Palm Desert hotel guests displaced by electrical hazard
People were asked to evacuate their rooms at “The International” hotel in Palm Desert Saturday morning due to an “electrical hazard,” according to Cal Fire.
“They’re not trying to work with their customers whatsoever and they’re not taking care of the premises obviously properly either,” said Erica Haddock, an evacuated hotel guest disappointed with the hotel’s management.
Guests were forced to find a new place to stay after more than 50 rooms were impacted by the electrical issue.
“All the appliances inside the rooms started making a lot of noise and most of them didn’t work…the fire department showed up…four or five engines,” said Robert Taylor, another guest.
Cal Fire and Edison arrived on the scene shortly after guests say they woke up to what sounded like “an explosion.”
Guests say their lights began flickering, they smelled something burning and heard several popping noises. One guest said his light bulbs shattered and covered the floor: “It blew right out…that’s where all the glass came from,” said Keith Woznesensky.
Several guests were frustrated with how the hotel handled the situation.
“They should have had somebody stay here and look after all the people and I think I would have accepted that…it’s gonna be difficult on a Saturday afternoon to get a room,” said Woznesensky.
Management did not want to comment on camera but guests say they were told they can expect a refund and the electrical repairs should be done by Monday.
Cal Fire has not released the initial cause of the problem.
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