Gallup motel gets negligent with its security

Rodeway Inn, Gallup, key fiasco

The Rodeway Inn along Route 66 in Gallup, New Mexico, earned a few truckloads of bad publicity when this video by a couple of travelers went viral to the tune of 4.5 million views and counting in less than a week:

Apparently the motel’s management was programming card keys so sloppily or lazily, they could open every door in the place.

The Inquisitr website picked up the June 4 video and found the motel’s franchisee was Choice Hotels International, which left this comment on the YouTube video:

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We have contacted the hotel and determined that there was a malfunction in their key system. They have taken immediate action to address this.”

The Daily Mail in London reported on the fallout from the motel’s sloppiness:

A spokeswoman for Choice Hotels later told MailOnline Travel that it has terminated the property’s franchise licensing agreement following a review of the incident.

She said: ‘The operator failed to uphold the high standards we place on guest safety and security, which is unacceptable.

‘We are contacting guests staying at or scheduled to stay at the property to inform them of the situation, offer our sincere apologies and provide any assistance needed.”

Sure enough, the Rodeway Inn no longer is listed on the Choice Hotels website for Gallup. This isn’t preventing the motel from getting hammered on the internet, and its reviews were poor even before this little room-key scandal.

The story also got picked up by the Kansas City Star, The Telegraph in London and The Express in London.

Having competent security practices at a motel seems like a no-brainer. However, this episode should give a cautionary tale on how one bit of negligence can wreck a Route 66 business because of the internet and social media.

(Screen capture from the Rodeway Inn video)

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