This Hotel Will Fine You $500 If You Leave Them A Negative Review

by Austin Petersen

The Union Street Guest House in Hudson, New York will issue you a fine of $500 if you leave them a negative review. That’s $500 per negative review, mind you, not $500 total.

From the hotel website:

Please know that despite the fact that wedding couples love Hudson and our inn, your friends and families may not.

If you have booked the Inn for a wedding or other type of event anywhere in the region and given us a deposit of any kind for guests to stay at USGH there will be a $500 fine that will be deducted from your deposit for every negative review of USGH placed on any internet site by anyone in your party and/or attending your wedding or event. If you stay here to attend a wedding anywhere in the area and leave us a negative review on any internet site you agree to a $500 fine for each negative review.
One reviewer had the nerve to post a negative review on Yelp, and boy was he ticked!

review

Everyone knows a negative review on a site like Yelp can seriously damage the establishment’s business. But can a business actually get away with charging customers like this? Well, it all depends on what you believe in regards to private contract. If the hotel states in writing that the person who books the reservation can be fined, and the customer agrees to the terms, then they should have that contract be fully enforceable. However, we all know the reality is that contracts aren’t always honored if the government decides the terms are unfair for whatever reason.

One review cited in the New York Post showed that a customer complained about rude treatment when they asked for a bucket of ice. The hotel proprietors shot back: “I know you guys wanted to hang out and get drunk for 2 days and that is fine. I was really really sorry that you showed up in the summer when it was 105 degrees . . . I was so so so sorry that our ice maker and fridge were not working and not accessible.”

Apparently if you take the review down, the hotel will refund your $500. What do you think of this policy? Should it be enforceable? Leave your thoughts and comments below.

[about_austin]

Austin Petersen is a homegrown Missourian with a lifelong passion for liberty. He grew up on a horse farm in Peculiar, Missouri and went on to attend Missouri State University, graduating with a degree in the Fine Arts. After developing a career in media in both New York City and Washington, D.C., he returned to Kansas City, MO, the city he now calls home. In 2016, Petersen appeared on the national stage as a candidate for president of the United States. He took second place in the crowded Libertarian primary behind Governor Gary Johnson and ahead of cyber security maverick John McAfee. During his campaign, Petersen earned many high-profile conservative endorsements, including Mary Matalin, Erick Erickson and Leon Wolf of RedState.com. Petersen also brings decades of professional experience in a wide variety of fields, from content production and media to business and political activism. He is the owner and chief executive of Stonegait LLC, a consulting firm specializing in photo and video services. He was also the director of production at FreedomWorks and an associate producer for Judge Andrew Napolitano’s show “Freedom Watch” on the Fox Business Network. Additionally, Petersen has a national following as a commentator and professional pundit. He is the founder of The Libertarian Republic, a powerful online news source for the public that receives an average of 1 million unique visits monthly and whose podcast, The Freedom Report, receives an average of one million monthly downloads. He is also a frequent contributor on television, appearing on Fox News, Fox Business, CNN, MSNBC and on dozens of local radio shows.

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