A RESORT in Governor Generoso, Davao Oriental has issued a public apology on November 7 after its viral exchange with guests received backlash online.
Jakka Resort said in their statement that they did not intend to publicly shame or embarrass the guests, who were a group of motorcycle riders and vloggers.
The resort received backlash after they tagged their guests in a viral Facebook post with a series of photos showing the unkept state of one of their villas after the guests have checked out.
Many netizens called out the resort management for being unprofessional, saying that they should have messaged the guests privately rather than airing the guests’ names and activity online. Two of the guests were tagged in the post, namely K’Nayn Motovlog and Pobreng Laagan.
“The only reason we posted the unsightly pictures of the resort is for public awareness. This is the first time that a guest left the resort in a very untidy condition. Items were moved and trash was everywhere,” the statement read.
The management added that they do not tolerate vandalism at their resort and although they do not expect the guests to clean up, the management said that cleanliness should be observed on their premises.
Since it was published on November 6, the post garnered around 50,000 reactions and shares, and over 8,000 comments wherein netizens were divided between siding with the resort management and the guests. Many also expressed dismay over the actions of both management and the guests.
“We know that our soon-to-be guests will never do this kind of dirt to our resort because they will choose to stay calm and unwind than to do stuff like this,” Jakka Beach Resort said in the viral post.
On the other hand, the vloggers and their group, a total of 22 individuals who checked in at the resort, defended their side. In a statement dated November 6, one of the guests posted on Facebook and said that they did not violate resort policies or destroy resort properties.
According to the group, they traveled from Butuan City and had to return immediately after the night of their stay thus they were not able to clean the villa they rented. They also added that the resort’s customer service was lacking despite the hefty price rate.
“We were silent. We did not post anything on social media because simple ra man unta ni nga issue (it was a simple issue). I understand you want to post it for awareness but that became overboard after tagging us and disclosing your guest information,” the guest said.
The management of the Jakka Beach Resort apologizes to the public for the issue their post had caused but mentioned they were not given a chance by the guests to talk privately.
“We have exerted efforts to talk with our guests but they did not afford us a chance and instead chose to air their complaints on social media,” they said.
Moving forward, the management said they will commit to improving their services and protecting the privacy of their guests. ICM