Senator to pay for Tinian delegation’s hotel bills
Senate Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider (R-Tinian) said yesterday he will be paying out of his pocket the $880 in unpaid hotel bills incurred by over 10 Tinian residents who participated in the recent annual Flame Tree Arts Festival.
Hofschneider, in an interview, made it clear that when he met with Chalan Kanoa Beach Hotel general manager Noel Roque in July, he did not promise to pay the Tinian delegates’ unpaid hotel bills but will help facilitate the payment.
The senator, who chairs the Tinian Legislative Delegation, said the issue was blown out of proportion but to settle the matter, he will be the one to make the payment to the hotel on behalf of the Tinian residents.
He said it’s not clear whether he will get reimbursed for it later. He said he’s working on the payment arrangement with the hotel.
“But I will also find out from Mr. Eric Reyes of Tinian more information as to what happened, why they were unable to pay for the hotel rooms they occupied. I’ve been hearing different kinds of stories as to what happened,” Hofschneider told Saipan Tribune.
The senator also wrote a letter yesterday to the Chalan Kanoa Beach Club general manager on the issue.
“After several conversations and meeting with you on July 7, I assured you that I would facilitate the issue between CK Beach Hotel and Mr. Reyes. However, I did not promise to settle the owed amount by remitting payments on behalf of Mr. Reyes, as published in Saipan Tribune on Aug. 10, 2011. I believe our conversation was misconstrued and therefore, I hope you understand that my sole intention is to simply resolve this issue by allowing Mr. Reyes to make payment arrangements to CK Beach Hotel,” he said.
Hofschneider also hopes that Chalan Kanoa Beach Club requires its customers to have a security deposit to avoid situations wherein the hotel customers run away without paying for their stay in their hotel rooms.
