coloradokevin
Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2008
- Messages
- 3,285
I just had an unexpected experience at a Doubletree Hotel, and thought I'd check around here to see if any of you have experienced a similar type of situation. Here's what happened:
I'm a police officer, and I was recently sent to a Doubletree Hotel in my jurisdiction to investigate a disturbance. When I arrived at the hotel I was met at the front door by the manager and the head of security.
The security guy explained that they went to one of their hotel rooms to confront a couple of guests regarding a loud verbal argument they were having in the room that was apparently disturbing other guests. While in the hotel room the security guy noticed that the guest had a "loaded handgun in a holster on the nightstand" (not sure how he surmised that it was loaded).
The security guard said that he then told the guest that his handgun would have to be locked in the hotel's front desk safe because the hotel "has a policy that allows no weapons of any kind on the property". The guest apparently protested this request and told the hotel security guard something to the effect of: "your property isn't posted as not allowing guns, you guys didn't tell me that I couldn't have my gun, and I'm legally allowed to have my gun in Colorado, so I don't need to give it to you". This response, coupled with the argument, apparently caused the security guard to contact my department for assistance.
Before I could ask for more information about the situation my sergeant (who appeared equally bewildered) asked the hotel staff if there was any kind of written policy on guns at the hotel. Both the manager and the security guy waffled on this issue a bit, and stated that it is a hotel policy that is apparently not written anywhere. They said that the policy was in place for the safety of their guests. The security guy claimed that "we even have the U.S. Sky Marshals who stay here place their guns in the safe", then said that "we have sporting events in town from time to time and also require our guests to place their purchased firearms in the safe". (NOTE: I've worked in this same jurisdiction for nearly a decade now, and have never heard any other mention of this policy at this hotel. I have no idea if any Sky Marshals actually stay at this hotel, but it doesn't seem like it would be the most likely place for them to routinely overnight).
Anyway, we asked what they were hoping to accomplish from this situation and they told us that the guest would be trespassed from the location if he didn't agree to check his gun. As such, we went to the room in an attempt to talk with the guest, who had already left the location prior to our arrival. So, I have no idea what his side of this story would have sounded like, though I can probably guess.
Regardless, this attitude on the part of the hotel staff did bother me a bit. Colorado has no law that would prevent a hotel guest from legally possessing a firearm in their hotel room, and we don't have a provision in our law by which businesses can "officially" post their establishments as a "gun free zone". Of course, as always, the owner of a property retains the right to refuse entry to anyone they don't wish to have on their property, which in this case apparently included gun owners (and it isn't good policy for me to play politics while I'm working).
I've stayed at Doubletree Hotels a number of times in the past (probably 30 nights or more), and I've always liked the experience. In fact, I've gone as far as to seek out Doubletree Hotels on a number of occasions. I've always had my gun with me while traveling, but the hotel has never been aware of this fact (I carry the gun concealed, I don't flash it around like a fool, and I don't leave it laying around the hotel room when I'm not there). Nevertheless, I generally don't like to frequent establishments that don't like to honor our rights as citizens. There are plenty of nice hotels to choose from, and I'd really like to know if this was an isolated incident!
Any insight you guys may have would be appreciated! I also might make a phone call to their corporate office when I have the opportunity, just to see what they say (I'll approach that merely as a concerned citizen... again, I don't like to mix politics with my job).
I'm a police officer, and I was recently sent to a Doubletree Hotel in my jurisdiction to investigate a disturbance. When I arrived at the hotel I was met at the front door by the manager and the head of security.
The security guy explained that they went to one of their hotel rooms to confront a couple of guests regarding a loud verbal argument they were having in the room that was apparently disturbing other guests. While in the hotel room the security guy noticed that the guest had a "loaded handgun in a holster on the nightstand" (not sure how he surmised that it was loaded).
The security guard said that he then told the guest that his handgun would have to be locked in the hotel's front desk safe because the hotel "has a policy that allows no weapons of any kind on the property". The guest apparently protested this request and told the hotel security guard something to the effect of: "your property isn't posted as not allowing guns, you guys didn't tell me that I couldn't have my gun, and I'm legally allowed to have my gun in Colorado, so I don't need to give it to you". This response, coupled with the argument, apparently caused the security guard to contact my department for assistance.
Before I could ask for more information about the situation my sergeant (who appeared equally bewildered) asked the hotel staff if there was any kind of written policy on guns at the hotel. Both the manager and the security guy waffled on this issue a bit, and stated that it is a hotel policy that is apparently not written anywhere. They said that the policy was in place for the safety of their guests. The security guy claimed that "we even have the U.S. Sky Marshals who stay here place their guns in the safe", then said that "we have sporting events in town from time to time and also require our guests to place their purchased firearms in the safe". (NOTE: I've worked in this same jurisdiction for nearly a decade now, and have never heard any other mention of this policy at this hotel. I have no idea if any Sky Marshals actually stay at this hotel, but it doesn't seem like it would be the most likely place for them to routinely overnight).
Anyway, we asked what they were hoping to accomplish from this situation and they told us that the guest would be trespassed from the location if he didn't agree to check his gun. As such, we went to the room in an attempt to talk with the guest, who had already left the location prior to our arrival. So, I have no idea what his side of this story would have sounded like, though I can probably guess.
Regardless, this attitude on the part of the hotel staff did bother me a bit. Colorado has no law that would prevent a hotel guest from legally possessing a firearm in their hotel room, and we don't have a provision in our law by which businesses can "officially" post their establishments as a "gun free zone". Of course, as always, the owner of a property retains the right to refuse entry to anyone they don't wish to have on their property, which in this case apparently included gun owners (and it isn't good policy for me to play politics while I'm working).
I've stayed at Doubletree Hotels a number of times in the past (probably 30 nights or more), and I've always liked the experience. In fact, I've gone as far as to seek out Doubletree Hotels on a number of occasions. I've always had my gun with me while traveling, but the hotel has never been aware of this fact (I carry the gun concealed, I don't flash it around like a fool, and I don't leave it laying around the hotel room when I'm not there). Nevertheless, I generally don't like to frequent establishments that don't like to honor our rights as citizens. There are plenty of nice hotels to choose from, and I'd really like to know if this was an isolated incident!
Any insight you guys may have would be appreciated! I also might make a phone call to their corporate office when I have the opportunity, just to see what they say (I'll approach that merely as a concerned citizen... again, I don't like to mix politics with my job).
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