$500 Smoking Fee Scam: A Hotel's Algorithmic Revenue Scheme?

A guest at the Hyatt Pell Hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, was wrongly charged a $500 smoking fee despite never smoking. The hotel staff was confrontational, claiming their smoke detectors were infallible. The guest discovered multiple other guests experienced the same issue, met with similar hostile responses from management. A viral video exposed the problem, leading to a refund, but other guests are still fighting for theirs. Investigation revealed the hotel uses Rest Sensors, a company marketing its detectors as a way to "unlock a new revenue stream" with a "robust algorithm." This suggests a potential widespread hotel revenue-generating scheme.