Aretha Franklin stiffs Holiday Inn

[snopes]

Comment: In 1980 or '81, I was working security at the Holiday Inn in San
Jose, Ca., when a manager told me a story about another manager who was
bilked by a guest. Aretha Franklin & her entourage checked in one time, so
the manager at the front desk asked her to sign the guestbook. She
refused, with the comment 'I'll take care of it later'. She left town
after her engagement & never signed in. She would not pay the bill,
stating that there was no proof she was ever there.

As the hotel is not going to admit to this, it may be hard to
prove/disprove.

[Halfmad]

Aretha Franklin stayed at a Holiday Inn? That's the part I find hard to believe.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by Halfmad

Aretha Franklin stayed at a Holiday Inn? That's the part I find hard to believe.

Me too. A star like Aretha Franklin wouldn't be staying at a Holiday inn. There would be hundreds of better hotels that would give her a room.

Even if she did stay at a Holiday inn, Aretha wouldn't sign in. An assistant or accountant (or somebody on staff) would do it for her.

[RealityChuck]

However, it's not unheard of for people to pretend they're celebrities in order to pull a scam.

Wow, Doug, you sure sing like Aretha Franklin. How do you do it?

Well, I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.....

[snopes]

Originally Posted by diddy

A star like Aretha Franklin wouldn't be staying at a Holiday inn. There would be hundreds of better hotels that would give her a room.

If she were on tour and traveling with back-up singers, musicians, stage crew, entourage, etc., it's quite possible they'd all put up at a reasonably-priced accommodation such as a Holiday Inn. Sometimes headliners will opt for the companionship of staying with the touring crew rather than seeking out better hotels for themselves.

- snopes

[Cervus]

Originally Posted by snopes

If she were on tour and traveling with back-up singers, musicians, stage crew, entourage, etc., it's quite possible they'd all put up at a reasonably-priced accommodation such as a Holiday Inn. Sometimes headliners will opt for the companionship of staying with the touring crew rather than seeking out better hotels for themselves.

Indeed. I would be surprised if a band didn't stay at a Holiday Inn while on tour. Unless, of course, they're The Who.

In the early 80's Aretha Franklin was long past the height of her popularity (her brief comeback, "Pink Cadillac" was released in '85) so I don't find it odd at all that she would stay in a mid-rate hotel while on tour.

[TwoGuyswithaHat]

Originally Posted by diddy

A star like Aretha Franklin wouldn't be staying at a Holiday inn. There would be hundreds of better hotels that would give her a room.

I work at a Holiday Inn, and we've had several big name stars stay at my hotel.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by TwoGuyswithaHat

I work at a Holiday Inn, and we've had several big name stars stay at my hotel.

How big? (If you cannot give manes, fine, but I am curious on what qualifies as big)

[ParaDiddle]

Am I the only one who noticed the "As I was going to St. Ives" quality about this story? In actuality, it's just another rumor with no verifiable date, location or name of the establishment attached. I think it's an effective way to put together a story designed to attack anyone's reputation.

- P

[TwoGuyswithaHat]

Originally Posted by diddy

How big? (If you cannot give manes, fine, but I am curious on what qualifies as big)

I'd prefer not to name names, but my hotel has become a regular stop for various NHL players including several hall of famers.

I've had some Juno and Grammy winners stay at my hotel, as well as a member of the Rock and Roll hall of fame. So I'd feel safe saying that some of the people at the hotel have been of the legend of Ms Franklin.

[Ramblin' Dave]

Franklin has been known to be quite the diva with audiences in recent years. (People will call out requests, and she'll just roll her eyes and say she doesn't feel like singing that yet again, and such.) So the OP does pass the smell test to an extent. No idea if it's true, though.

Nitpick: "Pink Caddilac" was Natalie Cole's comeback. "Freeway of Love" was Franklin's, although the words "pink Caddilac" did appear in it.

[geminilee]

Why would Holiday Inn not want to admit it? Why would they not have made a fuss when it happened? As the Winona Ryder debacle shows, stores don't automatically feel disinclined to admit they have been ripped off by celebrities.

I used to work at the Saks Fifth Avenue call center, and Aretha was a customer of ours. Her orders were always put on hold by Financial Control because the limits on her credit cards were past their balance. I happened to get her on the line one day and she told me her assistant was on his way to the bank to make a payment on one of her accounts so she could get her clothes. So if she can't pay for her catalog orders, it wouldn't surprise me she'd stiff a hotel for her bill.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by TwoGuyswithaHat

I'd prefer not to name names, but my hotel has become a regular stop for various NHL players including several hall of famers.

I've had some Juno and Grammy winners stay at my hotel, as well as a member of the Rock and Roll hall of fame. So I'd feel safe saying that some of the people at the hotel have been of the legend of Ms Franklin.

I woulf figure that some athletes might go for a holliday inn if they were on vacation. I can see that. The singers would surprise me though since they usually get better hotels for shows in town.

Though Aretha Franklin I guess could stay at a HI if her finances couldn't afford otherwise, but why stiff a bill? That would only ruin her reputation.

Originally Posted by geminilee

Why would Holiday Inn not want to admit it? Why would they not have made a fuss when it happened? As the Winona Ryder debacle shows, stores don't automatically feel disinclined to admit they have been ripped off by celebrities.

Exactly. Hotels would even be more inclined to report somebody ripping them off. It would be a two for one shot at Aretha.

[TwoGuyswithaHat]

Originally Posted by diddy

I woulf figure that some athletes might go for a holliday inn if they were on vacation. I can see that. The singers would surprise me though since they usually get better hotels for shows in town.

With my staff discount, I've stayed in a fair range of various Intercontinental branded hotels -- all the way from a top of the line Intercontinental, to a Holiday Inn Express, with quite a few different HI hotels in between. Some actual HI branded hotels are exceedingly nice, and their ADR reflects that.

There is considerable difference between a Holiday Inn Express, a Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites and a Holiday Inn Select.

[Ramblin' Dave]

In the town I currently live in, the HI is the only hotel. To be fair, anyone coming here and expecting a luxury hotel would probably get a room in Paris. But still, here in Jouy, Holiday Inn is the only game in town and it's pretty nice to boot. I also once visited an extremely nice Holiday Inn in Phuket, Thailand (didn't stay there, but I went there for breakfast a few times) and it was as good as any high-end hotel you'd find in many places.

Originally Posted by Bree Cheese

I used to work at the Saks Fifth Avenue call center, and Aretha was a customer of ours. Her orders were always put on hold by Financial Control because the limits on her credit cards were past their balance. I happened to get her on the line one day and she told me her assistant was on his way to the bank to make a payment on one of her accounts so she could get her clothes. So if she can't pay for her catalog orders, it wouldn't surprise me she'd stiff a hotel for her bill.

<> nice to know that customer confidentiality is always respected...

-Tim

[fiscalypso]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: In 1980 or '81, I was working security at the Holiday Inn in San
Jose, Ca., when a manager told me a story about another manager who was
bilked by a guest. Aretha Franklin & her entourage checked in one time, so
the manager at the front desk asked her to sign the guestbook. She
refused, with the comment 'I'll take care of it later'. She left town
after her engagement & never signed in. She would not pay the bill,
stating that there was no proof she was ever there.

As the hotel is not going to admit to this, it may be hard to
prove/disprove.

You worked for Gilson Security like me; I heard this one from the same guy that year. I called the front desk tonight to ask what the law is in this state. I was told that usually when a band stays there the secretary signs in at the register. She doubts the law was any different back then, so perhaps that guy thought guards were more gullible than average.

[barbrainey]

Some of you stated that the likelihood of Aretha Frankling staying at Holiday Inn was slim, implying that a celebrity would prefer an expensive luxury hotel.

I've heard that singer Connie Francis once stayed at a Howard Johnson's back in 1974. (BTW, that's when and where she was raped and robbed.)

Barb Rainey