Hotel ignores public concerns

A recent fire was sufficiently serious to set off the warning system and deactivate the lifts. However, someone saw fit to turn off the alarm. Although many staff members were standing in safety outside on the street, some guests inside were oblivious as to what to do.

I am sure that Starwood, the hotel operator, will be conducting a thorough investigation, as this is not the first such incident, even though it refuses to discuss the matter with concerned residents living just 12 metres away.

In the recent fire at the 13-storey Fico Place on Sukhumvit, firefighters reportedly had problems reaching the seventh floor with their hoses. The 47-storey St Regis is significantly higher and built on a plot of land the size of a postage stamp. (How can this be?) A six-metre-wide driveway circuits the building, but this is usually partially blocked by illegally parked cars, vans, trucks, buses and delivery vehicles, which also often hinder access to fire hydrants and standpipes.

I challenge the fire authorities to stage a mock fire event at the southeast corner of this hotel (while checking all other fire-prevention installations at the same time). Alternatively, with Starwood remaining mum, tantamount to an admission of its professional negligence, let’s just wait for the almost inevitable to happen.

John Shepherd

Bangkok