Plantation Bay fined, warned over treatment of special needs guest

The Department of Tourism (DOT) imposed a P10,000 fine against Plantation Bay Resort & Spa in Cebu after a former shareholder lashed out online at guests -  a parent with a special-needs child.

In a letter dated December 30, 2020, DOT Region VII Director Shalimar Tamano informed Plantation Bay of the decision of the Office of Tourism Standards that the resort was “liable for commission of acts detrimental to the tourism industry,” which is punishable with a “stern warning” and a fine of P10,000.

“[T]his letter serves as your first warning as a clear violation of the Department’s Memorandum Circular against acts or omissions deemed detrimental to the tourism industry and that repeated offenses which are similar in nature shall warrant penalties with increasing gravity in the future,” Tamano said in her letter.

In December, the posh resort drew flak on social media after its resident shareholder, Manny Gonzalez, using the account of general manager Efren Belarmino, responded to Mai Pages’ Trip Advisor review and accused her of "most likely deliberately lying" since "uncontrolled shouting is not a symptom of autism."

Gonzalez even questioned the child's diagnosis.

In her review Mai, a mother to a six-year-old child with autism, narrated the discrimination she and her child experienced at the resort, which she described as "not an ideal place for a child with special needs."

She said her son Fin would make squealing sounds whenever they went in the waters, as he often does whenever he was excited or happy. But, lifeguards at the resort told her to stop her son from squealing.

Gonzalez resigned from his post “to protect our staff from further indignities, and with sincere apologies for my error of judgment which led to so much trouble to many innocent people."

He also apologized for the “poor handling of a guest complaint."

Nevertheless, he also defended his response insisting that the hotel's policy on keeping the noise down in the pool and at the restaurants as a policy "geared towards and relaxation for all guests," and that they try to apply the policy "evenhandedly."

Meanwhile, Tamano, in her letter, noted that there was “bad faith” in Gonzalez's "disrespectful" response to the guest’s review as he alleged that the guest had lied and that her child was misdiagnosed.

However, the DOT found “no gross and evident bad faith" with the rest of the Plantation Bay staff since the noise policy was communicated to the guest in the reservation and confirmation form.

“The respondent’s staff did not act in a disrespectful manner towards the guest and the guest made no complaints at the time of the stay regarding the manner of the staff towards her,” said Tamano in her findings.

Sought for comment, Plantation Bay said it would “continue to cooperate with the DOT in improving our services as part of the tourism industry.”

The resort has earlier said that it has introduced “an initial series of enhancements designed to improve the handling, attention, and leisure experience for guests with special needs.”

The luxury resort said it modified its booking and reservation procedures to “include a more focused interface allowing guests to provide advanced notice should any members of their group require special needs.” — DVM, GMA News