Suit accuses Florida man of exploiting glitch in hotel rewards program
Choice Hotels claims in a May 21 lawsuit that a Florida man exploited a glitch in its reservations system to earn gift cards worth $48,500.
The booking system failed to erase awards points earned when a reservation was canceled. According to the suit, Robert Chat, 38, of St. Petersburg discovered the glitch and began making and canceling hundreds of reservations to earn points and obtain gift cards. The Tampa Bay Times covered the lawsuit; Slate and @RadleyBalko noted the story.
“Frequent-stay programs are common throughout the industry, and neither Choice nor its competitors offer rewards for frequent reservations,” the suit said.
The suit was filed after the company sent Chat a letter demanding triple damages of $145,000, said by its lawyer to be allowed under Florida law in cases of civil theft.
Chat told the Tampa Bay Times he wasn’t aware of the suit and denied any wrongdoing. He said he had stayed at more than 1,100 Choice Hotels in the last five years. “I’m not even computer literate,” he told the newspaper. “If I obtained more rewards than allowed, it’s on their end, not mine. As I’ve stayed in their hotels exclusively for over six years, points do accumulate.”
Chad added that he will hire a lawyer to fight the suit “as there was nothing done illegal nor was anything done in malice.”
The Choice Hotel chain includes Econo Lodge, Comfort Inn and Clarion.
