Soldier is refused room at hotel


A soldier home on leave after being injured in Afghanistan was refused
a room by a hotel when he showed his military ID card at reception.

Corporal Tomos Stringer, 23, from Gwynedd, was visiting a wounded
colleague in Surrey when he was turned away from the Metro Hotel in
Woking.

He spent the night in his car after being told it was management
policy not to accept military personnel. 

The hotel has apologised, describing the incident as "a mistake".

Cpl Stringer, of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, The Royal Logistic
Corps, has since returned to Afghanistan but his mother, Gaynor
Stringer, said he remains angry at the incident.

She said her son broke his wrist after jumping out of his wagon in
Afghanistan. He was treated at a field hospital but was brought back
to have it re-set and was on four weeks recovery leave when he decided
to visit his friend in June.

Gaynor Stringer speaks of her anger at the way her son was treated

Mrs Stringer, who lives at Pentrefelin, near Criccieth, said: "I can't
believe this has happened to one of our soldiers in his own country.
He just didn't know how to react.

"We've been to America and their military get treated like heroes over
there.

"I think it's terrible they [UK service personnel] can't even wear
their uniform with pride."

Defence Minister Derek Twigg said: "This case is especially egregious
given that the individual concerned was on injury leave from
Afghanistan and visiting an injured colleague.

The 23-year-old had broken his wrist jumping from his army wagon

"The government and, it is fair to say, the vast majority of people in
this country, hold the professionalism, courage and contribution made
by all those who serve, and have served in the armed forces in very
high regard.

"I am delighted that the armed forces generally enjoy immense respect
and gratitude on the part of the nation and that contrary sentiments
are rare, though evidently they exist."

Caernarfon MP Hywel Williams said he intended to take the matter
further when he had a reply to his letter to the hotel.

He said: "I was astonished when I heard the story from Mrs Stringer. I
can't see why any hotel would want to refuse accommodation to a
serving member of the armed forces anyway.

"Tomos was not in his uniform, he was a traveller like anyone else."

The Metro Hotel is owned by a company called American Amusements Ltd,
also based in Woking. It apologised, describing the incident as "a
mistake",



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7596798.stm

"Herbie" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
news:iek0c4du0b0lruop71gq7cvv5pvh5kc2eu@4ax.com...
>
> Soldier is refused room at hotel
>
>
> A soldier home on leave after being injured in Afghanistan was refused
> a room by a hotel when he showed his military ID card at reception.
>
<snip>
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7596798.stm

One has to wonder what they were thinking, but, as William Black remarked in 
alt.history.british, anyone working a hotel desk in Woking in the wee hours 
"is not going to be the sharpest knife in the drawer."
-- 
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

"Andrew Chaplin"  wrote in message 
news:NcmdndorZc_hcl3VnZ2dnUVZ_umdnZ2d@giganews.com...
> "Herbie" <invalid@invalid.invalid> wrote in message 
> news:iek0c4du0b0lruop71gq7cvv5pvh5kc2eu@4ax.com...
>>
>> Soldier is refused room at hotel
>>
>>
>> A soldier home on leave after being injured in Afghanistan was refused
>> a room by a hotel when he showed his military ID card at reception.
>>
> <snip>
>>
>> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/7596798.stm
>
> One has to wonder what they were thinking, but, as William Black remarked 
> in alt.history.british, anyone working a hotel desk in Woking in the wee 
> hours "is not going to be the sharpest knife in the drawer."


I'm fucking outraged about this. I wonder what would happen if they tried to 
turn away someone with a reservation because they were gay, or disabled, or 
(whisper it) muslim? Come to think of it, could it by any chance be the case 
that the culprit was muslim?

The bit that really fucks me off is that they are now apologising and 
blaming it on the receptionist, which means that nothing happens to anybody, 
and the hotel, which I'd never heard of before, gets a bit of free 
publicity. Now either the receptionist had been told "No squaddies", or he 
did it off his own bat, in either case there are questions which need 
answering.

I wish I had a reservation there so I could cancel it. If it had been me I 
would have made them get the manager, at the very least he should have got 
either the room he booked and presumably paid for in advance, or his money 
refunded. I would have bedded down in reception before I would have slept in 
the car. I hope a bunch of squaddies go round there and put all their 
windows in. Wankers.

Steve