Roseburg hotel fined $31,000 for overcharging people during wildfire

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) — A hotel in Roseburg has been fined $31,000 for overcharging dozens of area residents who sought rooms after fleeing a large wildfire in September.

The News-Review reports SUBH Investment LLC, which does business as Days Inn by Wyndham in Roseburg, entered into an agreement with the Oregon Department of Justice on Monday.

Devon Kumar, who lives in a suburb of Portland, is listed with the state as the owner of the Days Inn. He declined to comment when contacted by the newspaper.

Kumar agreed to pay $31,000 in fines to the state Department of Justice, spread out in payments over the next six months.

At the time of the Archie Creek Fire, the Days Inn rented or offered to rent at least 31 rooms at a price that was at least 15% higher than the normal room price, the agreement said.

The single highest rate Days Inn charged in October was $150 a night, yet during the fire the hotel rented 12 different rooms for over $200 a night, including six rooms for over $300 a night, the Department of Justice said.