A woman has claimed she was asked to leave a hotel after struggling to pay a £1.20 charge. Margaret Jones says that she was left stranded when staff members at the Britannia Hotel on Portland Street, Manchester, said that she was unable to pay the small amount with cash.
The 63-year-old travelled from Lincolnshire to the hotel on Thursday, January 2, and arrived at around 9pm. When she tried to check-in, Margaret, who has mobility issues and memory loss, claims she was informed by reception staff that she would be required to pay the £1.20 ‘tourist tax’ on top of her booking upon arrival.
She told the Manchester Evening News that due to her memory loss, she is unable to remember her pin numbers and so prefers to pay in cash where possible. Not being able to do so can lead to panic attacks, she said.
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Margaret told hotel staff that she could pay for the City Visitor Charge levy with cash, but she was allegedly told she must pay by card. She said: “I don’t like using my card, normally I carry cash all the time.
“I’m reluctant to use my cards because I don’t remember my PIN numbers. I know where I stand with cash, my cards all look the same so I often forget which card I’m using.”
Margaret had not been aware of the charge but was not against paying it. But she claimed staff at the hotel were ‘unwilling’ to help her pay with a card alternative.
She said: “I gave them £1.50 in cash and they refused it. They told me they don’t take cash, and I explained about my mental impairment, but they didn’t seem to want to listen.”
Margaret, who uses a mobility walker, alleged she was then told by staff that she would need to leave the hotel if she couldn’t pay the levy by card. She said: “I tried to use one of my cards and it wanted my PIN number.
“They told me that I couldn’t have my room and I couldn’t stay there. They actually turned me away from the building – I was pretty much left stranded in the freezing cold. I didn’t know what to do – I was shaking and crying.”
Margaret stood outside the hotel for around 15 minutes, before a friend offered to pay the levy via the internet or over the phone, she claims. This offer was allegedly refused by staff.
She continued: “They said it was too late to use the internet to pay for any bookings and they wouldn’t take payment over the phone. I’ve offered cash, payment by phone or the internet, and they wouldn’t accept any of it. They didn’t seem to care.”
After some time, Margaret said she found a card that would accept a tap payment without requiring a PIN and she was able to pay the fee and granted access to her booking for the night. However, the stressful experience has left her feeling anxious and embarrassed.
“It’s ludicrous,” she said. “I thought cash was legal tender. I told them I was at another Britannia hotel a few months ago and had no issues and they just said ‘well, different hotels have different rules’. Maybe I’m being too old-fashioned, but surely there’s a way of collecting the fee in cash or something? Not everybody has cards.
“I don’t mind paying the £1.20 city fee but when I’ve already paid for a room and to be told I can’t stay there and turned away in the cold, I think there’s something seriously wrong with that.
“I had no way of getting back to Lincolnshire. If they do this to disabled people, what are they doing to other people? They could see that I had mobility issues and they were prepared to let someone, who paid outright for their room, leave in the freezing cold.
“It just showed to me that they weren’t really geared up for disabled people. Sadly, you get used to things like this happening on a regular basis and I think that’s wrong.”
The Manchester Evening News has approached Britannia Hotels and Manchester Accommodation BID for comment.