Photo ID, other tighter hotel-motel rules proposed in Gurnee

Travelers who book a motel or hotel room in Gurnee would be required to present valid photo identification at check-in, if a proposal before the village board gains approval.

Village Attorney Bryan Winter explained the recommended amendments for the hotel-motel regulations at a village board meeting this week. He said public safety is driving the proposal.

“Basically, the village has had good cooperation from hotel operators, but, as always, sometimes the current provisions have to be updated,” Winter said.

State law allows towns to regulate lodging operations. Winter said Gurnee now requires hotels and motels to maintain accurate and complete room rental records for the village’s taxing purposes.

However, Winter said, some gaps in the regulations need to be closed. For example, he said, registries are not consistently maintained at the hotels and motels, in part, because the current ordinance “does not provide a precise road map.”

Under the proposed changes, someone who books a room in Gurnee would be required to present valid, federally or state-issued issued photo identification at check-in. Winter said such information would be useful for police if they are called to a motel or hotel.

Winter said there would be required fields in computers for the photo identification information. He said the village could later demand that hotels and motels make copies of the photo IDs if officials believe stronger requirements are needed.

Although Gurnee currently has a 30-day limit for a guest’s time in a hotel or motel room, except for long-stay operations, the proposed changes would tighten wording in the local law. Simply noting a 30-day limit in the current ordinance, Winter said, leaves open the possibility of a much longer stay than intended by village government.

“A hotel room could not be rented out to the same guest for more than 30 days in any 60-day period, so that you could not have a situation where someone is in a hotel for 30 days, maybe leaves for one day (and returns). There’s even concern that someone could just relocate within the hotel,” Winter said.

The proposal would allow for hardship circumstances or guests who require a stay beyond 60 days for verifiable work purposes, he said.

In response to a question from Trustee Greg Garner, Winter said enforcement could occur through guest registry audits, periodic village fire inspector visits or police calls to the motels and hotels.

Penalties for violators could range from a minimum $200 fine under the current ordinance to the village going to Lake County circuit court for a restraining order for businesses not complying with the regulations, Winter said.

Trustee Don Wilson said he backs the beefed-up regulations, which are expected to go before the village board for a vote Sept. 23. He said he’s found some motels and hotels have been used as apartments.

“Generally speaking, a hotel room is not a good place to stay for a long period of time,” Winter said.