Latest place to require identification: hotel lobbies
A New York City woman meeting a friend at the Alex Hotel in Manhattan was surprised when a desk clerk asked her for identification as she waited in the lobby.
New York Times columnist Joe Sharkey reported the incident, quoting the woman as saying she was “kind of dumbfounded.” She said she was irritated because she believed a hotel lobby was a public place.
But Mary Lou Pollack, the general manager of the hotel, said the front desk scrutiny was in part because of the location of the hotel near the United Nations.
But she also said the move was to prevent prostitution from nearby Lexington Avenue.
“We made the hotel as obviously unfriendly as possible to people who wanted to have no identity,” she said.
Columnist Sharkey said that “this business of increasingly having to show your papers in this country is a can of worms for travelers.”
He reported sitting in the lobby for ten minutes without being asked for any identification. “Granted, it was mid-afternoon and I am a middle-aged male,” he said.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent