leanne0716

Hi all. I have a huge problem. My husband and I have been living in a extended stay hotel for a year. The problem is for the last 2 weeks the hotel has allowed 6 children (2 about 2 years old...the rest all under 12) and two parents to stay in one hotel room designed for no more than 3 people...they are constantly making alot of noise ...i tried complaining to the hotel....i even anonymously reporting them to the police....but when the police came they hid the children in the bathroom i guess and the mother came to the door in a towel and acted like she just got out of the shower....i know everyone living in this hotel is doing so because they are going through hard times,,,for us we just moved back to usa and are starting to get back on our feet....i dont want to be the reason this family may be split up ....however they are so loud....the kids are left alone alot with the older children and it appears they dont have alot to eat. WHAT DO I DO? Do I report them or should i just stay quite.....its also obvious that these kids are not in school and another neighbor approached me and is going crazy from all the noise as well? The hotel is only worried about making money i guess???? Advice needed? Is it legal for this many people to stay in such a tiny room???

Gretchen

Move your room.

SusieQQ

Move to another hotel.

marvelousmouse

Not really a travel topic but a few thoughts...

your best solution is to work with the neighbor. Negotiate, bribe, whatever. Try to get it so the noise is happening at times that are more convenient to you. Kids are noisy. I’m sorry, that’s reality. If you’re expecting them to be quiet at 3pm, you’re SOL. If you’re expecting them to be quiet at 3 am, that’s different. If you can constructively address the issue- like say, I work swing shift and I just want it down to a dull roar between these hours, you have a better chance of gaining some sanity than if you approach it as you’ve got to get rid of one kid. Because that’s not something they’ll do, and eviction is time consuming even if th hotel goes for that.

It’s not a police issue. It’s fire codes. The City could fine the hotel if they are violating them, which is usually motivation for the hotel to enforce it. But the Fire Marshall would have to catch them, and you know, my guess is that this hotel is a repeat offender anyway. If you’re staying in this kind of place, it could be that you are also somehow benefiting from the hotel’s laxness. It may not benefit you or your neighbor if a crackdown happened. For one thing, if the building owner gets fined up the wazoo, they’re going to pass that on to you as a rent hike. My last three rent hikes have been due to increased city regulations.

i realize it may not be possible, but imo you should just find alternative living arrangements. If this is the kind of place where the management is ignoring firecode, who knows what else they’re ignoring, and noisy kids are the least of your worries.

fmpden

Notify local social services.

leanne0716

we cant...we've been here for over a year and they have been here 2 weeks....they hotel refuses to move our room since they only have a certain ammount for extended stay guest...its 1am and they are screaming on top of their lungs, i am praying someone else will call the police

marvelousmouse

If the problem is readily apparent after two weeks I don’t think you have any choice but to move. It isn’t going to get better. Your choice though.

janisj

Is this real?

Not sure if I was down on my luck and was in this sort of situation . . . that I would search out a travel website, register, and ask a question better posed to social services, or the hotel manager, or the police. Just seems really semi/sorta . . . suspect

marvelousmouse

now, Janis...have pity on the people whose new year’s resolution was to give up netflix (me). If you start poking at the story my ability to suspend my disbelief will be utterly destroyed.

I’ve read four books already this week and I may actually have to drag myself down to the library and check something out that is more substantial than chick lit.

Christina

I think you should find another hotel, also. Not sure what it means to say a hotel room is "Designed for three", anyway. Such rooms are extremely rare, I've only seen them in Europe (being one double/queen bed and one small twin bed). In the US, the norm is either a king bed or TWO doubles/queens which you could not say was designed for three people, but four.

If the hotel doesn't care that there are four children and two adults in that room (seriously, if they allow this, they don't care), I really don't know what you can do.

YES, the hotel only cares about making money.

Those kind of places are for people who have absolutely no money and no credit history, which means they have no savings and cannot afford a deposit on an apartment. Because those hotels end up costing a whole lot more than an apt would. Why are you living in a place like that for a year? I don't know where you are living, but where I live, those kind of hotels cost at least $75 or so a day. An apt would be much much cheaper.

If there are two of you and both working, you should be able to afford an apt. If one of you is not working and somehow you are paying a hotel for a year, something is up. Maybe see some kind of social service agency and figure out what you can do to get an apt and not throw your money away like this, maybe some kind of grant for the monthly deposit or something if that is the reason you are doing this.

suze

From the way you describe this extended stay hotel, I'm surprised nothing like this has happened sooner.

It is really your own decision if you want to call the police, child welfare, etc. and report this family.

Ear plugs might help in the meantime?

leanne0716

we are in the process of moving from another country back to usa...cant rent apartment here until have had employment for over 6 months and your income must be 4 times the amount for rent...the state i live in requires if a person is witnessing neglect of a child and doesn't report it they may be charged as well....when a 12 year old child is left alone in a hotel room all day with 2 two year olds and a five year old and a 2 seven year olds its diffantly neglect....the hotel finally charged them with several room violation like leaving children unattended outside for 4 hours bouncing a ball on my and another neighbors door....they werent allowed to renew their weekly lease but then stood outside my door yelling at me "to watch my back" and "i will get mine coming"......i still dont want to call police cause everyone in this hotel is starting over or down on their luck but i'm really scared they are stupid enough to try and hurt me....i would also like to add another neighbor reported them to the police for domestic argument at 3am yesterday but they are threatening me now! uggg we are trying to save up enough money for down payment on apartment and furniture and deposits for gas and power and water but its hard when you are starting over moving back to usa! sorry when i researched this problem this site was what showed up and i didnt know it was a travel site only! thank you for your feedback and take care

nanabee

I am not sure what social services will do. It is not a criminal offense to have a family in a hotel room. It may be a violation of the hotels rules but obviously not. It may be a fire code violation but the hotel would be fined not the family I would think.

If the kids are not enrolled in school, or are not attending then the court can force them to go to school but the school or someone has to open a case and it doesn't sound like that is happening.

Maybe talk to the family and get to know them as a friend wilingl to help out and maybe they will reciprocate with keeping the noise down. Or if the nice route doesn't work tell them you are going to document the problems and take them to court. But I doubt it so I would move. If you found this place you can surely find another one.

nanabee

Leanne, if you are worry about being a mandated reporter of child abuse you can call Child Protective Services and anonymously report. They may not do anything but document that you reported it for future reference.

You can call the local schools and explain you are concerned about truancy of students and ask what they recommend you do, of anything. I would not give out their names unless it is protocol to do so and I would also remain anonymous.
When I was teaching we often had to make home visits to students not attending school.

marvelousmouse

first , you’ve been back in the country a year. Something else is going on if you aren’t out of there by now.


have you considered getting a roomshare? If the rule is 4x the rent, I can guarantee there are people looking for roommates.

also, not to be cynical, but they aren’t going to be charged with neglect for leaving the 12 year old in charge. Social services has other things to worry about.

SusieQQ

[QUOTE=marvelousmouse;16695079]first , you’ve been back in the country a year. Something else is going on if you aren’t out of there by now.

Agree, with marvelousmouse, there is much more to this whole story. Something doesn't ring right.

suze

but i'm really scared they are stupid enough to try and hurt me

Well that would be a concern. If you truly believe them to be dangerous, I would stay out of it, regardless how much their noise bothers you.

marvelousmouse

well, that damage has already been done. They know where the OP lives. It’s not the kind of place that has security, probably, and the threat is not going to disappear when they move out. If the OP really thinks they are a threat, she just needs to get out of there now.

Dayenu

If there is a 12-year-old child with younger children, it may be not putting children in danger. Different states have different requirement for minimum age when kids can be left alone. Check your state's laws.

Noise at 3 am is a noise code violation. Call police, they should send somebody to check. Hotel management may warn the parents after several visits.

8 people to a room is a fire safety violation.

Is your hotel a chain? You can contact headquarters. Is there a hotel association, or a proper department at City Hall?

I do not think you should move unless you tried to contact everybody. Maybe even attorney general office - if only to ask for advise what to do.

sf7307

Sorry, but I sincerely hope the attorney general would not be advising individuals on their legal rights!