I am a longtime resident of Harrison Hot Springs. My wife and I participate in many events in Harrison.
One of the activities we particularly enjoy is dining out at local restaurants. We try to support the local businesses in Harrison and are frequent patrons of restaurants in the area.
The other night my wife an I went to one of the well known hotels for dinner. It is here where we encountered an unusual procedure when we entered the restaurant and were met by a hostess who greeted us at the entrance and asked us for our room number, to which I responded that we were not staying at the hotel and were local residents. The hostess responded with a request for my credit card, which I thought was odd as I have never been asked for my credit card before being seated in a restaurant.
I usually pay with a credit card in restaurants but only after being served and eaten our meal and received a bill. I also make a decision at that time, as to a gratuity and whether I wish to pay by cash or credit card.
I feel people should not be forced to hand over their credit card before being seated in any restaurant, never mind a restaurant of an upscale hotel.
I decide to go to the front desk to talk a manager. I explained how we were requested to give the hostess at the restaurant our credit card before she could seat us. He was polite but offered no explanation as to why this policy was in effect for non-hotel guests.
I told him I thought this was a very poor policy and it must make patrons of their restaurants feel they are not trusted to pay their bills with cash or legitimate credit cards at the end of their meal.
I write this letter as a protest of this hotel's policy and procedure and wonder whether any of your readers have experienced anything like this.
Garn Misener