Virginia hotels can no longer turn away locals during health and safety emergencies.
Jennifer Dalton says she was stunned the first time a hotel turned her away simply because she lived nearby.
“Absolutely flabbergasted because I was like, ‘What? This doesn’t make any sense because we’ve stayed at this particular establishment before,’” Dalton said.
Her experience reflects what many Virginians have faced for years. Some hotels have long enforced so-called “no local” policies, citing concerns about parties, property damage and other disturbances. But imagine losing power during a storm and being told the nearest hotel won’t take you in — not because there’s no room, but because you live too close. That scenario is now illegal in Virginia.
Starting July 1, Virginia hotels cannot deny a room to someone solely because of where they live if that person is seeking shelter for health or safety reasons. That includes situations like widespread power outages following severe weather.
Neil Ordway, general manager of SpringHill Suites, says the policy change reflects what hospitality should have always been about.
“We want those people to know that we’re here for them ... during times of trouble, during times of memories to be made ... we want to be that place and create those memories with you,” Ordway said.
Ordway says a guest’s home address should never be the deciding factor when someone needs emergency shelter.
“What makes it different to have a local person come and stay at your hotel versus somebody who’s out of the 50-mile radius? There is no difference. There’s no difference at all,” he said.
The law comes months after 10 News highlighted accounts from people who say they were turned away during January’s winter storms. At least one hotel still lists a “no local” policy online, but under the new law, those policies cannot be enforced when someone is seeking shelter during a qualifying emergency.
Hotels can still enforce other safety and business policies. Distance from the hotel, however, can no longer be the sole reason a guest is turned away during a health or safety emergency.
Ordway also has a practical tip for anyone planning to seek shelter at a hotel during a storm.
“You also want to call the hotel directly to see if they have power. It might be that you come here and we can’t accept you because we don’t have the availability or the means to provide accommodations because of an outage,” he said.