Brian S.
Yelp
Labor Day weekend at Lake George turned into a heartbreaking experience:
We booked two nights at the Premier Suite, Lakeside with a Lake View at Surfside on the Lake. We were excited to spend the weekend in such a scenic location. When we arrived on August 31st around 8 PM, we checked in smoothly and provided documentation for our Psychiatric Service Dog, Max. It felt like the start of a wonderful weekend.
But that feeling quickly disappeared. After our long four-hour drive, we took Max for a walk to stretch his legs. Suddenly, the weekend fireworks at Lake George went off with loud, terrifying booms. Max, unprepared for the noise, panicked. The dim, damp environment around us didn't help--there was water leaking from the ceiling, creating puddles on the stairs, and Max slipped on one. It was heartbreaking to see him so scared. We rushed him back to our room, shaken by the ordeal. After the fireworks ended, Max was back to his calm self, walking with us to the town center.
The following day, Sunday, things took a turn for the worse. Right after 3PM, the hotel manager called us, demanding that we leave immediately. She claimed Max was not a service dog based on a secret review of security footage showing him pulling during the fireworks. Despite explaining that the fireworks had frightened him and asking her to research how such noises affect dogs, she wouldn't listen. She didn't even watch the footage showing how Max walked calmly after the fireworks. Worse, she falsely accused us of taking Max to the beach, which we never did.
We went to the front desk, trying to explain again that Max is a Psychiatric Service Dog, and even showed her the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) guidelines. She refused to read, yelled at us, and ignored the Q&A section from the ADA website that clearly states PSDs are recognized service dogs and do not need special training for fireworks.
Feeling completely disrespected and hurt, we agreed to leave, with her promise of a refund for the second night. But when we received the invoice, there was a $250 pet fee, despite Max being registered as a PSD at check-in. We felt utterly blindsided and deceived.
We have traveled with Max to places like Atlantic City, Las Vegas, and Baltimore, staying at many hotels that have always treated us with respect and understanding. But Surfside, a privately run property, treated us with disdain. To be kicked out on a busy Labor Day weekend at 3-4 PM, so they could charge us for the night, felt cruel. Though they eventually agreed to refund the second night, they slapped in a fee we never agreed to.
It's not their place to judge Max's status based on a single video of him during a moment of fear. They completely ignored the other footage of him behaving normally.
Our Labor Day weekend was completely ruined--both for us and our kids.
On top of everything, the property itself was disappointing. The leak in the stairway left a large puddle that was never cleaned up, and there wasn't even a "Wet Floor" sign. Our so-called Premier Suite, Lake Side, Lake View with three "queen beds" actually had double beds--nothing like the queen-sized beds we have at home (60x80 inches). The water pressure in the shower was so weak that my wife couldn't even wash her hair. The pool was always crowded, and while the room had a nice balcony overlooking a small, busy beach and the lake, it didn't make up for the way we were treated.
Lastly, we read of other guest had strikingly similar horrible experience, they did this to others