Homeless? No room at the inn.
Matt Senge wanted to help Wilmington, Delaware homeless people living under a bridge. He booked a hotel suite for Christmas day to
get them out of the cold:
Senge wrapped the confirmation e-mail in a red bow and delivered it to the two men, a woman, and her three children underneath the Amtrak bridge to let them know they would have a warm place to sleep on Christmas night.
A thoughtful gesture made in the spirit of the holiday. Unfortunately, the management at the Hotel du Pont had second thoughts:
But three hours before check-in time on Christmas Day, Matt's phone rang. It was a staffer at the Hotel du Pont calling to cancel the reservation.
"He said verbatim, 'What if one of those people rapes or robs one of my guests?' So I guess you have to be homeless to rape or rob somebody. I was devastated," said Senge.
The hotel defended their decision saying the homeless guests did not have proper photo ID, something Senge refutes.
As the story gained attention in the Wilmington area and nationwide, Hilton's Christiana Hotel management in Wilmington is stepping in:
In response to WDEL's exclusive story about the Hotel du Pont canceling a reservation for the homeless on Christmas, the Christiana Hilton is offering 10 rooms to the homeless tonight to beat the freezing cold temperatures.
"I would provide dinner and breakfast for them, I would give them a hospitality room where they could relax and now feel like they have to stay in the room all night, make them as comfortable as possible," said hotel manager Brad Wenger.
Wenger said the Hotel du Pont's decision not to honor a reservation for the homeless casts a black mark on the hospitality industry that they must rise above.
Bravo to Brad Wenger and the Christiana Hotel! With frigid temperatures across the country, wouldn't it be nice if other hotels followed their lead?