BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) — Several people said they have no place to stay because of flooding at a motel. The Extended Stay America on Eastpoint Boulevard closed last week when temperatures were down in the teens. Some guests said they were left without any good options.
The people use the extended-stay motel as housing, and they paid upfront for weeks at a time. They said there’s not much extra money to spend somewhere else, and the motel manager hadn’t been helpful with refunds or relocation assistance.
Robert Redding and his family have been displaced.
“We used up our last Christmas money just to get a room so he can be warm,” Redding said, referring to a young relative.
They haven’t had secure housing since late last week when all of the guests at the Extended Stay America in Baytown were told the motel was closing. Brandon Guadiana was also displaced.
“The pipe busted, which set off the fire alarms, which sent the fire department here. Next thing you know, they’re throwing us out,” Guadiana said.
Now, the front doors are locked leaving some former guests out in the cold. The men said motel management had not helped them find other accommodations, and refunds may take several business days to process.
“It don’t do us any good today, you know. I had to scrape around pennies and dimes to try to find a place to go for the night,” William McGee, another displaced guest, said.
When ABC13 called the front desk, we were told a manager would not be on site until Tuesday. Calls to the corporate office in North Carolina were not returned. The city of Baytown also hasn’t responded to our requests for information regarding where these people and their families can go.
ABC13 will continue pressing the motel’s corporate office and the city of Baytown for helpful information on their behalf.
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