Hotel du Pont

Reviews 3

VA

Valerie Topper

Great Place but I will never stay there again even if they did finally apologize. How cruel can you be? One day you might end up just as these individuals and praying for a warm place to say for just one nite. Homeless people will be staying at the Hotel du Pont after all. The hotels cancellation of a reservation for a group of homeless people to stay there Christmas night, which became public Thursday, sparked outrage and outreach from another hotels management. Where Wilmingtons most prominent lodging refused a $639 reservation for one room for one night, the general manager of a Stanton-area hotel is responding by offering 10 of them – free – for Thursday night. And Thursday evening, Lisa Bolten, director of DuPont Hospitality, apologized for the misunderstanding and said the homeless people now have been invited to stay there this weekend – without charge. The Christmas night plan began with Newark-area residents Deb Bennett and her husband Matthew Scott Senge, who are co-founders of the gospel-focused Road to Redemption Ministries in Wilmington. They wanted to do something special for Christmas for one particular group of homeless people in Wilmington, Bennett. "I used to be one of them," she said, adding she lived with them under a city bridge for quite awhile after her house burned down in 2012. Initially, she thought of booking them rooms at the Fairview Inn on South Market Street just south of the city. But her husband suggested they splurge on the Hotel du Pont in Wilmington, where he explained their plan and reserved a room at the nightly rate of $639. The couple then visited the homeless people – including a family member of Bennetts – and told them about the hotel room, she said. "They were blown away," she said. "One woman, she cried." But as the couple began to assemble gift baskets and food for the intended guests, a Hotel du Pont representative called Senge three hours before check-in and canceled the reservation. The benefactors – who say the Hotel du Pont should be ashamed – say the man said, "What if one of these people rapes or robs one of our guests?" They were shocked, Bennett said, adding she pressed the caller to explain just what he meant by "those people," but he had no answer. "People who have their nice cars and 8-to-5 jobs and houses to go home to, they dont understand," Bennett said. "They dont realize that, at any given moment, they could become one of those people. I know, because I did." Du Pont representative Brendan McEvoy told The News Journal the reservation was declined under standard hospitality operating practice of requiring photo identification at check-in. He said Senge had told management, when making the reservation, that the homeless people they intended to house at the hotel did not have IDs. McEvoy said he doesnt know if the hotel representative said what Senge and Bennett claim he did, but said the lack of IDs was conveyed to them as the reason for the refusal. "Our primary concern is for the safety of all of our guests," he said. If they do have ID – as Senge said Thursday they do – "they would be welcome," McEvoy said. Meanwhile, what McEvoy said was "a misunderstanding," prompted a strong reaction at the Hilton Wilmington Christiana off Churchmans Road near Stanton. General Manager Brad A. Wenger was distressed to learn about the Hotel du Ponts refusal, calling it "a very disturbing scar on the hospitality community." He decided to offer 10 rooms at the hotel Thursday night for homeless people – free. Wenger was in contact Thursday afternoon with Code Purple shelter coordinators to make the arrangements, including an offer to pick up the guests with a hotel van. Bennett called his offer "beautiful."

AL

Alex Krasny

Here is the story. Okay, I have a story that has been brewing since before Christmas. Before I aired this on social media I wanted to give the other side several opportunities to make this situation right but as I expected they turned out to be the cowards this world seems to accept. I am tired of people pushing things under the carpet for the sake of "personal satisfaction" or "need to know" ... so, I am going to do whatever is ethical, moral and legal to expose the ones responsible for what happened...... Heres what happened - 2 days before Christmas I wanted to take a few that this world calls "Homeless" off the streets of this dark city. I spoke to several managers about my plan to book a suite at the Hotel DuPont (yeah, could have rented a 20 dollar motel room but how is that helping them, isnt that telling them ...that 20 dollar room is all they are worth?) So a conversation ensued with several reservation specialists at the Hotel DuPont in downtown Wilmington, DE whos job it is to offer accommodations to ANYONE no matter race, creed, sexual preference, color or financial stature.....CORRECT?? So I advised that this suite was going to be for 6 homeless individuals and I was filling it with food and gift baskets. After speaking with management, advising them of every detail and then confirming with night manager "Mike" that additional cots would be provided just in case needed, I was sent a confirmation letter and check in date of 12/25/2014 for one night in the amount of $639.00 - Before I mentioned this to the ones that were going to be staying I made every effort to clarify and make known every detail. I was confident that there were NO questions or concerns. I then walked down under a bridge where some call home (see photo below) and gave them the great news ... many tears were shed and they were given hope that night...... UNTIL...On Christmas day, 3 hours before check in... the director of security from the Hotel DuPont ("Presley") made the decision NOT TO HONOR the reservation for this reason - He said "What if one of THOSE PEOPLE rape or rob one of my guests"....... I was heartbroken, the ones that were so looking forward to this just said "Matt, its okay, we are used to it.." NO IT AINT OKAY... AND I AINT SITTING STILL ....so I am asking for all your thoughts and opinions on this and would humbly ask you to share this story and help let all know how the rich treat anyone they think is "beneath their standards"... Please pray for the ones that have no place to call home .... please Matthew Scott Senge

RE

Rene Thompson

I dont have much respect for this hotel based on its managements behavior. When a local minister explained in detail that he wanted to pay for homeless family to spend Christmas indoors, they, at first, agreed. They then backed out, after the family had been given the voucher claiming that they had issues with security. First of all, thats unethical. You make an agreement, you stand buy it. Second, its prejudicial. They had no reason to claim that any member of this family would sexually attack someone. They are suggesting that just because people are poor that they are criminal even though they have respected members of the community not only vouching for them, but providing the financing for the evening. Third, its atrocious business practices. Beyond, it being unethical, its amazingly bad PR. "Lets act like Scrooge and renege on a business contract at the last minute which forces a homeless family to literally be out in the cold on Christmas." Instead of going through with the agreement and wallowing in the glow of free good publicity, they shot themselves in the foot and have garnered for themselves bad publicity which will cost them individual reservations, group reservations and the respect of other businesses who will have to wonder if they make a habit out of backing out of business contracts at the last minute. Whoever made this decision needs to go back to business school and also consider joining the human race.

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