Hey, maybe I am just old-fashioned, and not “with it” by the standards of the “new modern cultural America”, the culture that makes this treatment okay.

If I am, I prefer to stay old-fashioned, because I can not accept this type of behavior.

So , count me as an old fashioned, big hearted, kind ol’
southern gal, and save me from the “modern culture” that thinks this
treatment IS acceptable.

I actually like Marietta. I usually stop there for a meal or a night’s rest when driving South. But there’s a definite feeling of recognition when I arrive in town. Coming down from the mountains, a Northern suburban guy like me feels he’s in a different cultural environment. I’m “somewhere else.” South of Atlanta, where the pine forests start, I’m again “somewhere else.” [When Atlanta was seeking a city motto, someone waggishly proposed "Mountains to the north; mullets to the south."] But when I arrive in Marietta, I’m home again.

My husband and myself came across this recently when trying to contact a friend. We too had everything we owned in a car.

This person even went so far as to tell our partner that we checked out. When we hadn’t. He refused to connect our calls with one another. This was our new job/partnership. Was by luck, grace or whatever you wish to call it we found our partner and all was well. ( People are alot more resourceful than we give ourselves credit for. )

Yet there are rare instances everywhere that those who depend on the tourist trade and one time through travelers really do prey upon those least able to tell them to shove it no matter where they are from.

Many times this can be handled by calling the corperate headquarters. Although it is an independent establishment, they can loose their franchising over such actions.

In Tallahassee, hotels kicked “refugees” out of their rooms in order to make room for people coming to watch the FSU versus Miami football game.

”We have to let them know what’s going on in town and they’re going to have to leave,” said Angie Rayman, manager at the Howard Johnson. “Many of them are trying to get closer to home anyway.”

She also blogged about the refugees in the local shelters/centers (which are being closed in favor of larger shelters), and what the emergency personnel are currently doing for them. It seems that Texan civilians (not hotel owners/staff though) are compassionate, generous, and giving. Many are volunteering their time, scouring cupboards and wardrobes for clothing and goods that many of these refugees lost or left behind.

It seems the hotel has a bit of a reputaion already.