TAMPA - The Islanders are upset, the Lightning said it was just taking care of business and the director of marketing for the Marriott Waterside hotel said it was "an unfortunate misunderstanding."
The Islanders apparently believe they were bumped out of the hotel across the street from the St. Pete Times Forum because the Lightning moved its players in for the playoffs.
But Bob Stewart, the hotel's director of marketing, said the Islanders could have stayed there as long as they didn't mind sharing it with Tampa Bay.
"I know they're upset," Stewart said Monday. "One of their reps called three weeks ago checking room availability. We had room availability. But they were not ready to contract. Happens all the time."
In the meantime, Stewart said, the Lightning contracted for rooms as it did during last season's playoffs.
Stewart said the Islanders called Monday to contract for their rooms and were told there was availability but the Lightning would be there as well. That's when New York went elsewhere and the story got legs.
"The (New York) Post called asking why we took the rooms away," Stewart said. "We didn't take any rooms away. They were not contracted rooms. There was no contract, no verbal agreement. There was no anything except they checked availability."
The Islanders, who will fly down Wednesday and previously have stayed at the hotel, ended up at the Wyndham Harbour Island.
"It's two city blocks away," Stewart said. "It's not like it's a bad hotel or anything. I'm not sure why the explosion, but so far it's been quite an explosion."
"We just have a lot of disappointment at the lack of professionalism at how the whole thing was handled," Isles spokesman Chris Botta said.
Asked if he was disappointed in the hotel or the Lightning, Botta said, "I'm not saying."
Said Lightning spokesman Bill Wickett: "As we did a year ago, we booked some rooms for our own team at the Marriott Waterside. We did that several weeks ago. I don't quite understand the concern."
