A trendy Brooklyn hotel generated a flood of cash from Irene, jacking up the price of a room to $999 a night on Saturday as the powerful storm zeroed in on New York, employees said.
Hotel Le Bleu on Fourth Ave. in Park Slope upped the rates from its typical $250 a night as people poured in looking for a dry place to rest.
"It was just because of high demand," said an employee, who would not give her name. "A lot of hotels did that."
But about 10 blocks away, at the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Third Ave., the rates remained unchanged from the usual $240 a night.
An employee at the Fairfield Inn said about 30% of the guests who arrived there Saturday night were people seeking shelter from Irene's torrential rains, but none of them was charged a premium rate.
A Hotel Le Bleu employee reached by phone, who would not give her name, said the high prices didn't slow business at the hotel with the distinctive exterior bathed in blue light.
"If you can pay, then it's on you," she said.
"There was a lady that booked two nights at that rate."
HOTEL LE BLEU OFFICIAL RESPONSE
ReplyDelete**WRITING IN ALL CAPS TO INDICATE OFFICIAL RESPONSE, NOT TO INDICATE YELLING. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PASSIONATE COMMENTS AND NOTES. LET US BE CLEAR THAT WE DID NOT PRICE GOUGE, NOR HAD ANY INTENTION TO DO SO. OUR HOTEL NEVER POSTED A $999 RATE ON OUR WEBSITE OR QUOTED ANY PERSON ON THE PHONE OF SUCH RATE. THIS WAS STRICTLY AN EXPEDIA (AND AFFILIATES) PUBLISHED RATE. WE ARE GOING THROUGH PROPER CHANNELS AT EXPEDIA FOR A PROPER EXPLANATION WHICH CAUSED OUR HOTEL UNNECESSARY SCRUTINY WITH OUR LOYAL GUESTS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE COMMUNITY WE LOVE TO BE PART OF. THE HIGHEST RATE ANY GUEST PAID THIS WEEKEND AT OUR SOLD-OUT HOTEL WAS $269/NIGHT.
WE HAVE TAKEN THE PROACTIVE ACTION TO REACH OUT TO ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE OURSELVES AND THE BOROUGH PRESIDENT'S OFFICE THIS MORNING TO CLEAR UP THE CONFUSION. WE HAVE ALSO SPOKEN TO OREN, THE PUBLISHER OF THIS ARTICLE, AND HE IS CLEAR ON THE MISUNDERSTANDING TOO.
WE HOPE TO CLARIFY FOR OUR LOYAL GUESTS, PRESENT AND FUTURE. WE STRIVE TO THE BEST COMMUNITY PARTNERS IN PARK SLOPE AND THE GREATER BROOKLYN AREA.