A Facebook user named Jennifer shares an unbelievable experience she had over spring break at the Crown Choice Inn & Suites in Mackinaw City, Michigan. According to Jennifer’s version of events:
- She was going on a spring break adventure with a friend and their five kids, and spent a night at the Crown Choice Inn & Suites, which she says “wasn’t great,” but they were “determined to make the best of it”
- Around 11PM her and her kids went to bed; her son heard water running and discovered that the bathroom was flooding
- At this point Jennifer ran to the front desk, and the man on duty (who claims to be part of the family that owns the hotel) asked if she shut off the valve; she stated that she hadn’t, and was coming for help, as she didn’t know to do so
- The man then states that it’s Jennifer’s responsibility because she refused to turn off the water, and he said he was calling the police to charge her with malicious destruction of property
- At this point she started recording the interaction, and he calls her an “idiot,” a “dumbass,” and then says “start thinking with your mind, okay, stop being a Democrat, a dumb Democrat, go to your room, pack your stuff, and leave”
- The group had to pack up their bags and leave, and they finally found another hotel with availability at around 2:30AM
- Jennifer has waited several weeks before sharing this publicly, to be sure she wasn’t actually being charged with anything
Here’s a video of the portion of the interaction that was captured on tape:
Jennifer even posts the police report:
As you’d expect, this hotel has taken a beating on TripAdvisor, though reviews have now been suspended due to people who haven’t actually stayed at the property.
(Tip of the hat to View from the Wing)
I wonder what happened with the water. Could the same thing happen to your house?
I think since this is a travel site and this happened at a hotel (plus the family owns many hotels and restaurants in that area), this is fine being here. It’s a heads up in case we ever end up there. The only person who made this political is the guy behind the desk, but even if he didn’t make that comment, watch and read what else he said. Read BBB reviews and Google reviews...
I think since this is a travel site and this happened at a hotel (plus the family owns many hotels and restaurants in that area), this is fine being here. It’s a heads up in case we ever end up there. The only person who made this political is the guy behind the desk, but even if he didn’t make that comment, watch and read what else he said. Read BBB reviews and Google reviews for the place, and you’ll see this is not an uncommon experience for travelers there. There’s even a review pre-dating this on Google where someone threatened to call the police on a guest. Btw, local media has a piece where business owners in the town are fed up with them.
Also, when we check into a hotel, who goes into the room and immediately tries to find the shut off valves? Thinking about this now - most hotels I’ve been in have all the plumbing and pipes and stuff covered up.
Lesson learned here: read the reviews (and I guess BBB reviews too) before booking a place.
@Peter - No, please do not pull a TPG and totally eliminate comments. If the comments bother you, just move along.
He's toast.
https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/michigan/2021/05/28/mackinaw-city-hotel-employee-fired-after-yelling-at-guest-in-viral-video/
Do these BS comments help your bottom line, Ben? Because if they don't, seeing this idiotic D/R fight on literally every post has seriously detracted from this blog and ruined the once useful comments section.
Why not just shut it off completely, or make a rule and just delete them (a lot of work!)? It has been a long time since I've read anything extra of value in them.
And you constant political bickerers...
Do these BS comments help your bottom line, Ben? Because if they don't, seeing this idiotic D/R fight on literally every post has seriously detracted from this blog and ruined the once useful comments section.
Why not just shut it off completely, or make a rule and just delete them (a lot of work!)? It has been a long time since I've read anything extra of value in them.
And you constant political bickerers shut up and get a life, omg. It become so you cannot even talk about the weather without one of you idiots from either side bringing this garbage ad nauseam.
@T: nothing said the faucets were left on. Yes it is possible that was the cause. But you jumped from making the assumption to the family at fault and story skeptical because she took her phone with her. Wow. Quite a leap. Maybe she grabbed her phone because she was leaving the other mother in the room with 5 kids of which some were hers. Any parent would do the same. If those left in...
@T: nothing said the faucets were left on. Yes it is possible that was the cause. But you jumped from making the assumption to the family at fault and story skeptical because she took her phone with her. Wow. Quite a leap. Maybe she grabbed her phone because she was leaving the other mother in the room with 5 kids of which some were hers. Any parent would do the same. If those left in the room needed to alert her they shut it down or the floor fell through to the floor below, she would want to know right away.
Perhaps I am wrong, but...if bathroom was flooded - was it because someone forgot to turn off the faucet before going to sleep?...with so many kids around, it is quite possible...
the lady was so upset that she didn't bother to turn off the faucet before running for help, yet she had the presence of mind to take her phone with her and start filming?...color me skeptical...
not saying that the owner was...
Perhaps I am wrong, but...if bathroom was flooded - was it because someone forgot to turn off the faucet before going to sleep?...with so many kids around, it is quite possible...
the lady was so upset that she didn't bother to turn off the faucet before running for help, yet she had the presence of mind to take her phone with her and start filming?...color me skeptical...
not saying that the owner was right - he was not; but something is weird about these guests, too...
You have all been duped. This is an ad for the hotel placed on the NRA and GOP national sites.
Hard to justify that Dems are dumb when almost 80 million voted for one of the most ignorant President the US has seen. Fortunately 84+ million decided having a President dumber than the norm wasn’t working.
I remembered an incident that happened in 2012. I was staying at a hotel in Dubai UAE. I used the toilet early in the morning and went to sleep. I got up after a few hours to the sound of door bell and housekeeping knocking on the door. When I put my feet on the ground there was ankle deep water!! The whole room was flooded and the water had seeped out to the corridor....
I remembered an incident that happened in 2012. I was staying at a hotel in Dubai UAE. I used the toilet early in the morning and went to sleep. I got up after a few hours to the sound of door bell and housekeeping knocking on the door. When I put my feet on the ground there was ankle deep water!! The whole room was flooded and the water had seeped out to the corridor. Seeing this the housekeeping rang the door bell to check on me.I kind of panicked seeing all the water in the room as I was half asleep!!! I went and opened the room door to let the staff in.
The thing is the faucet was not shut and stowed properly by me, once I left the toilet it had apparently fallen off its stand and starting gushing out water.Point to note the faucet was leaking a bit when I checked in and my mistake resulted in this event of flooding.
The housekeeping staff were polite enough to clean up everything and also changed the faucet and I continued my stay at the hotel. I was so happy with the service and response of this hotel that I returned for a longer stay after a few months.
Just wanted to highlight this incident to state that the customer experience is considerably enhanced and polite in Asia and Middle East when compared to the Americas when it comes to resolving situations like these. The hotel staff don't go on a trip like this guy has done at the Michigan hotel that too when it involved a family with young children in the middle of the night.
Uhm, why does it state Bayside Motel on the police report?
Bill,
'Uploading it to the internet before contacting the actual owners of the property (this guy doesn’t own the property) is tacky though."
People like you are exactly why she had to record.
Here are the facts. The man called the police. The police took his side and wrote up a report as if she destroyed property. Not a surprise, the family literally owns the entire town, so the cops work for them.
She...
Bill,
'Uploading it to the internet before contacting the actual owners of the property (this guy doesn’t own the property) is tacky though."
People like you are exactly why she had to record.
Here are the facts. The man called the police. The police took his side and wrote up a report as if she destroyed property. Not a surprise, the family literally owns the entire town, so the cops work for them.
She then waited until the county prosecutor dropped charges to go public. Perhaps showing the prosecutor this video helped her case.
If she didnt have a video, the narrative would have been "established and well known local businessman" vs "angry karen making up an unbelievable story".
Even with video, and years of poor BBB and yelp reviews, you still have people jumping through hoops to defend this disgusting man, because apparently they cant find it possible to believe a woman.
According to Detroit Free Press,
"manager, Benny Lucchese, said, “You rented the room. It’s your bathroom now.” " (Benny's response to BBB that he is GM not just any manager)
"Lucchese, who is a cousin to owners Joe and Enzo Lieghio,"
"the Lieghios own stock in many surrounding hotels"
Just want to remind readers who comment here. I might be overthinking it but consider this.
'Detroit Partnership' and their cousin 'Lucchese'...
According to Detroit Free Press,
"manager, Benny Lucchese, said, “You rented the room. It’s your bathroom now.” " (Benny's response to BBB that he is GM not just any manager)
"Lucchese, who is a cousin to owners Joe and Enzo Lieghio,"
"the Lieghios own stock in many surrounding hotels"
Just want to remind readers who comment here. I might be overthinking it but consider this.
'Detroit Partnership' and their cousin 'Lucchese' (in NY?)
So try to avoid driving in Mackinaw City with a cannoli or they will make you an offer you can't refuse and take the cannoli.
@Endre while I am tired of people whipping out their cameras for every little thing and then trying to paint the dispute in their terms in this situation the guy was threatening to call the cops on her and his behavior was absurd, so she was better off documenting it. Uploading it to the internet before contacting the actual owners of the property (this guy doesn't own the property) is tacky though.
I hope we don't get more of these stories. We already have some travel bloggers out there that focus on the Jerry Springer stories instead of actual travel. Anytime we have a video in these cases it seems to start midway through, so there is probably a lot more to this story than this woman is claiming. That being said the guy who acted this way was out of line and even though he was...
I hope we don't get more of these stories. We already have some travel bloggers out there that focus on the Jerry Springer stories instead of actual travel. Anytime we have a video in these cases it seems to start midway through, so there is probably a lot more to this story than this woman is claiming. That being said the guy who acted this way was out of line and even though he was a cousin of the owners he was not the owner and he was fired after working there for 25 years. The family apparently owns a number of properties in the area according to this woman who claimed she had to drive like an hour to find a place the family didn't own to stay at.
What is it that Americans think they need to record others? Virtue signaling? “He’s the bad guy, I’m just an innocent victim” and then upload the video on social media for the oh-so woke mob to take revenge?
The post would not exist if he said “Dumb republicans”
Kicking out a woman with his small children in the midnight for what?! Bathroom flooding! Looking like having (supposedly) a different political view!
There is no hope for the united States NOT because of this story which in reality has Zipp to do with democrats or republicans.
It's the political comments that I expected that pretty much tells you its no longer possible for the country to figure solutions to genuine problems. The moment people use the word "typical" plus your hated party, you know there is no intelligence in the comment. Same as when they rewrite democrat...
There is no hope for the united States NOT because of this story which in reality has Zipp to do with democrats or republicans.
It's the political comments that I expected that pretty much tells you its no longer possible for the country to figure solutions to genuine problems. The moment people use the word "typical" plus your hated party, you know there is no intelligence in the comment. Same as when they rewrite democrat and republican with dim or repugnant. I mean at least have some originality. Get off social media people and enjoy what's left of your country before Russia or China hacks us out of existence
She and blog posts just gave this hotel free advertising. While 90 percent of the people view this is as a horrible situation, handled by an a*hole, 10 percent will cheer and agree with this guy and make a point to stay at this hotel in the future, which is a huge market share compared to what the property was likely getting. Same with the mechanic and bakery who refused service to homosexuals. You can...
She and blog posts just gave this hotel free advertising. While 90 percent of the people view this is as a horrible situation, handled by an a*hole, 10 percent will cheer and agree with this guy and make a point to stay at this hotel in the future, which is a huge market share compared to what the property was likely getting. Same with the mechanic and bakery who refused service to homosexuals. You can get upset as much as you want, but the very next day, the auto shop's business increased by 45 percent. This is why country clubs who deny admission to certain sexes, colors or religion are the ones most difficult to join, most costly and successful. Look beyond the shock value, this will yield huge, positive results for this business. And I'm not on his side, trust me.
WOW, some of the comments on here! People you don't know what (if any) political affiliation this woman has and does that matter? Would you care if it was a man called a woman a dumb Republican? The fact is, no matter what crap you want to spew, the room and its flaws are the hotel's problem. If the toilet was overflowing, if the sink was overflowing - the hotel needs to respond, not tell...
WOW, some of the comments on here! People you don't know what (if any) political affiliation this woman has and does that matter? Would you care if it was a man called a woman a dumb Republican? The fact is, no matter what crap you want to spew, the room and its flaws are the hotel's problem. If the toilet was overflowing, if the sink was overflowing - the hotel needs to respond, not tell a guest that they "own" it. What has become of you people to write and think such crap? I just don't know when we became enemies of each other.
The manager has since been fired even though he’s related to the owners.
Who she voted for is absolutely nothing to do with what happened.
As to the manager saying she should fix the problem herself - it’s not her property. The hotel is responsible for fixing problems especially a problem that can cause long term damage like water can.
And how can anyone support a hotel that kicks kids out in the middle of the night?
The front desk clerk did the right thing. I hope he was able to charge the credit card for the damages the kids caused. Of course the guest was a democrat. Zero logic.
the place has bed bugs
I don't know if she is a democrat,
but I think it is pretty dumb not to turn off the water immediately
when your bathroom is flooding because you didn't shut your faucet
It is dumber for the front desk employee to waste time arguing with the customer
instead of turning off the water after it is reported.
I don't think it was an intentional harm caused by the customer....
I don't know if she is a democrat,
but I think it is pretty dumb not to turn off the water immediately
when your bathroom is flooding because you didn't shut your faucet
It is dumber for the front desk employee to waste time arguing with the customer
instead of turning off the water after it is reported.
I don't think it was an intentional harm caused by the customer. It was probably a mistake.
However I don't know if the customer can claim that she is completely free of any responsibility.
@rjb - Well done... showing that you have zero idea what "defund the police" means.
rjb writes, "Typical Democrat hypocrite – demand that the police be defunded/disbanded and then when they need help they call the police."
Do you have even a shred of evidence that this woman wants to "defund the police"? Is there even any evidence that she is a Democrat?
Norman Bates was more customer-friendly...
I love the handful of people who play the new GOP card of "you aren't the victim...we are!" Really, FranP, is there "plenty of hate" towards Republicans and First Responders?? I have been both and don't remember anyone calling me a dumb Paramedic or stupid Republican. I also haven't experienced much discrimination for being a white guy either, but in the new GOP where FranP lives in, I AM THE VICTIM!!
I left the GOP...
I love the handful of people who play the new GOP card of "you aren't the victim...we are!" Really, FranP, is there "plenty of hate" towards Republicans and First Responders?? I have been both and don't remember anyone calling me a dumb Paramedic or stupid Republican. I also haven't experienced much discrimination for being a white guy either, but in the new GOP where FranP lives in, I AM THE VICTIM!!
I left the GOP a long time ago. I also hate the way the far left discourages resilience and elevates victimization. Now we have the far right jumping on the same train as the far left...decrying vaccines and constantly claiming that they are victims. This is proof that the Republican party adds zero value to our society! I would love to see those on the left and right fringes join forces and really get the crazy train going!
Overheard from the next door room..... Please somebody, just turn off the water, and stop the camera, put down the phone. Go to bed, it's late.
Where was the water coming from - the bath sink, tub, or toilet? In any case the Sink or Tub have obvious cutoff valves. Not enough info here - was the toilet backed up? Was the sink clogged and overflowing?
Off-topic article pushing a political narrative. This story only went national because it fits the narrative. If it was “dumb republican” we wouldn’t have seen anything on it from OMAAT or elsewhere.
So there's 7 people staying in one room? Obviously didn't pay for 7 because its above the maximum occupancy.
According to the police report the hotel guest says she was verbally assaulted by the hotel staff and desired contact with the police.
Typical Democrat hypocrite - demand that the police be defunded/disbanded and then when they need help they call the police.
Are they going to join any major hotel chains soon?
By the way, For this Sat night the rate is $209+tax. It drops to $79 for the Sun night.
One of the kids screwed up, and I am sure she acted differently before she decided to record the interaction. Still no excuse for the employee to talk like that.
I doubt you would have posted this if someone was being abusive to a Republican or a First Responder. There are plenty of hate out there against those groups.
Once again Ben, I know you think this is a hotel story but stick to travel and not politics.
Kinda wild that Gary's comment section works at this hotel. True coincidence.
Can we please focus on lux travel and let the rest continue with their lives. Nothing new to see here.
This is absolutely appalling. Good luck Mr. Manager finding a any job now that your amazing hospitality and management skills have gone viral. What an ass!
I'm impressed with the response time of the police! According to the photo of the police report posted above, the call came in at 10:49 pm, and the officer arrived at the hotel at 10:54 pm.
Even if the customer were wrong, which appears is not the case, you should be professional. He’s an odious person in the wrong job.
Makes Fawlty Towers look like The Savoy
Stories today say the manager has been fired. But, since he's a cousin of the owners, assuming that's more about trying to let the story fade from the headlines and then he'll be back on the job.
Dumb and Dimocrat is repetitious.
Check out the complaints with the BBB. These guys are a piece of work. Wow.
https://www.bbb.org/us/mi/mackinaw-city/profile/motel/the-crown-choice-inn-and-suites-0372-13002771
Perhaps the police department will charge him with filing a false police report. That's a criminal offense.
I've seen a lot of horrible people online, but I think that man takes the cake on this one.
What a despicable person.
And good thing she recorded it. In a he-said-she-said, people side with the man
I didn't realize that Joe Chivas worked at Crown Choice Inn & Suites.
If he was British, he would be shouting about the metropolitan elite and Remainers. The American equivalent of the type also seems to hate well educated people and use liberal as a term of abuse.
I usually get suspicious when people start to video interactions - it's typically a one sided attempt to shame someone else leaving them no opportunity to defend themself. In this case, regardless of what she may have done to the room, there's no justification for this kind of behavior from a hotel manager.
I don't know hospitality law - was his legal right to evict her after she had paid for the night.
Unfortunately his family appears to own most of the hotels in the area.
Wow... prior to May 2021, headlines of reviews, couple positive review (probably from owner,family, and their friends) and these
Terrible!!!
DON'T GO HERE!!! RUINED ENTIRE VACATION !
Absolutely terrible!
WORST HOTEL WE'VE EVER STAYED IN
What a dump!
Rude Employees, Dirty Hotel
High priced, out dated and dirty rooms!
I found HERION in my room even though management will try to say it was a vitamin
...
Wow... prior to May 2021, headlines of reviews, couple positive review (probably from owner,family, and their friends) and these
Terrible!!!
DON'T GO HERE!!! RUINED ENTIRE VACATION !
Absolutely terrible!
WORST HOTEL WE'VE EVER STAYED IN
What a dump!
Rude Employees, Dirty Hotel
High priced, out dated and dirty rooms!
I found HERION in my room even though management will try to say it was a vitamin
Poor hotel
Terrible place. Will not advise to stay here
Very disappointed
etc etc
That hotel should be fined heavily and that dude should be fired. When people say America is the best country, best at what? This example is one of millions and it's just gotten worse every year especially since 2017.
Charming, customer-oriented fellow with a fresh take on "ownership". I'm sure that his business will be booming after this.
So she is democrat?
Seeing some of the reviews of the hotel before this incident, it seems like a blessing in disguise that TripAdvisor and Yelp have stopped letting people review the hotel.