There are definitely some quirky motels and hotels in the world.
There are some that are intentionally quirky, so you can tell it’s something of a gimmick, making a statement, or part of their brand. Kimpton’s offer of a free tattoo with your stay comes to mind. So does the Marriott hotel in NYC that has naughty topiaries at its rooftop bar.
Then there are the hotels that are quirky because they follow a specific theme. Kentucky Fried Chicken Motel anyone? TWA Hotel? And what about the Clown Motel where, when the owner wanted to sell, part of the contract included that the clowns must stay? (Spoilers: the hotel eventually did sell, and the clowns are still there)
Quirkiness can also be in the form of how hotel owners (or their workers) run their establishment. I mean, the intentionally bizarre responses one of the most popular hotels in West Hollywood gives to poor reviews has been a popular read on Tripadvisor for years.
But we just found out about a quirky hotel that takes the cake…and not in a good way.
It’s an Econo Lodge in Asheville, NC. And yes, I know, I know…some people reading this would never even think of stepping foot in a Econo Lodge. And that’s fine…for them. But some (actually, many) people do (if they didn’t, those lower-end hotels wouldn’t still be in business, right?)
Anyway, as you probably know, it’s under the Choice Hotels umbrella, which is actually one of the largest hotel chains in the world. Their just-shy 7,500 hotels are a variety of 22 brands of hotels that run the gamut from “economy” to “upscale.”
But Econo Lodge? Definitely more economy. Their hotel category is “Travel Simply.” Cute.
So, about this Econo Lodge in Asheville. Here’s its page on Choice’s website. It doesn’t get great reviews. It averages a 2.9 (out of 5) on Tripadvisor and is rated the #8 hotel in town (don’t get excited – it’s out of 10 hotels. #8 of 10). Common complaints include dirt, grime and poor maintenance (and my favorite – an arrest inside the hotel-local police said they’re there “often.” Nice.)
But here’s the kicker – wait ’til you hear about their rules for using points to book a hotel!
Choice Hotels’ points program is called Choice Privileges. Choice Privileges members can earn points that can be used toward free stays at all 22 brands, including Econo Lodge. You can also cash in your points for free nights at participating Preferred Hotels & Resorts properties and more than 20 casino hotels and resorts.
Nerdwallet pegs Choice Privileges points at about 0.8 cent each.
So, Who Can Use Points?
So, this Econo Lodge does accept points for payment. But if you look at their website, way down at the bottom, they’ve got the following caveat:
Hotel alerts
That boldface is mine, for emphasis. But can you believe that? You can’t use points unless you’re 80 years old. And…AND…military personnel.
Can anybody tell me how many active military members (because they don’t say “retired” military – they say “military personnel; that suggests ACTIVE military) there are out there who are age 80+? ARE there any? Don’t they have a required retirement age of like, 62 or something?
So in other words, they really don’t accept points.
Well, their website does. Although their prices for cash vary here and there, they apparently offer all their rooms for 8,000 points, every night of the year.
Which, of course, they can do when there’s virtually nobody eligible to use points.
We’re pretty sure that at least one complaint on Tripadvisor was because of this issue:
Are they allowed to do this?
Apparently so.
After conducting some research, I found a letter that someone had received from Choice Hotels. Apparently, they had written to corporate because the hotel wouldn’t let them stay on points because they were under 80.
The letter detailed that they had confirmed with the Econo Lodge Biltmore, in Asheville NC, that guests had to be 80 years old and military personnel in order to redeem points. They also added that, “each hotel is individually owned and operated; therefore they can establish policies we cannot overrule.”
Well, isn’t that a nice kettle of fish?
I suppose that when franchisees open a hotel, they agree to certain things, such as the look of the hotel, and I guess agreeing to accept points. But maybe there’s no requirements on the RULES of accepting points.
Is This Even Legal?
I have no idea. One would think the age requirement would be some sort of age discrimination.
But then again, it’s a crappy hotel with crappy reviews that makes it the #8 of 10 hotels in a pretty small town. Who’s going to file a lawsuit about age discrimination for that?
Which is probably exactly what the hotel owner figures.
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