KOTA KINABALU: The accusation that a staff of the Bunga Raya Island Resort & Spa and Gayana Eco Resort on Gaya Island, off here had allegedly invaded the privacy of two female Hong Kong guests and behaved inappropriately one week ago was baseless and untrue.
Resorts general manager, Tomas Kastberg Andersen, said the room attendant was wrongly accused and the case was later cleared and dropped by the court.
He lamented that details of the alleged incident given by the complainants had been vividly described in the media and the room attendant was accused before the police had even conducted their investigation.
Such wild accusation has caused so much damage to the resorts and the industry as a whole, he said in a statement yesterday.
Andersen said after the alleged incident, the resorts’ management had attended to the two guests immediately who had asked for a full refund, but it was the management’s decision that no compensation was to be given before a proper investigation had been carried out.
He said all precaution must be taken to ensure that both our guests and the hotel and all staff are protected.
“I have had the honour and privilege of living and working in Sabah the past five years and this has taught me so much. Not only do we promote the stunning countryside of our region, we also promote its beautiful people and culture.
“Our local staff are renowned for their humble integrity and honesty. They might not have the finesse nor be as street smart and industry savvy as our big city neighbours, but they are so proud of who they are and where they come from,” he added.
According to him further, the resorts’ management have been committed to investing in the local staff including those with tertiary qualifications.
For the past two years, the resorts have had internationally recognised trainers come to Sabah assisting its management in lifting the service standards.
“Today I am proud to say we can measure up with some of the best resorts in the world and this is thanks to our local staff.
“TripAdvisor is a testament to all our Sabahan staff as to what a wonderful job they do and I for one, am very appreciative of this. We are still considered an emerging destination in the eyes of most visitors. Yet every day I hear it is our staff who truly makes us different to other destinations.
“As a hospitality veteran of more than 25 years and having worked in three continents, I believe that our utmost priority is to serve the guests and at the same time uphold the integrity of our staff,” he added.
Andersen said he has discussed the particulars of this case with his management team for further training purposes and to ensure such misunderstanding can be avoided in the future.
“Now we shall continue to give service from the heart, the way Sabahans have done it for decades,” he assured.