If a hotel guest refuses to pay their room fees, what charges can they face?

In situations where a hotel guest refuses to pay their room fees, the charges they may face can include trespassing and theft. The situation of not paying for services rendered, such as a hotel stay, can lead to a legal interpretation of theft, specifically when the intent to permanently deprive the hotel of compensation for its services is established.

Trespassing may apply if the hotel has specific policies about keeping non-paying guests on the premises. Once a person has refused to pay and the hotel management decides to evict the guest, the guest may be considered to be unlawfully remaining in the hotel, which constitutes trespassing.

While breach of contract could be a related issue, it typically falls under civil law rather than criminal law, whereas theft and trespassing are more directly associated with potential criminal charges a guest could face. Disturbing the peace generally applies to disruptive behavior rather than non-payment and does not align with the core issues at hand in this situation. Thus, the combination of trespassing and theft accurately reflects the legal implications for a guest who refuses to settle their payment.