just thought soem of you might get a kick out of the events some of us
endured at the ramada at the MI show.  If you were displaced, plase write!
 
Pam
 
 
The Ferrets of Pet Pals
Rescue & Adoption Service
7402 Joseph Court     Annandale, Virginia     22003    703-354-5073
Internet:   [log in to unmask]
HFS - Ramada
Steven Belmonte
President of Ramada
339 Jefferson Rd, PO Box 278
Parsippany, NJ 07054-0278
201-428-9700
June 12, 1996
Dear  Mr. Belmonte,
 
I am writing to tell you of a recent experience I had at one of your Ramada
hotels.  Please give it serious attention.
 
Sometime back in April or May of this year, I decided to attend a Ferret
Show (similar to a cat show) being organized by the Great Lakes Ferret
Association, in Michigan.  I used my Price Costco membership to reserve a
room at the Romulus Ramada outside Detroit, 8270 Wickham Rd, which was the
location of the show itself.
 
I arrived around 3:30 PM on June 7.  The people behind the desk were
pleasant, admired my Master Card which has a picture of a ferret on it, set
me up in a room exactly as I had reserved it (ground level, king size bed,
non-smoking) and told me which door was nearest my room for bringing in my
ferrets.  I noticed a lot of my friends had already checked in.
 
An hour later, I'm chatting with friends in the lobby when a desk person
asks another ferret person to come talk with her.  I thought there might be
a problem with having a dog in the room since she had one and it was not a
"caged" animal.  My husband goes to assist this ferret person when she has a
look of distress on her face.
 
It appeared that the Management had a sudden change of heart with having ANY
animals in the hotel rooms.  Even though the conference rooms were booked to
have a pet show, and special room rates were given to guests stating they
were with the ferret show, the General Manager, Irvin Earnshaw, said he
didn't think people would have animals in their rooms.  How absurd!
 
We asked to see the regulation book which he said stated a no pets policy
for his "type" of hotel in Michigan, but he refused to produce it.  He
threatened to call the police - we should have let him - if we did not
vacate our rooms and move to the hotel next door.  Mr. Earnshaw said the
same man who "owned" the Ramada also owned the Villager Lodge and we would
get the same room rates there and they would welcome our pets.
 
I can't say how many of us moved out in the next hour, but I will say the
rooms at the Villager were nicer with the added touch of the refrigerators
and the doors opening to the parking lot rather than a sterile hallway.
They also had a sign in each room saying "no pets", but obviously an
exception was being made for the ferret show participants.  I refused to buy
food or drinks at the Ramada the next day while attending the show.  My
ferret took best in the Silver Specialty and again took best in the Alter
Championship Class.
 
I have traveled all over the Eastern part of the country to attend ferret
shows.  Ramadas have been used many times for rooms as well as providing the
halls for the events themselves.  But I have NEVER been treated so poorly.
We made no secret about our pets, all the reservations and room occupations
were very above board.  It is also my understanding that the conference
rooms were double booked, and the other groups who had come after the ferret
show contract date had to be moved to hotels across the street.  I was also
unable to get the name of the "owner", other than Joe (because he liked his
employees to call him by his first name).  If this is the way you like your
hotels run, then I will be taking my business elsewhere.
 
I would like an investigation on your part into why we were evicted from a
Ramada hotel AFTER we were checked in.  If there was a no pets policy, why
was the front desk staff completely unaware of it?  Why was the Great Lakes
Ferret Association allowed to have a block of rooms reserved for show
participants if pets were not allowed?  Why was the show hall double booked,
and the GLFA having to negotiate until midnight to secure the space they had
paid for and reserved by contract months before?  Who's idea was it to
suddenly not allow ferrets and is that person still involved with Ramada?
 
I'm sure you will be hearing from a lot of other ferret people who were at
the show and treated the same as myself.  I will be posting your name,
address and phone number on the Internet, as well as sending copies of this
letter to the GLFA, the Ramada in question, and "Joe".
 
Ferrets became legal pets to own in Michigan in 1994.  They are to be
treated with the same respect as dogs and cats.  Their owners should be
accorded the same courtesies as any other human being.  I would appreciate
hearing from you directly.
 
      Sincerely,
 
        Pamela Grant
        Director
 
cc: GLFA
 Joe, c/o Ramada
[Posted in FML issue 1603]