• 
• 

Published on March 25, 2008

The leak never went to press as both the Oriental and Lebua Hotel could not be reached for official comment. Moreover, the press was suspicious that this could be true, given that no five-star hotel has ever involved itself in a lawsuit. The last thing that players in the hospitality industry want is a lawsuit that attracts public attention.

But yesterday the press came to know that the case was real. There is a little bit of difference in the details. While the whistle-blower said the Oriental has a policy not to re-employ ex-staff who joined Lebua, the real case turned out to involve the members of Lebua's management team.

The case is more surprising in that while Lebua appeared as the plaintiff in the civil lawsuit, seeking compensation of Bt213 million, the Office of the Attorney General was the plaintiff in the criminal lawsuit.

This leaves the question of why the OAG filed the lawsuit. One assumption is that the case - based on Wachtveitl's memo that urged Oriental staff to ban the entry of Lebua's management team - involved premises where anybody should have the right to tread. As such, Oriental is considered to have adopted a discriminatory practice.

A person in the hotel industry said that in his 20-year experience in the hospitality business, he had never witnessed such discrimination.

The Oriental's staff did not see this as discrimination. They believe that it is the hotel's right to make anybody welcome or unwelcome.

Indeed, I have heard of a ban on prostitutes by five-star hotels. Though this is not openly announced to the public, it is known that women in sexy dresses appearing late at night in the lobby will be escorted off the hotel premises. To my surprise, none of the affected women has ever brought a case to court, as if admitting that their presence is tarnishing the hotels' image.

Ah, now it is known that Lebua's management members did not see themselves as that low. And they seek compensation of Bt213 million for the defamation.

One question still lingers. If the Oriental loses the case and the compensation is paid, who will receive the largest slice? It could be Deepak Ohri, general manager of Lebua. Why not? He is the top management member who suffered the most from the ban, which deprived him of the right to walk into a rival hotel.

Achara Deboonme

achara_d@nationgroup.com

The Nation