The Hotel duPont dealt with a backlash Thursday, issuing an apology after a report on the establishment canceling reservations from a benefactor who wanted a homeless guest to have a place to stay on Christmas.
Lisa Bolten, Director, DuPont Hospitality issued the following statement:
We apologize for the misunderstanding regarding a hotel reservation under Mr. Senge’s name, which was cancelled on December 25, 2014. Respect for People is a core value of the hotel. That extends to everyone, including the homeless. Like all major hotels, we have a policy of requiring IDs from guests, and our employees followed that policy. We have invited Mr. Senge’s guests to the Hotel, as early as this weekend. If the guests do not have IDs, we will work with them to address that.
She continued, “The hotel and the DuPont Company have a long history of supporting charities that aid the homeless. Every year, DuPont and its employees are major supporters of the United Way of Delaware. In addition, our employees volunteer thousands of hours to charities like the Ministry of Caring, the Food Bank of Delaware, and Catholic Charities. And every Christmas the DuPont Country Club – like the Hotel, part of DuPont Hospitality — turns over its ovens to cooking turkeys for underprivileged families.”
The story from WDEL reporter Amy Cherry regarded a ministry paying for the rooms, only to see a cancellation, with hotel staff claiming the guests could present a hazard to the safety of other guests or did not have sufficient identification at check in time.
As the story began to make the rounds, Brad Wenger, general manager of the Christiana Hilton Hotel offered rooms to the homeless.
The situation led to posts on the WDEL website that were critical of the hotel’s actions. At the same time, others questioned whether the money spent on a hotel room could have been better used in providing services for the homeless.
The story comes after reports that owner DuPont Co. was outsourcing some hotel jobs. The company has been under pressure to cut costs from activist shareholder Nelson Peltz, who cited the expense of running the hotel and country club.
DuPont is also moving its executive offices out the complex that includes the hotel, with chemical spin-off Chemours moving an equivalent number of jobs to the building. The moves will affected about 800 to 1,000 employees at each company.
The hotel industry nationwide and locally enjoyed a stronger year in 2014, with occupancy rates up to levels not seen in a number of years.
