Another Hotel Gets Slammed For Ike Price-Gouging

Attorney General Greg Abbott has hit yet another hotel for price-gouging during Ike.

This time it’s the Sealy Rodeway Inn. And if you’re going to be staying in lovely Sealy, in a lovely Rodeway Inn, why not be gouged while you’re at it?

Abbott’s office says the hotel “charged evacuees a higher, ‘special event’ rate for rooms during the declared disaster. According to court documents, the defendants, Hsiang-Ting ‘Angel’ Huang and Wei-Cheng ‘Michael’ Kao, increased rates for children and other extra guests. They also charged state and local taxes even after the governor waived those taxes.”

Hey, it was a special event of sorts. And if evacuees are going to be so selfish as to take their kids with them when they run from a hurricane, then they better expect to be charged.

The hotel charged as much as 140 percent over its normal rates.

The AG’s office is looking for restitution for customers, up to $20,000 in penalties per violation of the DTPA and up to $250,000 in penalties if customers are 65 or older.

The Sealy Rodeway Inn is not the first hotel Abbott has targeted — earlier he filed complaints against hotels in Katy and Nacogdoches.

— Richard Connelly