Lotus Garden Incident
The entire media delegation from all over the country invited by the PNGOC for the PopDev Congress on Nov. 25, 2009 was booked at the LOTUS GARDEN HOTEL located at the corner of A. Mabini St. and Padre Faura St. It was very easy to find, accessible from all points, but renders VERY POOR SERVICE, aside from VERY POOR SECURITY for its guests.
During the first day when we arrived, there was a very long line of guests waiting to be booked. It seems the hotel management has not prepared for the influx of guests. I myself waited for more than two hours before I was guided to my assigned room in an adjacent building.
For an overview of the bad experience at Lotus Hotel, I am pasting below the text of the letter I sent to Sheng Acuña, PNGOC coordinator, copy furnished some fellow media practitioners.
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From: Ric Alban
Dear Sheng,
Thanks for the documents and files you have sent.
I just want to know if Lotus Hotel management informed you of the very bad treatment they gave me midnight of November 25.
When I checked in on Nov. 24, the Hotel bellboy assisted and brought me to the supposedly assigned room at the still being furnished rooms. The hotel staff got the key from the people who are working at the hotel, ushered me inside the assigned room, he inserted the plastic key for the lights then gave me the key to the main door.
I was informed that a certain Dennis Sales would be my room mate. I met him later after the briefing/introduction at the second-floor function room. Past 9pm, I retired to the assigned room and there I found Dennis Sales. We had a small talk for about half an hour, then he told me he would go out and meet some cousins.
That was during the first night of stay in the assigned room 3308.
On the evening of November 25, after the fellowship at the city Gardens, Dennis and I went back to the assigned room 3308. The after about 15 minutes, he told me he would again go out and go to his cousin's house. I said 'OK' and because he has his duplicate key, he simply locked the door while I went on to sleep.
A few minutes before 12 midnight, I was awakened from sleep when someone opened the main door. Believing it was Dennis I did not mind when "he" entered the room because it was my belief that only him and I possess a key each to our assigned room. I was about to go back to sleep, when "He" spoke, and I was surprised it was not Dennis, but another person.
It turned out to be Mr. Salamat who told me "may kasama ka na pala dito sa kwarto". I then opened my eyes and answered him, "Oo, meron, si Dennis Sales. May pinuntahan lang siya."
I then asked Mr. Salamat why he opened the door to my assigned room, and he answered it was not him who opened the door, but one of the hotel staff. He said it was the instruction from the hotel frontdesk for him to go into that room 3308.
The information he gave made me tremble in fear, and I spoke to him loudly why should it be so. He was mumbling to himself saying he checked-in as early as 8pm and up to that time he has not got any room and he was already feeling tired and sleepy. He was civil enough to get out of my room and started walking downstairs. I got out of the room, and I caught up with him on the stairs at the second floor. I asked him to come with me and we will confront the front desk personnel who ushered him and barged into our room.
THE BIG QUESTION HERE IS: IS THIS THE KIND OF TREATMENT WE GET FROM PNGOC, COMPROMISING OUR SECURITY AND PERSONAL WELFARE BY ALLOWING THE HOTEL PERSONNEL BARGE INTO OUR ROOM HALFWAY INTO MY SLEEP?
I asked the front desk why they sent another occupant to room 3308 when there was already two persons staying there since the first day (Nov. 24). They replied that as per their record, there was only one occupant in room 3308, and that I am supposed to be in another room.
MY POINT IS: I HAVE BEEN STAYING IN ROOM 3308 SINCE NOV. 24, WITH DENNIS SALES. WHY SHOULD THEY MAINTAIN THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE OCCUPANT IN THAT ROOM?
Im still waiting for the official report from the room manager who introduced herself as a certain Mina Mendiola. The promise to give me written report on the mix-up and the eventual barging into my assigned room in the middle of the night as I was supposed to be sleeping soundly after a daylong activity at Manila Hotel and at City Gardens. As of this writing, Nov. 27, 2009, 9:06 pm., I still have to received any word from the hotel staff who caused me fear and anxiety that resulted from the mix-up and incompetence of their staff.
Perhaps PNGOC can help me obtain an officialr report from the Lotus Hotel management, as I am really contemplating to write a very bad story about this bad experience at their hotel. My personal safety has been severely compromised, and I would like to warn other future guests of the hotel so that they can take the necessary precautions. But before I write the story, up to this time, I still wish to get their side so I won't be accused of being one-sided.
God knows how long I can wait, and when I finally write a very bad account of this experience, nobody can accuse me of being unfair and one-sided.
As PNGOC is the organizer of the event, the reason why I have to check-in at Lotus Hotel, please endeavor to do everything possible to get their side, otherwise I have to do what I need to do.
QUIRINO "ric" G. ALBAN
PUBLISHER/EDITOR
RP-NFP-PNGOC advocate
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posted by Azoreskid @ 1:26 PM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
Dear Ric,
Thanks for your email... otherwise we wouldn't know about this unfortunate incident.I'm so sorry re your bad night in Lotus. Rest assured, we shall investigate this untoward incident.ASAP. There must have been gross oversight in the front desk and It was never our (PNGOC) intention to make this happen. I will inform you immediately of the hotel's feedback . Thanks again and warm regards,
Eden R. Divinagracia
Dear Sir/Madame:
First of all I would like to thank Ms. Naty Pagayonan, the organizer of PNGOC and all the participants who chose LOTUS GARDEN HOTEL as their Official Hotel for their event.
Ako po si Ms. Armina Q. Mendiola, Resident Manager of LOTUS GARDEN HOTEL, pinapahatid ko po sa ngalan ng buong staff ng LOTUS GARDEN HOTEL ang aming lubos na paghingi ng paumanhin sa insidenteng nangyari kay kagalang galang na MR. QUIRINO ALBAN at MR. NINOY SALAMAT, at pinapangako namin sa ilalim ng aking pamamahala na hindi na mauulit ang ganitong pangyayari.
Please be assured that I will update you after we completed the necessary procedure of our investigation. Currently, we already gathered all the incident report and explanation of each staff involved… I also instructed our Security Department to review our CCTV cameras to back track the exact happening and actual check-ins of the participants. Now, I will going to issue summons to all the concerned staff to attend our Grievance Committee Hearing so that the Grievance Committee can evaluate where the negligence originated.
The Management of LOTUS GARDEN HOTEL does not tolerate the negligence of its people and I, as a Resident Manager of this hotel will assure you that I will impose the necessary disciplinary action to the staff who committed mistakes that lead irritation to our clients.
Again please accept my deepest apology to Mr. Quirino Alban and Mr. Ninoy Salamat and also to Ms. Naty Pagayonan.
Best Regards,
Ms. Armina Q. Mendiola
Resident Manager
Lotus Garden Hotel
Tel. No. 02-522-1515 loc 30/35
1227 A. Bani St. cor. P. Faura St.
Ermita Manila
rm_lgh@citygardenhotels.com
Ric, I am very interested to know about taheebo. Kindly give me information about. where can I get some cuttings for planting? What does it cure? If you have some, may be given some cuttings if you can give me or if you sell How much and where cn I buy it? thanks and God bless!
" Auntie nena" Visitacion Leticia S. de Alban
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