Family and Friends: I must tell you all about my experience last week at the Grande Shores Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Let me first ask all of you to please forward this message along to everyone in your email group and please cc the Grande Shores Resort at info@grandeshores.com.

It all started at check in. I was greeted by what I can only describe as a very angry woman behind the reservations counter. When I gave her my name and told her I was checking in she asked to see the credit card that I reserved the room with. I explained to her that I paid that credit card off and cancelled it but gave her another credit card and my driver's license. At that time I was told that resort policies dictated that she would have to credit back the $312 deposit to my visa that I just informed her was cancelled. Once again I tried to explain to her that the card has been paid off and cancelled. Her response "I'm not saying you're lying but if the credit takes then the card isn't cancelled and you'll have to take that up with your bank." Again, I tried to explain to her that the account has been closed for several months and again offered her another credit card to put the remaining balance on. While I'm explaining this to her she runs the credit and very rudely informs me that "well, the credit took so, I guess the account is still open." At that point I get my credit union on the line who also informed her that the credit card account has been closed for several months.

While this is going on my sister is being threatened by the desk manager that she'll have my sister removed from the hotel for speaking to her employees in a rude manner. The rudeness she was referring to was my sister asking the desk clerk what the problem is about the credit card. My sister was not rude to the desk clerk; she was not loud or abrasive in her tone. I use the word threatened because when the desk manager spoke to her very loudly and harshly she leaned over the counter and came within inches of my sister's face. While all this was taking place, my god mother was in the line behind me, she was the next customer in line. The desk manager asks the white woman standing behind my god mother if she can wait on her.

At that time my god mother and the white woman in line informed the desk manager that my god mother was next in line. The desk manager told my god mother that "this woman (referring to the white woman) has been waiting a long time." Again, she was told that my god mother was next. The desk manager then calls down to the only black person working behind the counter and asked her to wait on my god mother when she was finished with the customer she was currently working with and proceeded to check- in the white woman who was in line behind my god mother. After finally checking into the hotel my god mother and I met with the hotel administrator who seemed highly displeased about the events that took place at check-in. She assured us that "something" would be done and she would "personally" take care of the credit to my non existent credit card. She promised to get back to us before the end of the weekend. This conversation took place on Friday, August 8th.

My god mother had to go down to the hotel administrator's office on Tuesday, August 12th since she never saw fit to get back to us about any of this. At that point I demanded to speak to the owners of the hotel. The same afternoon the owner of the hotel contacted me. She was shocked to hear about my allegations, claiming not to know about any of the events that took place in her establishment. My god mother and I both told her that at this point no verbal apology would do. The owner informed us that she is bound by home owners associations, etc and she was not in a position to offer us a refund. We asked if we could contact the owners of the condo's we were staying in; she refused offering instead a letter of apology, a fruit basket and free breakfast at the hotel restaurant.

Of course we turned down the opportunity to eat at their establishment. I informed the owner that I would make it my mission to let every African American I can, know that the Grande Shores Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina does not want their business. They do not treat their African American guest with courtesy or respect. And, I'll have you know that the same woman who checked me in was the same woman who checked me out. So you see, again, nothing was done about the employee who treated their customers with such disrespect.

Kelli M. Brown
Law & Regulatory Affairs Division
American Trucking Associations, Inc.
2200 Mill Road Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 838-1857 Fax: (703) 683-3226 Email: kbrown@trucking.org