THE Department of Tourism (DOT) has suspended the accreditation of a Makati hotel and revoked its permit as a Multiple-Use Hotel for its failure to stop a guest from breaking quarantine rules, leaving the premises to party, and only to return a few days later to test positive for Covid-19.
Berjaya Hotel Makati was also fined equivalent to twice the rack rate of its most expensive room. The Department’s Tourism Regulation, Coordination and Resource Generation approved the penalties recommended by the DOT- National Capital Region.
The case stemmed from the actions of returning Filipino Gwyneth Chua, identified in social media as “Poblacion Girl” because she was seen in Poblacion, Makati City when she was supposed to be in the quarantine hotel.
Berjaya on their reply dated Jan 1, 2022, admitted that, based on CCTV footage showed Chua leaving the hotel at 11:45 p.m., or 15 minutes after checking in upon her arrival on Dec. 22. Neither did the hotel security personnel nor the front lobby call her attention, and neither was there any effort to report the incident to the Bureau of Quarantine (BOQ):, even after her return three (3) days later. She was later seen in social media posts at a bar in Poblacion.
The statements made by the hotel management and its public apology were “an admission of not just the facts of the incident but as well as their lapses in their responsibility as an accredited establishment of the Department of Tourism,” the decision said.
