Disgruntled guest drives truck through hotel lobby
A hotel guest, angered over a ‘bad experience’ at an Oklahoma hotel, decided something a little more dramatic than a bad TripAdvisor review was called for.
After being denied a refund, John Parsley, 62, of Gonzales, Texas crashed his pickup truck through the lobby of the Comfort Inn in Alva, causing an estimated $100,000 in damage and narrowly missing two hotel employees.
According to the hotel, Parsley’s debit card was declined so he paid for his stay in cash, but later said he believed the card payment had been authorised and demanded a refund.
Dramatic CCTV footage showed Parsley crash into the front desk before calmly getting out of the truck and walking over to a police officer.
The officer had earlier arrived on the scene to mediate as the dispute escalated between Parsley and hotel staff.
Parsley faces two felony charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and one count of malicious injury to property, and is being held on a $1 million bond.
Police said Parsley had threatened hotel staff, saying he would ‘run his truck over them and the property,’ and did so just to ‘prove he wasn’t bluffing’.
The Choice Hotels franchise property had to close while repairs are being made to the lobby.
Hotel manager Kingston Christian released video footage to the media and defended the hotel’s role in the incident.
"We are No. 1 on TripAdvisor, and we don’t have angry guests. We make sure our guests are happy, but this person, he was difficult to talk to and wouldn’t listen."
Christian also added that his own wife was one of the two front desk employees who narrowly avoided being hit by the truck.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026