Kicked Out of a Motel for Charging at 12 Amps

[dtich]

Its obvious what is going on here. At some point, the owner brought in an electrician and the electrician said the place was a deathtrap and needs some major work done on the wiring/breakers/panels. He didn't want to spend the money, so he's making sure no one pushes the electrical loads even a little bit. You might want to send in a tip to the city's code enforcement dept., you might end up saving someone's life from an electrical fire. Not only is your experience suspicious, but that other trip advisor or whatever story about breakers tripping is a real red flag.

EXACTLY MY THOUGHTS...

i tried to leave feedback on their site but the php for form submission is disabled even though the page is active.... very squirrely couple. steer. clear.

thanks for the story!

 

[bollar]

Before they went independent, they were an Econo Lodge (Choice Hotels) franchisee. I expect the owners' desire to run the property and treat the customers "their way" was a contributor to their departure.

 

[Beavis]

Appreciate the heads up. I've been to Salida many times but always camped. Salida is actually a very nice town and a great place to do some hiking, mountain biking, or rafting so don't let this one hotel owner scare you off. People are very friendly.

Also nice to know that I can get there with 107 miles of range remaining.

 

[dbfish]

What a horrible ordeal - some interested owners would be well advised to call ahead, secure a hotel in Salida, CO with at least 30amp charging from a dryer outlet, and make that the exclusive Tesla Owners Preferred(TM) Hotel Option? I've been cataloging hotels recommended from other Tesla owners here - http://dcubed.com/evmap/

 

[DFibRL8R]

I recently booked a stay at a hotel in Florida where I was attending a conference. The hotel didn't have a charging station, and there were no public charging stations for at least 50 miles. Before I booked my reservation, I spoke to the hotel manager and the building engineer and received an assurance that I would be able to plug into a 120V outlet in their parking garage for the full length of my stay. When I arrived, the building engineer showed me where to park in the garage, and even gave me orange cones to use to block the space, in case I left the hotel for dinner and wanted to get the same space back. First class operation. Had they not been cooperative before I booked my reservation, I probably would have stayed elsewhere.

This to me is the key point to this bad experience. Call and speak to a manager BEFORE booking the room with the understanding that if they can't accommodate your needs, they don't get your business. Why chance it? Don't make a reservation unless you get assurance of availability of charging. And make sure you write down the name of whoever says yes because that might not be the person on site when you show up. The hotel industry is a service industry and most nicer places typically do anything they can to accommodate a customer (with some unfortunate exceptions).

 

[montgom626]

The fellow was a a jerk. You failed to ask to use the outlet. I always ask before I book.

 

[Cosmacelf]

@Al, just curious, why does a Bass boat need to be plugged in?

 

[NigelM]

Sad experience for the OP, but the lesson to everyone is to do everything to get permission before you plug in anywhere.

I'm not going to excuse the behavior of the Motel owners but from reading the thread it looks like they maybe have had electrical problems, who knows if business is bad and what their financial situation might be, and maybe they regarded plugging in as stealing without realizing how little power the OP was actually drawing. Of course, the motel owners overall attitude is probably why they are in such a state in the first place.

 

[Lloyd]

@Al, just curious, why does a Bass boat need to be plugged in?

Trolling motor batteries.

 

[bluetinc]

Hey GlennAlanBerry,

That's a terrible situation. The entire situation (after the first request for you to unplug) was completely uncalled for a fully deserves a terrible review. Also, providing that you are using a quality extension cord (12 gauge or so) then using it is not an issue. The only thing you should have done (as you note) is ask upon arriving.

My personal experiences at hotels/motels have been fantastic, and I've probably used over 20 all over the country in the last six months. I usually don't book ahead or ask about EV charging, rather I wait until I make it to the town I'm going to, find a hotel, scope out outlets, and then walk inside an ask to get a room (saying I would like to get a room tonight but, I do have an electric car that I need to plug in, would it be ok if I plug it into your outlet). Usually this is just approved on the spot or after a quick check with their manager, sometimes the staff wants to come out and see that there really is an outlet as they didn't even realize one was there and/or just see the car. I've found this to be a much easier thing than trying to explain outlets and how my car can actually plug into a regular outlet via email or the phone. I also view doing this a good for the EV movement because it shows the hotel staff that there really is a direct need for charging from their customers. Of course I'm ok flying by the seat of my pants a bit on most trips also...

Peter

 

[ZBB]

What a horrible ordeal - some interested owners would be well advised to call ahead, secure a hotel in Salida, CO with at least 30amp charging from a dryer outlet, and make that the exclusive Tesla Owners Preferred(TM) Hotel Option? I've been cataloging hotels recommended from other Tesla owners here - http://dcubed.com/evmap/

Just curious -- any way to get a listing of the hotels vs points on the map? For some reason, the points don't give me any info when I hover over them -- so its not very useful...

 

[Eikrokei]

Just curious -- any way to get a listing of the hotels vs points on the map? For some reason, the points don't give me any info when I hover over them -- so its not very useful...

You have to left click on the points.

 

[ZBB]

You have to left click on the points.

Doesn't work either. I'm using Safari on OS X...

 

[twinklejet]

You should go ahead and write that review. Other potential guests (like myself) would appreciate your honesty.

 

[Crispix]

Funny, after looking at TripAdvisor and reading all the lousy reviews for that place, now I'm getting special offer emails (via TripAdvisor) for other Salida Hotels. Sneaky, and a bit disconcerting.

 

[GlennAlanBerry]

I have written the review, but it has not gone live yet on Trip Advisor.

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I have actually gotten a very nice e-mail response from one of the City Council members in Salida about this incident, that seems very genuine and heartfelt.

I have encouraged him to post something here, so perhaps he will. As I have said several times, Salida is a very nice place to visit, and I definitely plan on going back in the future.

 

[Brit4864]

Yes, it is interesting to read the Trip Advisor reviews, sorted by worst to best, and then read Elizabeth's responses to the negative reviews. http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...nn_Suites_Salida-Salida_Colorado.html#REVIEWS

I really appreciate the support and kind words from so many TMC members. Thanks!

It could have been worse. You might have ended up here instead... :wink:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcliR8kAbzc

 

[kendallpb]

I recently booked a stay at a hotel in Florida where I was attending a conference. The hotel didn't have a charging station, and there were no public charging stations for at least 50 miles. Before I booked my reservation, I spoke to the hotel manager and the building engineer and received an assurance that I would be able to plug into a 120V outlet in their parking garage for the full length of my stay. When I arrived, the building engineer showed me where to park in the garage, and even gave me orange cones to use to block the space, in case I left the hotel for dinner and wanted to get the same space back. First class operation. Had they not been cooperative before I booked my reservation, I probably would have stayed elsewhere.

I had a similar experience at a Holiday Inn in Raleigh. Their outdoor outlet didn't work, unfortunately (or at least, I could charge at it--red ring), but I really appreciated their willingness to set me up.

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Vacuum Cleaner

Thanks; I'm a power moron, so I wasn't sure what type of appliance would be a good analogy.

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Doesn't work either. I'm using Safari on OS X...

A regular/primary click works for me--using Safari on MacOS X--like any Google map with POIs on it. Make sure you're doing a regular/primary click, not a secondary/control-click. (Eikrokei said "left click" but if you've swapped the left/right on your mouse, that could be misleading; we have a few people at work who do that and I get so confused using their computers.)

 

[ZBB]

A regular/primary click works for me--using Safari on MacOS X--like any Google map with POIs on it. Make sure you're doing a regular/primary click, not a secondary/control-click. (Eikrokei said "left click" but if you've swapped the left/right on your mouse, that could be misleading; we have a few people at work who do that and I get so confused using their computers.)

Strange... For me, I only get the little hand pointer - so clicking on any of the hotel points just moves the map (if I move my finger on the trackpad while clicking). A regular single click does nothing, and the hand never changes back to a regular pointer arrow.

 

[markb1]

Sad experience for the OP, but the lesson to everyone is to do everything to get permission before you plug in anywhere.

Nah, easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. I think this case is the exception.