Racist room note left by previous guest, Sarasota hotel says

collected by :Frank Ithan

Room 622 at the Art Ovation Hotel in downtown Sarasota, the scene where a racist note was found. [Herald-Tribune staff photo / Anna Bryson] ▲ Michael Davis posted on his Facebook page this note found in his family's room at Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota. [MICHAEL DAVIS VIA FACEBOOK] ▲SARASOTA — The racist note discovered by an African-American family in their hotel room on the Fourth of July was left by a previous guest and was not directed at the family, according to an internal investigation by Art Ovation Hotel. Davis said that he is "still slightly concerned" about his initial exchange with management at the Art Ovation Hotel. Mayor Liz Alpert expressed her concern for the Sarasota community following the hotel incident.

How to find the best deal when booking a hotel room

They say they are simply online marketers who display prices set by the hotels. Representatives from both companies told NBC News BETTER that many hotel chains require parity agreements that prohibit them from undercutting the rate set by the hotel. "We don't set the prices, they set the prices," said Leslie Cafferty, senior vice president of communications at Booking Holdings. "The value we offer our customers is matching travelers with the best hotel for their needs at the best price available for us to offer," McNamee said in a statement. Expedia noted that bundling — booking a flight and hotel at the same time — can result in significant savings.

Growing hotel room demand spurs development across Massachusetts

as declared in [Wicked Local photo/Melissa Russell] ▲Growing demand for hotel rooms in Massachusetts is fattening public coffers and spurring new developments across the state. The growth of demand, meanwhile, is outpacing the growth of new hotel rooms, meaning the trend is likely to continue. In fiscal 2017, the state tax generated $255.5 million and the local tax generated $206 million. For some municipalities, the local tax -- enacted in 2009 -- is helping local budgets. Together, the state and local rooms tax accounted for about 1.7 percent of the $26.4 billion the state collected during fiscal 2017.