Hyatt's misplaced sense of hospitality leaves 30 year old guest fighting for his life

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines hospitality as the “generous and friendly treatment of visitors and guests”. “Ensuring their safety and security” is a natural extension of that definition.

Seeing this article put out by Hyatt Regency a few days ago outraged us enough to finally start this blog. Why? Because Hyatt Regency Hotel, New Delhi is formally celebrating 30 years of hospitality – refusing to acknowledge the the fact that it is because of their hospitality that a 30 year old patron is battling for his life in the hospital, now for more than 30 days.

Here's what happened:

Part I of Hyatt's Horrifying Hospitality
On October 16th 2013, Gaurav a vivacious young man, made the mistake of being a Hyatt patron. He went to the hotel to meet a few friends who were guests too. During the course of the evening, he fell from the outdoor smoking area of the executive lounge on the 6th floor, to a balcony on the 4th floor. The smoking area was unsafe and under construction, but no warning signs were in place that night, and none of the hotel staff serving them cautioned against stepping out. After the incident a work in progress sign has been put up - a case of too little too late. Exactly how he fell however, we can only know when he wakes up, because in violation of the guidelines set for hotels, there were no CCTV cameras in the smoking area.

Part II of Hyatt's Horrifying Hospitality
After he fell, he lay there for more than an hour, with multiple brain hemorrhages, a shattered kneecap, a broken wrist, injuries in his spine and skull, and one collapsed lung. He lay there gasping for breath, in a growing pool of blood, while the hotel tried to arrange for a doctor who arrived more than 40 minutes after the incident (instead of having one onsite). In addition the hotel did not call 100 or inform the PCR stationed outside (a standard approach to any accident), nor did they try to reach his family (and when contacted, lied about Gaurav’s situation and that he had already been transferred to a hospital).

Had it not been for his friends who called his sister, medical attention may have been delayed further. When his sister arrived 40 minutes after the fall (and before the doctor got there), he was still lying on the 4th floor balcony, with hotel staff standing around and watching. The first ambulance that arrived was turned away by the doctor who felt the ambulance was too rickety and did not have the right life support systems. Gaurav finally reached the hospital in a 2nd ambulance nearly 1.5 hours after he fell.

Precious time was lost while the hotel tried to arrange for medical help. The ambulance related confusion in particular needs to be looked into. Who placed that call for the ambulance must be questioned on why the first ambulance that arrived was so ill equipped? What situation did that person describe to the hospital that an unfit ambulance was sent in the first place? Had a doctor been present onsite, things would have been different.
In the six weeks that Gaurav has been in the hospital, not once has the hotel asked about him, requested an update, or come to see him.
The Hyatt Regency management is busy putting out news articles that are paid for to gloss over its callous attitude, and position itself as a beacon of hospitality. We hope that this post helps you look beyond the pretty picture that Hyatt Regency has tried to paint.

We know that anyone reading this will have a natural question in their mind. Was Gaurav under the influence of alcohol or another substance that night? Is that what caused the accident? The doctor who treated him when he arrived at the hospital, was clear that he was not intoxicated – and put it on record in the immediate report.

At our end we are doing what we can through the legal route to bring this to its rightful end. In the meanwhile, please use this information to warn your friends and loved ones about what could be in store for them the next time they visit a luxury establishment such as the Hyatt Regency.

There are thousands of young men and women like Gaurav out there who are at risk today. Please do what you can to protect them from a similar fate.