Soldier denied hotel room due to age

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WPVI) -- A U.S. Army Corporal says he was denied a room at a hotel in North Carolina because of his age.

Cpl. Hayden Harrington reserved and paid for the room after his flight got cancelled and he was stuck overnight in Charlotte.

But when he arrived at the Baymont Inn And Suites near the airport, the front desk turned him away because he's only 20-years-old.

The minimum age requirement to reserve a hotel room is 21-years-old.

A manager the hotel later explained that the desk attendant didn't know active military personnel could book a room, despite being younger than 21.

The family describes the encounter differently.

"Anyone who is old enough to fight for our country should be able to stay in a hotel and not be turned away on the street," says Cpl. Harrington's mom Pamela LaPrell.

He ended up staying at a nearby hotel instead.