A Latrobe man and his fiancee said a Fayette County resort wasn’t as advertised and are seeking the return of their deposit after canceling their wedding reception set for next month.
In a three-count lawsuit filed in Westmoreland County Court of Common Pleas, Greg Cammarata and Christina Varrasso say Nemacolin Woodlands Resort falsely advertised itself as a top-rated luxury resort but, upon visiting the property earlier this year, discovered it was not as promised. Nemacolin refused to refund their deposit, the lawsuit claims.
“Their experience at Nemacolin failed to live up to the image that Nemacolin conveys on the website, and it certainly did not seem to conform with (the) certifications that Greg and Christina relied upon in reserving the venue and paying a deposit,” they said in the lawsuit.
Nemacolin representatives did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday. In a letter dated in June that was included with the lawsuit filing, the resort’s lawyers disputed the couple’s allegations.
“Nemacolin did not deceive the couple and at no point exhibited deceptive conduct. The couple are educated individuals who have experience in similar consumer transactions. When the Nemacolin website is viewed in its entirety it clearly conveys an accurate picture of the amenities and certifications,” wrote attorney S. Manoj Jegasothy.
Cammarata and Varrasso are owners of the Iron Rock Tap House restaurant under construction in front of Westmoreland Mall in Hempfield. According to the lawsuit, they sought a top-rated luxury facility to host their pending nuptials.
In the court filing, Cammarata and Varrasso said they paid a $30,000 deposit to rent the resort’s Chateau Lafayette facility at Nemacolin’s centerpiece hotel building based on representations on its website about the travel ratings. In late May, they went to the resort for the first time and found peeling wallpaper, worn and mismatched glassware, plastic flowers, stained and worn carpets and upholstery, and missing personnel, they claim in the court filing.
At issue is the resort’s five-star rating from AAA and a five-diamond evaluation from Forbes Travel Guide, according to the lawsuit.
Neither apply to the resort as a whole or the location they reserved for the Sept. 28 wedding, the suit alleges. Instead, just the resort’s Falling Rock hotel, described in the lawsuit as a “small niche hotel located elsewhere on Nemacolin’s property” earned the top luxury designation.
According to the lawsuit, Cammarata and Varrasso accused Nemacolin of unfair trade practices, fraud and unjust enrichment. They want a jury to award damages to cover the deposit as well as punitive damages.
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