HUNTER (VINnews) — Earlier this week, VIN News reported about an incident that took place this past Shabbos at Hunter Lodge, involving a large frum family.
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VIN reached out to hotel management for comment, and has received a statement from Peter Twachtman, CEO of Lark Hotels. Mr. Twachtman acknowledged that the eviction took place, and he provided additional details (from the lodge’s perspective), to explain the circumstances surrounding the ‘difficult decision’ by hotel staff.
Here is his response:
‘Hunter Lodge, A Bluebird by Lark, in Hunter, New York is a proud member of the Catskills community and has welcomed hundreds of guests from the Hasidic community since re-opening under new ownership in February 2022. Unfortunately, there was an isolated incident over the weekend where a large party, including people not staying at the hotel, led to multiple complaints from hotel guests to the staff, including eight guests checking out early from the hotel and requesting refunds.
The large group consisted of parents looking after 20 young children who were left unsupervised much of the time. The children were not only loud, but participating in behavior that was dangerous and could have caused harm and injury. The hotel staff spoke with the parents nine times and advised that they would need to quiet down the children and supervise them to ensure everyone’s safety and if they were unable to comply, they would be asked to leave the property.
The group acknowledged the warnings but took no action. They were unresponsive to both the complaints from fellow guests to quiet the children down and unresponsive to repeated warnings from hotel associates.
Given the lack of response from the parents and continued disruption, the hotel staff made the difficult decision to evict the group. They felt they had no choice. The hotel issued refunds to the guests who checked out early.
We are meeting with local leaders to ensure that this community knows they are welcome and feel comfortable at the property in future.’
This year for the first time in I don’t know how long, yes, about 40 years, we went away for Pesach. I was beyond surprised at the way the kids were behaving. I am talking about garbage, plates of food, spilled coffee on the lobby tables, candy stuck to carpets, you get the point, all over the hotel. I spent most of Yomtov walking around picking up trash and throwing it into a garbage bin that was less than 2 feet away. I am not saying that this type of behavior warrants putting a whole family on a bus on Shabbos. But I can see how other guests might be turned off by such behavior. This behavior and lack of decorum could have been avoided if parents were around or even cared, but they were probably tired and not interested. In my case the hotel was all Jewish with no other guests, but the Hunter story had other guests. Let’s try and act differently when we are being watched under a microscope.
I wish I could say that kids are kids and who cares what a goy says. Unfortunately, I have seen unzere acting improperly in public. Maybe it’s entitlement as one comment said. Maybe it’s ignorance. Maybe it’s arrogance. I don’t know. I also don’t know what happened in this case. However, based on my previous experiences, I can say that what the hotel said may be true, and we have to learn how to behave in public, even with kids. We and our children should NOT bother people, make excessive noise, act rowdy or leave litter. I’ve seen all of these and it’s unacceptable. I will say, however, that calling the police may have been excessive.
Of course don’t know what actually happened but we all know that some people let their children run, scream and disrupt at restaurants,stores,hotels etc. It’s called entitlement.
Yidden please.
Make a kiddush Hashem where u go, not a chilul chv.
No I don’t know for sure the real facts but it is painful when yidden don’t act appropriately, and this scene isn’t so hard to believe unfortunately
Maybe the lesson should be that a large hemish group shouldn’t go to a non-Jewish hotel. There’s no frum owned place that could accommodate the group?
Hmm… Knowing one of the people “evicted” and forced to desecrate the Sabbath, I heard their entire account. It differs so much from this statement.
It also seems that although this was technically an isolated situation, it seems other religious Jews have also be heavily mistreated at this Lodge.
I’m planning to be in the area several weekends over the summer. This location won’t be on my itinerary.
we were just at a shabbaton on the top floor of a hotel, and the parents were made aware that we have access to an outdoor balcony.
Idiot parents let their kids go out alone, and climb along ,with some reaching over the wall, leading to a nine story drop.
They don’t care, and they don’t care to keep on eye on their kids.
Parents literally watched as their kids climbed all over me, and would not come to restrain their kids.
It’s a horror show, and makes me to believe/know, that there are literally brainless people in our circles.
The hotel may have been wrong in the way they behaved. but wat about the parents who think their kids are entitled to run around and disturb the rest of the people. just because your paying means anything goes. I don’t think so mentchlichkeit is mentchlichkiet any way you look at it
Some outright lies and exaggeration.
I was one of the 8-10 “people not staying at the hotel”. We were there for Friday Mincha & Kabolas Shabbos, all of 45 minutes. This contributed zero to any disturbances. It is quite normal for hotel guests to have a guest or 2 of their own for a short time. 8-10 = about 1 extra guest per rental.
When I was there, I saw about 10 kids of various ages and genders playing normally in a common area. They were looked after by at least 2 mothers plus some older girls. However, as we were leaving davening, one of the registered guests advised us to go out a side door, as management was giving them a hard time. It wasn’t even an hour into Shabbos.
My understanding at the time was that there was one guest that made a complaint. How did that become 8 guests? (maybe it was 8 guests in one rental).
The hotel must have realized how bad this would look, no matter how bad the kids were behaving. By the end of the day, Yidden don’t want to take a risk and go to a hotel that might call the cops to kick them out on Shabbos. This time their red line was the kids being too noisy, who knows what other red lines this hotel has. One thing is future, desecrating the Shabbos is a red line for an orthodox Jew. I think that the hotel had a made their choice and we should make ours to not take a chance with them. Maybe their side of the story is true, maybe not. When it comes to Shabbos, we try not to take chances…
I love how people here preface their comments, “I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what exactly happened”…
…and then proceed to lambast people they never met about actions they never witnessed.
I guess “dan l’kav z’chus” is no longer a thing (was it ever?)
My observation is that there is a very low threshold for tolerance of our people. I’ve witnessed completely intolerable behavior from other ethnic minorities and management just looks the other way. Frum people getting kicked out of hotels on shabbos doesn’t seem to be a rare occurrence anymore. Walking on eggshells seems to be our lot in life.
I have been to hunter neighborhood for close to 20 years for the summer season, and I have news for you thus hotel was always bad for frum jews, and they have kicked out many families in the past on shabbos, it has been many times unfortunately, and many other horror stories, the manager of the hotel uses her power, as her husband is the chief police in hunter, this case and many other yidden that were kicked out opened a law suit case this week against the hotel ownership and management, everyone in the area knows this hotel is not Jewish friendly, and always tries to chase jews away and try to kick them out, and many have been kicked out unfortunately, so it’s all lies, the management is the same for many years now and just the ownership changed , but tymhe front desk and managers are the same antisemitic people
During the Three Weeks, it is incumbent on yidden to keep a LOW PROFILE. This is NOT the time to exercise our right to free public expression. We are under a microscope in this time and like other royalty, we must hold ourselves and our children to a higher standard than others. MOREOVER – nothing can justify yidden on this forum raising accusations against fellow Jews – NOTHING.
Even if the noise was excessive, calling the police, kicking them out and causing Chilul shabbos is inexcusable. No Jew should patronize that Hotel until it changes hands.
If you have a large group rent a airbnb or similar in a private area. It most likely will be less expensive and you would have privacy.
There are even Frum websites where they have Kosher Villas etc up in the Catskills and other areas where Shuls are nearby.
It took them till wed to release this statement but of course all the haters will come out to roost, and unfortunately it will be from unzere with stupid arguments like entitlement, not raised etc. Any hotel that allows groups especially with children has to be ready for a lot of noise unless it’s a group from over 80 years old, if they have an issue with noise, they could have a no children, group, party policy.
To force people out in Shabbos is unconscionable. The fact they did this shows their Amalekian cruelty towards Jews. There is no excuse for this.
Whether Among Jews or not – we have to behave according to higher code of ethics . Not for their approval of us but to make kiddish Hashem
I agree with everyone that children should behave regardless of where they are. I disagree with people who are bashing yidden. Have you ever seen a group of non Jewish children and teenagers? Are they sitting quietly ? Maybe when they’re plugged into their devices…..
HOTELS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HOSPITABLE THEY ARE IN THE HOSPITALITY BUSINESS,
THIS ONE DEFINITLEY ISNT AND SHOULD BE BOYCOTTED PERIOD
ITS UNBELIEVABLE THAT A FEW ROWDY KIDS CAUSED A HOTEL TO THROW OUT 40 PEOPLE ON THEIR SABBATH
I BET MY LAST DOLLAR IF THEY WERE MUSLIMS, CHRSTIANS OR SOME OTHER RELIGION THEY WOULDNT HAVE BEEN THROWN OUT.
THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE
A COURT CASE SHOULD DEFINATLY BE BROUGHT AGAINST
THIS HOTEL FOR RACIAL DESCRIMINATION AS WELL AS PAIN AND SUFFERING
I’m sure there are cameras which will definitely help see which side is in the wrong ut we all do know, when we go to hotels and parks we seem to feel like we’re entitled. Children often do leave their wrappers on the floor right where they were when they ate that nosh. We see it all the time. Noisy, running around! It’s not unrealistic to hunch that that is what happened! I love all Jews but that doesn’t change the facts. Our children need better education. You can’t argue that point!
These discussions are so not fair to the evacuees.
The defense attorneys will definitely use these comments to throw doubt into the future Jury’s minds as to what does a typical person think could really have been going on in that hotel on that day.
In short yidden on ahabbs want to let the kids run…go to a frum place or rent one of the many mansions and make all the noise inside
So did the police have a warrant to evict these guests or not?!
If I had a complaint like this against a hotel, I would be happy to have my name published.
kiddush Hashem kids are kids if they Jewish or not we cant expect them to be as adults we try our best and hotel knows this good and well when large group Jewish people or non Jewish people they do come with small kids and kids are kids. we the adults do our best. and if this hotel is not kids friendly they should have big sign saying so
When reading the article everyone could picture exactly what happened. We see it in EVERY frum or charedi shul, EVERY shabbes and even Yuntiff. Kids running, yelling, older girls yentering but not watching, mothers distracted, men totally disconnected. Zero decorum. I guess we think its cute to behave this way, it somehow shows the nazis we won?
When parents go out summer on a weekend and take the kids they want to have the kids run around the kids should be free Eva hotel rent rooms knowing that’s gonna be kids they should tell the parents before booking in this hotel you kids cannot run around free if hotel didn’t do that then in no circumstances at all only if it’s a live or dead situation should a Jewish family be pushed him to go to a bus on shabbas this is a country where you can practice your religion
I think the hotel to admit they made a mistake by going so harsh it’s a monetary issue they should’ve not dealt with it that way
And yes they should deal with the local community they should apologize and ask for people to come back for business without kids unfortunately It’s not kid friendly friendly