There are two things getting confused in this article:
1. A theoretical philosophical discussion about the pros and cons of going to hotels for Pesach.
2. Our obligation to judge other Jews favorably.
As you yourself have pointed out elsewhere, there is a big difference between a theoretical philosophical discussion and a discussion that revolves around real people.
I’m sure the writer of the article had good intentions and meant his words as a philosophical discussion. However, l’maaseh, there are real people involved here and I think we have an obligation to judge them favorably.
Even if someone thinks that going to hotels for Pesach is inappropriate and a waste of money, etc, you can’t really judge other people who are doing so because you have no idea of all their factors and considerations.
This past Shabbos we actually had a discussion about this. Someone in my family started talking about how she thinks it’s a good idea. Others were very surprised since it’s not the kind of thing that anyone in my family has ever remotely considered, since it’s not something that is remotely in any of our budgets. However, the person pointed out that there are people who HAVE to do this even if they don’t have money. For example, someone who has severe OCD might have no choice and might HAVE to go away for Pesach even if they have to beg, borrow, or steal in order to do so.
None of us really knows why this family borrowed $80,OOO to go to a hotel for Pesach. They obviously felt they needed to do so. Maybe they all have severe cases of OCD or some other health issue (whether physical, emotional, or spiritual) that necessitated doing this. And if it really was OCD or something similar, can you imagine how horrible they will feel when they read this article and how much psychological damage it can do to them?