Originally Posted by
Often1
Why anybody would expect the hotel to compensate them is beyond me and is exactly the kind of person nobody wants to do business with.
Just to play devil's advocate:
The hotel has a duty of care and a contract to provide accommodation and (legal term of art next) undisturbed enjoyment. Implicit in the contract is safety. They have not provided undisturbed enjoyment and arguably failed on the safety front. Why were the guests rousted from their beds? Why could it not wait until the morning? Why did the police feel a need to detain all guests and why did the hotel agree and enable the police behaviour?
Getting everyone out of bed and detaining them was purely a convenience for the police. The hotel acted on behalf of the police. The hotel is liable for that inconvenience, just as the hotel is liable for providing a safe environment for guests and is, by law and fact, responsible for the hotel itself and surrounding grounds. Asking for a discount on the bill at checkout is not completely unreasonable.
The alternative was not to evacuate the room and deal with the consequences, perhaps being shot.
Can you demonstrate any instances of that occurring in the US in the last decade?