Hotel Threatens $500 Fine for Bad Reviews, Then Backpedals
LatestBuilt by the Rockefellers and the Vanderbilts, you’d think Union Street Guest House in Hudson, NY would be a bastion of fine service, serving strawberries and champagne dipped in gold and aristocracy as check-in treats. But this “vintage” joint prides themselves on snark, according to the New York Post. As part of their “About Us” page, Union Street stated guests will pay if the hotel doesn’t like their user reviews:
“Please know that despite the fact that wedding couples love Hudson and our inn, your friends and families may not,” reads an online policy. “If you have booked the inn for a wedding or other type of event . . . and given us a deposit of any kind . . . there will be a $500 fine that will be deducted from your deposit for every negative review . . . placed on any internet site by anyone in your party.”
Over on the hotel’s Yelp profile, there are piles of negative reviews from disgruntled customers and trolls alike. Union Street asked for it, but honestly who wants to give their hard earned coins to an establishment that responds like this when a guest couldn’t get any ice during the dead of summer: