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Former Army Sgt. Robert Price was vacationing in Daytona Beach, Florida when he was turned away and refused a room at the Budget Inn Express after the hotel’s owner learned he had a service dog.
Price suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury after facing bomb attacks for years in the Middle East. He and his service dog, Walker, are inseparable. Walker is vital to Price’s health and well-being.
Although state law prohibits denying the disabled and their service dogs access, the hotel owner Bina Patel claimed to be unaware of the laws.
“Service dog or whatever. Dog is dog,” she told Price, who began recording the exchange with his cell phone after being denied a room.
To add insult to injury, when Price tried to correct the hotel owner and explain the law, it was Patel that called police. Price explained to WFTV – Orlando that Patel’s response felt as if she was calling him a criminal.
“Not only do I take it personal, but I take it as a huge disrespect to all veterans out there,” he said.
When Daytona Police arrived, the escorted Price and Walker to a nearby LaQuinta who welcomed him with opened arms and a generous discount on a room.
Now, prosecutors will decide whether to charge the owner of the Budget Inn Express with a misdemeanor.
Cptnwiz
Jun 28, 2014 at 4:27 am
Misdemeanor?! should be so much more!
PO'd Veteran
Jun 27, 2014 at 2:31 pm
does anyone in the news check their sources before making a story? I believe the Hotel was wrong in this case, but there is more to this story than everybody sees. you are making MR. Price out to be a hero here, but in actuality he is a fake and a fraud his story he is telling you all about how he was bombed and blow up overseas is all incorrect I was there I seen Price you want the full story on how his deployment went just as, but I can tell you first hand that he never once went outside the wire or even seen one bit of action. this is BS
bud
Jun 28, 2014 at 2:54 am
I’d like to hear more.
Guy sounds like BS to me too.
Robert White
Sep 18, 2014 at 7:59 am
Bitter much? So, you are some troll using a fake name to speak ill over some guy with a service dog. He’s a vet, the nature of his service does not change that he is using a real service dog. Unless, of course, you have some new expertise on PTSD that no other medical professional has and you can diagnose through a news article. The nature of his service doesn’t change the story. He is an American vet who has a service dog, he was denied services in an American business.
As a vet with a service dog, I can tell you I run into this crap all the time. It takes a great deal of energy dealing with idiots. Having some butt hurt troll, scream/whine about irrelevant issues does nothing to improve anything. The nature of his service at this point is not relevant – if he has a service dog he’s getting medical care for something. And as a vet (either a good one or not) he still deserves to be treated with the same dignity as every other American under the ADA.
You think this guy needs to be outed as a poser contact Stolen Valor, and use a real name. Otherwise you’re just some butt hurt troll.
Sam
Jun 27, 2014 at 11:53 am
Yes, of COURSE they need to charge the owner! Her behavior was illegal, and they need to make a response that will cause her to learn about and respect this law.
Mogilb
Jun 26, 2014 at 4:08 pm
She screwed up; ignorance of the law is not a legal excuse!! Maybe she needs a whole lot of “sensitivity training”…..This will NOT be a favorable marketing strategy!!
Rusty
Jun 26, 2014 at 11:23 am
I shared this article on any website I could find that let’s you rate hotels.
Rebecca
Jun 26, 2014 at 11:17 am
They better charge the hotel owner. Can’t make something a law and then not enforce it.