The manager of the Mayfly Hotel, Foxford, has issued an alert to other hotels and B&Bs in the locality about a possible scammer.
Last month, a man with a UK accent phoned the hotel and made a reservation for himself and two ‘colleagues’.
He stated that he and his co-workers were on business in the north and east Mayo area and needed hotel accommodation for five weeks.
He arrived, alone, ran up a hefty food and beverage bill, stayed the night and left without paying the following day.
When management at the hotel checked the information he used to make the reservation, they found the details were bogus.
Wendy Mariner, manager at the hotel, said others have also fallen victim to the same scam.
The man used the same story while checking into a second hotel in east Mayo and, again, left without paying.
“Business is not easy at the moment and to have someone just come like that and rip the hotel off, it got me so annoyed. It’s just not fair,” said Ms Mariner.
Ms Mariner said she wants to alert other hotels in the area to the scam.
“He was very comfortable and not nervous at all,” she said. “He was friendly to everyone and was even buying other customers in the bar drinks, which he didn’t end up paying for.”
Ms Mariner said she has reported the matter to local gardaí.
