Can a hotel ask a difficult
guest not to return?
By Tara L. Lattomus
If you’ve been in the hospitality
industry long enough and have
any involvement with the dayto-day operations of a hotel,
you’ve probably encountered the
difficult guest. You know the one.
The guest that has a long list of
complaints and is never happy, no
matter how accommodating you are
and how many ways you attempt to
address the complaints, the guest
is never happy. If really agitated,
the guest may even threaten legal
action or to involve the media
(social and/or mainstream).
32 ILHA
Once a difficult guest finally leaves,
can a hotel tell them to “get out
and stay out”? Maybe, but with
caution.
What is clear is that antidiscrimination statutes prevent
a hotel from refusing service to
a guest based upon a number of
protected classes. Under federal
law, public accommodations cannot
discriminate against or segregate
guests based upon race, color,
religion or national origin. Public
accommodations include inns,
hotels and motels. The Americans
with Disabilities Act also prohibits
discrimination based upon
disabilities. In addition, the states
have individual anti-discrimination
laws that cover discrimination
based upon other characteristics.
Delaware, for example, also
includes age, marital status, creed,
sex, sexual orientation and gender
identity.
But even guests who are not
members of a protected class
may find protection under the