismissed by your staff.

8) You state "Instead of respecting the other guests who were trying to check in and the employees whose only job was to clean his room for the next occupants, he chose instead to try and extort his entire expenditure under a threat of an internet blackmail campaign." I really don't even understand this statement. I came to the logical conclusion in my original post (which you have not refuted and which has been supported by replies from people in the hotel business) that a guest staying late does not mean another guest will not be able to check in. And since we were so generously allowed to pay for another night, the room was obviously not reserved for someone else. And frankly, I don't think we were disrespecting the housekeeping staff by asking that our room be one of the last ones cleaned (if in fact we had been offered an extended check-out). I would like to hear the housekeeping staffs' opinions on that. And I really don't get the extortion/blackmail statement. You already stated that I asked for nothing. By definition, that statement rules out extortion/blackmail. As I said in Point 3, my only motivation for posting the open letter is to alert potential vacationers to the policies of the Nags Head Inn.

9) Finally, you state "Our company policy has been that in those few instances where we did reach an impasse with a guest, that we would usually refund their entire payment with the provision that they not return to our facility. Because of his now fulfilled threat and verbal assault as well as his continuing conduct on other internet sites we have decided not to refund any money ever to Mr. Morris. We are certain that any payment made to him, will only encourage him to attempt other extortions to satisfy his ego. Nothing we can do will ever change Mr. Morris and we will never bow to his attempted extortion and threats." As I mentioned before, I never asked for a refund. (Though since the Better Business Bureau required that I fill out a settlement statement, I told them I would like to see a refund for the ridiculous 3-hour charge, and a significant contribution to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I believe that they have contacted you already.) And I addressed the extortion-though-not-asking-for-anything charge in Point 8. I am, however, extremely curious as to the fulfilled threat and verbal assault. Please state clearly, what was the threat and what was the verbal assault? The non-specific allegations you make throughout your post only serve to weaken your credibility when you do not substantiate them.

In closing, I would greatly appreciate it if you would respond to my comments on a point-by-point basis, speaking specifically to all facts that you feel are in dispute, and backing up all of your allegations with evidence. I would like this discussion to be not an argument of facts, but a referendum on the policies of the Nags Head Inn.


John Morris
Fredericksburg, VA


Nags Head Owner Post #2:
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My firm and I have now been approached by several cancer patients and cancer survivors who are either friends or past customers and a few that know us only by these recent postings. These people have made a personal appeal asking me to do anything within my power to remove all of the posts concerning this situation. They have expressed a great amount of distress over the fact that their plight has become a focal point for a petty dispute. After hearing this appeal, I agree with their position and therefore I have decided to take a unilateral action. In accordance with our normal business practice (as previously stated)it appears that this guest and my management staff have reached an impasse regarding his stay. Therefore I have ordered that he be issued a credit for all monies he spent with us, not just the charge he questions. Also in accordance with that same policy, we must ask that he never again visit our establishmnet. In accordance with the request of those patients we hereby request that Frommer's remove our previous post. We also ask that this one be removed no later than 9/5/04. Unfortunately, as I have explained to those friends and customers, we are not in a position to remove Mr. Morris' posts, that is up to him. My staff and I hereby apologize to anyone who has been offended by any posts, no matter the source, that contain the name of our firm. This is the last post from us on this matter.


My Response:
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As I explained before, the reason for my posts was not to seek a refund, but to ensure that travelers in a situation similar to ours would be informed as to the extended stay policies of the Nags Head Inn. Up to this point, I have heard nothing from the Nags Head Inn to make me believe that these policies have changed in any way. The very fact that you call this a "petty dispute" only serves to strengthen my conviction that you will behave in exactly the same manner the next time a situation like this arises. If it wasn't so downright sad, I would find it quite comical that you now call for the removal of these posts on behalf of cancer patients, when eight weeks ago you wouldn't even let a cancer patient stay in one of your rooms for a few extra hours unless you were paid for the entire day. If I actually believed that you were requesting the removal of these posts for the benefit of cancer patients, rather than the benefit of the Nags Head Inn, I would be more than happy to oblige.

Instead, I suspect that you are chiefly concerned with the bad publicity (and perhaps angry emails and phone calls) that you are receiving. If that is indeed the case, I see no need to remove my letter from any forums, or to discontinue the posting of your policies in other forums. People need to know what to expect when visiting the Nags Head Inn. If, however, you can provide some assurance in this forum that future occurrences of a similar nature will be handled with compassion, caring and class, I will gladly request the removal of my posts. A signed statement documenting how the Nags Head Inn intends to handle similar situations in the future will suffice. (Provided it is an improvement over how these matters are currently handled.) I would suggest granting extended stays, up to four hours and prorated accordingly, to any guest who is noticeably ill and who can provide evidence of a serious medical condition. (Ideally, your guests should merely need to request an extended stay in order to be granted one, but given your current approach, I feel that even these serious restrictions are a vast improvement.) Additionally, an apology to my friend for your callous disregard of her situation and an apology to me for your outlandish accusations of extortion, blackmail and using a sick friend for ego and profit would be a nice gesture.

Finally, while I never expected to receive any compensation from your corporation, if the charges from our previous two nights (to which you are rightly entitled) are refunded, they will be promptly donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. At the very least, this will have made an otherwise regrettable episode somewhat worthwhile.

John Morris
Fredericksburg, VA


To make your own donation, visit http://www.komen.org/intradoc-cgi/idc_cgi_isapi.dll?IdcService=SS_GET_PAGE&nodeId=298