For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:
“Hotel”means any public or private hotel, inn, hostelry, tourist home or house, motel, roominghouse or other lodging place within the city offering lodging, wherein the owner and operator thereof, for compensation, furnishes lodging to any transient as defined in subsection D of this section.
“Operator”means the person who is proprietor of the hotel, whether in the capacity of owner, lessee, sublessee, mortgagee in possession, licensee, or any other capacity. Where the operator performs functions through a managing agent, the managing agent shall also be deemed an operator for the purposes of this chapter and shall have the same duties and liabilities as the principal. Compliance with the provisions of this chapter by either the principal or the managing agent shall, however, be considered compliance by both.
“Permanent resident”means any person who, as of a given date, has occupied or has had the right to occupy a room or rooms in a particular hotel, as defined in subsection A of this section, for the 30 consecutive days next proceeding such date.
“Person”means any individual, firm, partnership, joint venture, association, social club, fraternal organization, joint stock company, corporation, estate, trust, business trust, receiver, trustee, syndicate, or any other group or combination thereof acting as a unit.
“Room rental”means the total charge made by any such hotel for lodging and/or lodging space furnished any such transient. If the charge made by such hotel to such transient includes any charge for services or accommodations in addition to that of lodging, and/or the use of lodging space, then such portion of the total charge as represents only room and/or lodging space rental shall be distinctly set out and billed to the transient by such hotel as a separate item.
“Transient”means any person who, for any period of not more than 30 consecutive days, either at his or her own expense or at the expense of another, obtains lodging or the use of any lodging space in any hotel as defined in subsection A of this section, for which lodging or use of lodging space a charge is made.
(Prior code § 23.39; Ord. 3257 § 1, 1998)