City leaders in Minot, North Dakota, have discussed the issue of poorly managed hotels during a recent city council meeting. Stephanie Schoenrock, the executive director for Visit Minot, highlighted that some hotels are not living up to the quality standards advertised on their websites, based on feedback from guests.
Mayor Tom Ross also pointed out that police have been called to certain properties numerous times. He revealed that seven properties in Minot accounted for 728 police calls in 2023 alone.
The city has been auditing lodging taxes from hotels over the past few years, according to City Manager Harold Stewart. He revealed that more than $50,000 in unpaid taxes was recovered in 2022 and 2023 from 21 hotels, with the majority coming from just four establishments.
Finance Director David Lakefield explained that one reason for uncollected taxes is the lack of access to old reservation records when hotel ownership changes. He suggested implementing a mechanism to notify the city of such changes could help address this issue.
The council also discussed the demographics of hotel guests. Council member Carrie Evans noted that some guests are homeless or struggling with addiction, unable to secure housing due to criminal records or financial constraints.
Source: kfyrtv.com