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No room at the inn for injured soldier

Thu Sep 04 02:38PM

A British soldier on leave after being injured in Afghanistan has been refused a room in a Surrey hotel just because he is in the army.

The BBC has reported that Corporal Tomos Stringer, 23, from Gwynedd in Wales, was visiting an injured friend near Woking when he was turned away from the Metro Hotel.

Corporal Stringer, of 13 Air Assault Support Regiment, was asked to provide a form of identification to book the room and when he presented his military pass he was told that it was management policy not to accept Armed Forces as guests.

Stringer, who injured his wrist falling out of a truck while coming under fire in Afghanistan, was forced to spend the night in his car.

He has now returned to Afghanistan but his mother, Gaynor Stringer, was so upset over the way he was treated by the hotel she wrote to MP Hywel Williams.

Mrs Stringer has also voiced her disappointment over how soldiers are treated in Britain compared to in the United States.

"We've been to America and their military get treated like heroes over there. I think it's terrible they [UK Armed Forces] can't even wear their uniform with pride."

Police were called to the hotel Thursday after the hotel's management claimed it had been receiving threatening and abusive phone calls.

A spokesman for Surrey police said: "Officers were called to the scene because of claims of abusive, offensive and threatening phone calls towards the Metro Hotel. We will monitor the calls to see if an offence has occured, if it has then we can trace the calls and further action will be taken."

The Metro Hotel, which is owned by American Amusements Ltd, has issued an apologetic statement saying the incident "was a mistake".

Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth has written to the Metro Hotel management demanding a more detailed explanation.

Comments1331 - 1340 of 1350

LEMMING act up to your name.....jump off a cliff!!!!

From lesliebowden969 on Fri Sep 05 04:34PM
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"" The Management Reserves The Right To Refuse Service to ...." I'm sure the Metro has one of these little signs displayed behind their reception desk. They are well within there rights to choose whomever they do and don't want to stay.
Armed Forces get a reputation the same as other groups for bad behaviour and damaging hotel property just the same as anyone else. Students for example can also meet the same problems. Is it right i couldn't stay somewhere because i was in higher education?
These decisions are made based on experience. Experience that certain groups are a bigger risk. This policy is called Risk Management. If nurses came to my hotel and were a substantial risk to my property, I'd ban them too. Behave or don't stay. Your actions reflect on you and your colleagues. Im sure if the armed forces were all model citizens out of work, there would be no problem.
One last point, everyone on their high horse with racist or bigoted bullsh*t should just grow up. Im caucasian, British born and bred and proud of my nation. This topic has got absolutely nothing to do with Britains immigration or international policies." douglaskiddie
I take it you're in the hotel trade... fair enough, but you have to face up and take the flack when a decision like this backfires on you and causes a uproar and is publicised

From justbarking on Fri Sep 05 05:28PM
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Our guys are doing a spectacular job. Come and have a go if you thimk you're hard enough m.erskine!! SAS good enogh for you?? Arse!!!!

From clarkeyn on Sat Sep 06 01:25AM
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Disgraceful and I think a lot of Armed Forces forums are working at a boycott.

From owensae45 on Sat Sep 06 06:53AM
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i think the least they can do is offer to pay a large amount of money in to the fund that is being used to help treat our wounded troops

From jpbsydenham on Sat Sep 06 10:19AM
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While I agree that nobody should be discriminated against, surely this is about too many drunk, noisey, boorish off duty soldiers wrecking rooms and upsetting other guests in the past.

From ibates123 on Sat Sep 06 02:16PM
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guess the hotel was trying its own brand of political correctness,is basil fawlty in charge there? or do they have a hidden agenda. maybe the hotel staff should try serving thier country.... shame on them

From robertrye on Sat Sep 06 02:22PM
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The treatment of this young serviceman by the Metro Hotel in Surrey - allegedly an American owned hotel chain - simply underlines how this once great country of ours has been reduced to a nonentity by the PC approach of current UK Governments

From mick_cowan on Sat Sep 06 09:20PM
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The treatment of this young serviceman by the Metro Hotel in Surrey - allegedly an American owned hotel chain - simply underlines how this once great country of ours has been reduced to a nonentity by the PC approach of current UK Governments

From mick_cowan on Sat Sep 06 09:21PM
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REMEMBER IT'S THE METRO HOTEL AND AMERICAN AMUSEMENTS LTD.BOYCOTT THE HELL OUT OF THEM AND THEIR DAMN COMPANY.

From trevorbriggs7 on Sun Sep 07 01:21PM
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