Hotels activate disaster management protocol

CEBU, Philippines - Hotels in Cebu have activated their own disaster management protocols to ensure the safety of their guests following the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Cebu and Bohol last Tuesday and with aftershocks being felt every now and then in the region.

Hotel, Resorts and Restaurant Association of Cebu (HRRAC) vice president for hotels, Cenelyn Maguilimotan said yesterday that the organization will meet to assess the hotels' implementation of disaster management, as well as urge members to double their monitoring in the hotel buildings' safety, while authorities said that aftershocks will continue in the next few days.

Individually, she said hotels in Cebu are strictly implementing their own disaster management programs, and allay the fears of guests.

Manguilimotan, who is also the general manager for Parklane Hotel, said that her hotel only noted one cancellation of scheduled function during the week, although she admitted that occupancy rate has been affected by the aftershock scare.

"We only have one cancelled function so far since all the attendees are from Manila and are all scared to fly to Cebu. Occupancy is a bit affected since this function has room requirement. We are running on normal operation since we have no major damage except pop up floor tiles. We are on alert and our staffs are trained for disaster management. We had a smooth and efficient evacuation last Tuesday when that unexpected strong earthquake hit us so I'm confident that we can handle it when it happens again. Our own engineers already inspected our building and we don't have any structural problem. We also invited the city engineers to visit and check us. Looks like they are busy for the past two days but we are expecting them today," said Manguilimotan in an interview with The Freeman yesterday.

Cebu City Marriott Hotel, on the other hand released its official statement saying although the building was declared safe, it is continuously on alert mode to ensure safety of guests.

Immediately after the major quake on Tuesday, the Cebu City Marriott Hotel building has been declared safe to be occupied and has not suffered any significant structural damage, the hotel official statement said.

"The safety and security of our guests and associates are our priority and with the immediate response of our team, no guest,employee injuries and fatalities occurred during the time of the earthquake," the statement added.

Marriott Cebu has installed an evacuation and rescue strategy which has been firmly placed to tackle calamities, and similar incidents.

"We will continue to monitor earthquake and its aftershocks in Cebu and keep the public informed. Regular daily hotel operations are currently ongoing," it further added

"From our own inspection after the October 15, 2013 earthquake, we could not detect any major damages. We continue to operate all our facilities and continue to extend full service to all of our guests. The safety of our guests and associates is our top priority and we have emergency evacuation and rescue procedures in place, " a statement from Marco Polo Plaza Cebu

"We offer information and assistance to all our guests. We give updates on flight and ferry delays to/from Bohol and mall closures. We are accommodating late check-out requests without charge based on availability, and we have set-up beds in a function room for guests who still do not want to return to their rooms," Marco Polo statement signed general manager Hans Hauri reads.

A structural expert will be inspecting the hotel in a very detailed way, this Friday.

"As a result of the earthquake, the Radisson Blu Hotel Cebu sustained some cosmetic damage but continues to be fully operational.There were no inquiries from either guests or employees as a result of the incident," said hotel's general manager Lyle Lewis./JOB (FREEMAN)