A company stuck paying for unused hotel rooms when cost-conscious franchisees stayed home from its convention in Denver isn’t leaving the rooms empty. Instead, Handyman Matters Franchise Corp. is letting eight low-income, working families stay in the rooms for four nights — free.
The families also were invited to eat meals with convention attendees gratis. They got keys to their rooms in The Westin Tabor Center downtown Wednesday.
“I just want to say, ‘Thank you so much,’ “said 30-year-old Sandra Bivin, who is staying in one of the rooms with her three children, ages 5 to 12.
Her children, Anthony, Alexis and Azaya, crawled under fluffy white comforters in their 10th-floor room with a flat-panel television and a wall of windows looking out on skyscrapers downtown. They brought swimsuits for the hotel pool.
“We all have a responsibility as business owners in our communities to do things that will assist other people and make their lives better,” said Andy Bell, founder and chief executive of Handyman Matters.
Rather than pay $110 a night for each canceled room, the company paid an extra $50 per room per night to fill the rooms with families, all of whom live in lower-cost housing provided by Volunteers of America while they work toward becoming homeowners.
Bell called the cost “marginal” and said he hopes other convention organizers facing overbookings follow.
