Hotel guests petitioning for justice experienced hostility, not hospitality.
 
Minneapolis, Minn.- The relationship between Extended Stay America Hotels (“ESA”) and their guests has taken an unexpected turn. What was once a promise of hospitality has now become a battle for justice.

Extended Stay America launched the STAY Awhile initiative, enticing guests with the promise of extended stays and cost savings, “Whatever your reason for being away from home, we give you more reasons to STAY Awhile. And remember-the longer you stay, the more you save.” However, recent eviction actions filed by ESA Management, LLC have left guests feeling anything but welcome, with some guests facing alleged balances of tens of thousands of dollars. Despite paying rent, they find themselves targeted for eviction. 

Many guests at ESA are not transient occupants. A guest must have occupied the premises for a minimum of 30 days before they are eligible for tax exemption. Guests eligible for tax exemption are asked to enter into a lease agreement (also known as “the tax exempt form”), namely, the “STAY AGREEMENT” where the tax exempt daily room rate is also specified and agreed upon. 

The Legal Landscape:
Minnesota law recognizes the rights of families and individuals who reside in hotels as their primary place of residence. These guests are entitled to certain tenant protections, including eviction notices for non-payment of rent. However, the situation at Extended Stay America deviates from the norm. 

Here are some concerning issues faced by guests:

Guests have reported being locked out of their rooms until payment is made, deemed a no show after having paid and the hotel refusing to issue a refund, unauthorized transactions being made during the night, and even finding credit cards maxed out or bank accounts emptied by morning. Concerns over potential fraud have been met with dismissive responses from Matannah Claridge, the District Manager of Extended Stay America for Minneapolis, Minnesota and Des Moines, Iowa.

During a phone call with a guest that had concerns about an unauthorized transaction attempt on their card in the middle of the night, Claridge claimed she was unable to locate the transaction of concern having allegedly "looked in three different places." It was difficult to maintain focus on the issue of potential fraudulent activity. Claridge was reluctant to stray from her demands for payment and subsequently altered the transactions of concern, prior to delivering the guest’s requested account transactions activity history enclosed in a Microsoft Word document, via email.

Claridge's lack of transparency in addressing guest concerns, alterations to transaction records, and confusing, extensive folios with sudden increases in balances have only added to the guests' distress. The hotel's sophisticated point-of-sale system, intended for streamlining operations, has been misused to exploit vulnerable individuals.

Guest Experiences:
Here are some firsthand accounts from guests at Extended Stay America: 

“…they are trying to evict me and others for non-payment, but the amount they are asking for is not correct. I’ve been dealing with this for 2 months…” - K.T 

“You couldn’t pay me enough money in the world to knowingly do this to people. They treat animals better than guests. Having the sheriff’s office come was so sad. To do that to a 70 year old man is unforgivable.” - T.P 

“We just lost our house to COVID, to now be dealing with all this is just so stressful.” - anonymous 

Frustrated guests have raised their voices against what they perceive as a form of financial exploitation by Extended Stay America, leading to homelessness for those already facing financial difficulties. It is crucial that attention be drawn to these unethical practices and criminal activities that are impacting innocent individuals in our community.