Days Inn on Long Island to Pay for Post-Sept. 11 Overcharges

A Days Inn hotel that overcharged stranded travelers for rooms after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks has agreed to pay a $9,500 penalty, state Atty. Gen. Eliot Spitzer said Wednesday.

The hotel raised rates for some rooms from a posted rate of $139 to $399 a night.

At the time, air traffic was shut down nationwide and many travelers were stranded in the New York metro area in need of accommodation.

A state of emergency was declared in New York after the terrorist attacks, and the law forbids raising prices for vital goods and services during an emergency.

The Long Island hotel is paying $9,500 in penalties and court costs and has agreed to give refunds to overcharged consumers, Spitzer said.

Gerard Lynch, assistant general manager of the Days Inn, called it an “oversight.” He said only a few customers were overcharged and they were offered refunds.

“It wasn’t any type of action of greed or anything like that,” Lynch said. “As soon as we understood the magnitude of the situation, our prices were lowered.”