PLEASE permit me to express my disappointment and surprise at the most candidly displayed rude and unprofessional behaviour meted out to myself and a group of friends at the Hotel Tower poolside.  I met a group of friends on Friday 3rd July at about 17:00hrs at the Hotel Tower to have a chat about the pre-planning stages for a gospel concert to be held in the next two weeks in Albouystown. About twenty minutes into our conversation, we were interrupted by a woman who appeared to be an employee of the hotel. She rudely went on the offensive stating that as long as we use the hotel’s premises we must make use of the hotel’s service. She also forcefully stated to my friend who had a quarter full bottle of 7up that no one is allowed to bring drinks from outside on the premises. We replied, rather calmly, that we will soon patronise the bar. She then proceeded to question what kind of drinks we intended to purchase and at what time we will make good on the promise, and what exactly was the nature of our gathering. Surprisingly, she then rudely stated that if we do not patronise the bar soon she will then “instruct the bar men to escort [us] outside!”.

My friends, who I invited to that gathering, were offended and decided that we should leave; and I was embarrassed that my invitation to a gathering went terrible. As such I told the bar attendant that we will not be patronising the bar anymore. And here’s where I was surprised. When I enquired who the lady was, I was told by the bar attendant that she is the “General Manager”. Could this be correct? Maybe I heard wrong. Maybe she was just the floor manager, or maybe an aggrieved share holder. As we left, I glanced across and spotted the “manager” hastily and somewhat angrily puffing away at a cigarette paying us no mind.

Now, Mr. Editor, I must state that we did nothing to warrant such an offensively rude approach by the “manager”. My point is that even if we did not patronise the bar at that time or were guilty of bringing in a drink, was this is approach that a professional person should adopt? Or were we singled out?

There were obviously other persons there who had not patronised the bar as yet and were just sitting there (apart from those who were overlooking their children swimming in the pool). Even if we were guilty of not patronising the bar as soon as we occupied the poolside seating, did it necessitate a rude intervention? One would expect that an establishment such as Tower, as a participatory body in the tourism and hospitality sector, to offer better services to clients. Additionally, I am equally disappointed in the unprofessional conduct of the employee (I certainly hope that it was not the manager). We did not rebut or request an apology, but left calmly. As my friends left, one of them made an interesting statement: ” Acts like these make me think ‘no wonder Tower is in the state that it is in now'”. One would think that Tower, considering the state that it is in now, would welcome all business which will contribute to its coffers.

Even if we decided to patronise the bar after the rude intervention, the drinks would have left an uncomfortably bitter taste in our mouths. In essence, then, it seems that we were forced off the premises.

I pray that no one will experience this harshly rude and embarrassing treatment as we did, and I cannot honestly recommend Tower to any visitor or friends as an afternoon hang-out spot for a brief conversation. Hotel Tower certainly does not get my vote.