Plantation Bay’s resident shareholder resigns amid discrimination controversy
Plantation Bay Resort and Spa announced the resignation of its resident shareholder Manny Gonzalez effective Dec. 15 via a Facebook post. The resort is under investigation by both the Departments of Tourism (DOT) and Justice (DOJ) over reported discrimination of a six-year-old child with autism.
Gonzalez came under fire for his harsh response to the mother who complained about the resort. The DOJ is responsible for enforcing the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons.
Plantation Bay said on its Facebook page, “In a statement to the resort’s management and staff, Gonzalez said, ‘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, I have decided to resign from the position of Resident Shareholder.’
“Likewise, the management of Plantation Bay resort and Spa is assessing current protocols in place and has pledged to initiate more proactive efforts and implement necessary changes within the week.”
Gonzalez was called out for his insensitive response to a review on Tripadvisor by a mother who stayed there with her son on Dec. 5 and 6.
Mai Pages was told by the resort’s lifeguard to keep her son Fin quiet as he played in the water. In her Tripadvisor review, she said, “Every time Fin jumps in the water he’d be so happy that he’d laugh and squeal again. I tried hushing him and at one point tried to cover his mouth. But then I realized this is so wrong. This isn’t right at all!”
What exacerbated the situation was Gonzalez’s long response on Tripadvisor, putting the blame on Pages. A part of his response reads, “If she were truly concerned for her child’s welfare, a person who doesn’t want, or is unable, to control her child, should have read and noted our policies before choosing Plantation Bay. These policies are on our website, in our confirmation letter, and on social media. Therefore this parent is trying to blame the resort for her own failure to look after her child’s interests.”
“While we are sorry that we are not the right resort for this parent and child, we hope that in the future other parents who want their children to scream constantly and bother other guests, will do their homework and choose another resort, one which doesn’t care about the 99% of guests who want to relax in peace and quiet.”
Parents of childen with autism and advocacy groups lambasted Gonzalez and Plantation Bay following his response.
Gonzalez later apologized on Facebook. In an interview with PhilSTAR L!fe on Dec. 10, Pages said the resort’s apology, penned by Gonzalez, “didn’t feel sincere or heartfelt.”
She said they have never been discriminated in other resorts and that Fin was simply very excited to be there, his second time at Plantation Bay.
She added, “I hope that something good will come out of this and that this will create more awareness. It’s an opportunity to educate people about the special needs sector, which I think has been forgotten.”
