
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 8, 1994                   TAG: 9411080117
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CONCORD, N.H.                                LENGTH: Short

HOTELS SEND WOMAN AWAY FOR LACKING ID

There was no room at the inn for Linda Friedberg. No room at three inns, in fact, because she carried no ID showing that's her name.

The Econo Lodge, Howard Johnson and the Queen City Motor Inn in Manchester refused to rent the Chicago woman a room Sept. 7, even though she had $1,000 in cash.

All three companies said they accept only ID-carrying guests for safety reasons.

``It's to protect our business and also protect the people who are here,'' said Tracy Cole, assistant manager of the Econo Lodge.

A call to the state consumer protection bureau about the legality of the policy was not immediately returned Monday.

``We are the most livable state in the nation this year, but we didn't show that to you!'' Gov. Steve Merrill wrote Friedberg last week. ``I will do my best to see that no one is treated in such a manner.''

Still, Friedberg said she will never visit New Hampshire again.

``I've never met people who had such an attitude about them,'' she said. ``There was no compassion in them, no thought of the fact that I'm a single woman traveling by myself, it's dark outside, and I have a lot of money in my pocket.''

Friedberg took shelter with three women who found her sobbing in a restaurant booth, took her home and let her sleep on their couch.

by CNB