Hotel Review: Scottish Inns and Suites Memphis violates state and federal access law for guide dogs
On my recent trip to Pigeon Forge with my parents, we planned our way home to include overnight stops in Nashville and Memphis. As we arrived just outside of Memphis, we stopped at a burger restaurant to have lunch. While I ate lunch, I reflected on how good the trip had been as far as accessibility with my Seeing Eye Dog Boise. In the previous six days, I had not experienced even one question about my right to access any of the many hotels, shows, restaurants, and shops that we had visited.

Well, I spoke too soon.

When we got into Memphis, our sole destination was Graceland. We wanted a hotel that was nearby and found the Scottish Inns and Suites on Elvis Presley Boulevard. Initially, it seemed like a good idea. However, after my mom came back to the car, she told Pop and I how much the room had cost, “Plus $15 for Boise.” I was incredulous. Mom said she had told the woman who checked her in that he was a guide dog, but she was told that this didn‘t matter, it was the hotel’s policy. Mom had asked to speak to the owner, but was told he was out of the country. I made plans to go to the office and talk to the manager about this matter. While this may not have been discrimination, it was illegal.

It is illegal in all 50 states to charge a deposit or fee for a blind person who is traveling with a guide dog to have access to housing accommodations. I did a little research to find the specific state law regarding this matter and had Mom write it down for me.

I later went to the office and spoke to Ms. Patel, the manager on duty, who was the same woman who had charged Mom the fee. She was on the phone, talking in what appeared to be a personal conversation. I introduced myself, presenting my Seeing Eye identification card, and requested she refund the money. I handed her the piece of paper with the Tennessee state law regarding access and advised her that she was breaking the law. She seemed genuinely surprised and replied, “No, I’m not. It is the hotel’s policy, not mine.” She pointed to a sign on the desk as her point of reference. My dad was with me and read the sign aloud. It was the hotel’s pet policy, which stated that they were a “pet-friendly” hotel and gave the quoted rate of $15 per night for people to have their pets in their rooms.

I pointed out to Ms. Patel that Boise was a service dog, not a pet, and was covered in the state law I had just informed her about, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act. I advised her that she was breaking state and federal laws by charging this fee and again requested that she refund the $15 to my mother. I also advised her that as an official agent of the hotel, she would be personally named in any complaint I filed.

Ms. Patel said she would need to talk to somebody and to see her when we checked out in the morning. While I was still standing there, she then picked up the phone and went back to her conversation, ignoring anything else I had to say and apparently disregarding what I had just said.

When my father and I arrived in the office in the morning, the night manager was still on duty. She had no knowledge about what had transpired or that we were due a reply or the $15 fee. She pressed a button on the phone and then left out a side door. A few moments later, she reappeared and said, “I’m going to go ahead and refund you the money.” She did require that I write and sign a receipt for the money, which I did.

My complaint against this hotel is two-fold. First, the woman who is the manager should know the laws regarding service dog access. This is the 21st century and this is not a new concept. The Seeing Eye has been providing their dogs to American citizens for about 80 years.

Secondly, when informed of the law, she shouldn’t have acted so unconcerned and nonchalant. If informed that they are breaking the law, I would think most people would look into it immediately, not put it off without looking into it. She shouldn’t have charged the fee in the first place, but when she was advised by somebody who has an obvious reason to be more versed on access laws, she should give some credence to what they are saying.

One may ask why I didn’t file a complaint with the hotel. There was a sign inside our room that stated that each hotel is privately owned and operated. So, while it may appear that this is part of a national chain, it is only a privately owned franchise and the corporate headquarters are hard to find for Scottish Inns and Suites. On a previous trip, I encountered similar access problems at a national chain. A follow-up letter to the President of the company produced a very apologetic phone call from the affected hotel’s manager and a voucher for a free night’s stay at any of the hotel’s nation-wide locations. More than that, it caused that manager to train his staff on the law at what is traditionally a “No pets” hotel.

I had considered writing the owner of this hotel and air my complaints about this situation to him. However, being he was out of the country, and the night manager informed me that he “basically lives in Scotland,” I assumed that he would not be concerned what had transpired in what was only an apparent business investment for him.

While I achieved the resolution I was seeking in the refund, I shouldn’t have had to ask for it, much less fight for it. It is illegal for any hotel to do this and just because they give the money back doesn’t make it right that they did it in the first place. Anybody with a service or assistance dog should avoid this hotel at all costs. I have a feeling that the money was refunded to me only to get me to shut up and go away. Well, I went away, but I’m not being quiet about it.

OGV