For clarification: Yes. The electric fireplace wasn't working as the guest checking out that morning informed the front desk. When this guest checked in we apologized and offered our standard inconvenience discount of 10% without his having to ask. He stated that "it's not really a big deal" (or an emergency, as he says in his review) and proceeded to check in. The hotel was fully booked and moving the guest to another room was not an option. A short time after checking in the guest approached the front desk saying that the 10% was not enough, that he wanted a 40% discount. Our Front Desk staff member contacted Crystal, our General Manager, to ask if this was possible. [As a side note: she was in the Emergency Room with her 10 year old son, who had been bitten by a dog, that is why she "was not around".] Crystal stated that no more than our standard discount would be offered and, if that was not satisfactory to the guest we would be happy to refund their money for the second night (the deposit for the first night was paid at the time of booking) and they could look for more suitable lodging elsewhere. He had the option to stay or go (he wasn't kicked out) and he decided to stay.
Every hotel not just in Hudson, or New York, or even the United States requires a credit card at check in. This is not a policy limited only to The Barlow. That this guest was unaware of this common practice is perplexing. In addition, all guests sign a registration form clearly stating that they understand their responsibility for the entirety of the cost of the reservation, regardless of length of stay, which this guest signed accordingly. Scare tactic? Not quite. Standard practice? Most surely.
Finally, Yelp has been sued by by everyone from individual businesses up to and including State Attorneys General for unfair and illegal business practices for extorting money from small business owners for "good reviews". When the business doesn't pay (as The Barlow doesn't) the only reviews Yelp allows are "bad reviews" and the others are relegated to their "Not recommended" review category at the bottom of the page. We don't even bother reading or responding to our Yelp reviews. Google "Yelp lawsuit" for more information.