Hotel Owner Kicks Out Family Of “Dumb Democrats” That Complained About Flooded Room

Video is circulating of the owner of the Crown Choice Inn & Suites in Mackinaw City, Michigan kicking a woman out of his hotel with her family late at night, after she complains about flooding in her room. A police report is involved.

In video taken by the hotel guest, a man who identifies himself as part of the family that owns the property tells her she’s a “dumb Democrat” for not realizing she becomes responsible for her room’s plumbing once she stays there:

You rented the room, it’s your bathroom now. You’re responsible for the room. Stop being an indiot…Stop being a dumb Democrat. Now go to your room, pack your stuff and leave.

He kicks her out of the hotel, says he’s going to charge for the room and for damage.

According to the woman’s recounting of the incident on Facebook, she brought 5 kids on the trip and stayed at this property the night before planning to visit Mackinac Island.

The family didn’t go to bed until 11 p.m. That’s when the woman’s son “heard water running and discovered the bathroom was flooding.” She ran down to the front desk. The man there wanted to know if she had turned off the water valve. That’s what she was looking for help with. And, she says, that’s what triggered the incident – that the hotel owner believed her failure to immediate turn off the valve made her responsible for any damage.

Police responded. They left the hotel and went in search of another property, but didn’t find one with rooms available until 2:30 a.m.

Apparently this woman isn’t the only one who faced challenges with the Crown Choice Inn & Suites in Mackinaw City, Michigan, because recent TripAdvisor reviews include declarations of “Terrible!” “Absolutely Terrible!” and “BAD NEWS!!!”

(HT: Paul H.)

Update: the manager in the video, who is family with the owners, has been fired. It doesn’t seem like he was doing a very good job in a customer-facing role. (HT: @ceeemn)

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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  1. This reminds me of an episode of travels with my beloved Malie. We often traveled to Toronto and always always stay at the Sheraton Centre downtown, having a preferred room or two. On arrival, I checked us in, then went back to the car to get her and take her and a small bag up to the room before parking and bringing the rest of our stuff. When I came back the 2nd time I was shocked to see a HUGE wet spot on the carpeting, as if a St Bernard (which she is NOT) had gone “wee”. I was horrified. I touched, I sniffed, and considering I’d taken her outside prior to going back to the car i really didn’t believe this was her doing…and yet…how did this happen? and why hadn’t I seen it to begin with? Odd. Worse, I am very responsible, and was afraid the hotel would think we had done this, hold us responsible and possibly think twice before letting us return….But I called down to explain, and in short order staff were on the scene. In the end….our room was next to an alcove that held a soda and ice machine. The floor was on a very slight incline. THE MACHINE had a broken pipe or tube of some sort, and that generated the whole problem. We were switched to another room without any problem or issue.

  2. Unless we know what actually happened(both the sides of the story), there is nothing to comment here

  3. Add another set of properties, that I make sure that my family knows not to stay.

  4. Would be good if she turned out to be a republican!

    Child Services should get involved. It’s unconscionable that a hotel owner would throw kids out in the early hours of the night for something that’s not their fault.

  5. Says the toilet overflowed with water that would not stop running and the guy at the desk told her to use the shut off valve to stop it. She did not know how to do that and went down to the desk to get help. Sorry, Desk Guy, if it takes turning off the shut off valve that is on the hotel, not the guest. That is defective equipment, not guest misuse.

  6. This family owns >20 hotels in that area and are complete trash. The dude is saying she’s responsible to take care of EVERYTHING inside of the hotel room and its her “property” since she paid for it.

    So stupid.

  7. An awful story. Even if the family messed up a good customer service person would work with them and never, never call someone a name. I will say that it does help to know where the toilet shutoff valve is, and in your own home to make sure that it works. When I was visiting my very elderly mother she had a similar problem. It was fortunate that on my last trip there I had unfrozen the valve, which probably hadn’t been touched for 50 years. That saved her from a major bathroom disaster.

  8. @Robin: After reading your comments that said, “HUGE wet spot on the carpeting, as if a St Bernard (which she is NOT) had gone “wee.” I was horrified. I touched, I sniffed… ” When staying at any Sheraton property, for guest safety, I recommend never sniffing the carpet.

  9. This reminds me of a mayor in Texas who told local residents that complaining about water and electricity outages was Socialism and that they should solve the problem themselves. In some people’s warped minds, complaining after not receiving services paid for is Socialism.

  10. @Gary: There is some crucial missing information here. It could be the partial information that you have described a situation where her family left the faucet on, flooding the hotel. That would explain the owner’s comments and make it sensible for him to want ‘the family from hell’ out of there.

  11. Ken A…rest assured, I did NOT sniff the carpet, but my fingertip that I had touched to the carpet. It’s unfortunate that you seem to think all Sheraton’s have poor cleaning standards/dirty carpet. While I don’t know how often they are professionally cleaned, I have seen great care demonstrated by many housekeeping staff at those I have stayed in, and regardless of which hotel chain property it would not be my habit to sniff or get my face close to the carpet enough to sniff it. That is just common sense and doesn’t even need to be mentioned.

  12. @L3
    You’re assuming something that didn’t happen.
    I think Amazing Larry would blame Bernie Sanders.

  13. Well he got one thing right
    Dumb Democrat
    LMAO
    Democrats may be citizens but they sure aren’t Americans

  14. @Bernie…The GQP just prevented a full investigation of the attack on the Capitol wherein police were killed, the VP and members of Congress had their lives put in danger and the bloody flag of treason was flying everywhere. All this to coddle a serial sexual predator who lies about everything and presided over the most deaths in American history during the last year of his hellish tenure.

    It’s obvious you have no concept of what it means to be an American as respect for law and seeking justice are both fundamental and essential.

    The GQP is a cult who will believe anything their Orange Messiah says regardless of objective fact. More than 70% of you believe that the January 6th riot was a bunch of liberals pretending to be Trump supporters all to make der Trumpenfuhrer look bad.

    But we’re the dumb ones and un-American? Now that’s funny.

  15. While the hotel guy is clearly an oaf, I’m not sure that this woman should be travelling with 5 kids if she doesn’t even know how to turn off the water to a bathroom fixture. Reminds me of my boss’ wife who called him out of a meeting one day because her TV wouldn’t turn on.

  16. Dumb Democrats? Bawhahahahahahahahahahahahahahah, yet the guy is showing his low IQ and idiocracy to the whole world. Bawhahahhaah I can’t stop laughing. I feel bad for the woman. I hope she sues the hotel and got some cash for the inconvenience.

  17. Oh Huey sit down you IQ45 moron and just stay silent. You have no idea what that comment meant about the water being broken. You are just as bad as the hotel owner. I stayed at hotels before where the faucets have been broken and would not shut off. I have a PHD and am far from an idiot. Stop victim shaming.and read a book.

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