The general manager of the Best Western Hotel in Reykjavík has responded to accusations that their incompetence allowed one of their guests to be raped, and for the perpetrator to get away with it.
In response to the accusation, made as a review of the hotel on TripAdvisor, Best Western Hotel in Reykjavík General Manager Guðjón Andri Kárason stated the following:
We are deeply saddened by the horrific incident you experienced during your stay in Iceland. It takes true courage to reveal such a dramatic experience and it is regretful that the authorities have not apprehended the individual who committed this serious crime. Please accept my sincerest apology on the hotel‘s behalf for the fact that due to an upgrade to our security camera system there is no surveillance video available.
I can assure you that your effort to raise awareness of this incident is not for nothing. We will completely revise all our internal work processes. As of January 9th, a new and more powerful CCTV system has been installed, one that supports more cameras as well as extensive video storage.
Furthermore, I would like to apologize for not addressing this matter in a better way when it arose. I am truly sorry that our initial reaction has disappointed you. I ensure you that we will do everything we can to learn from this and prevent it from re-occurring.
This is a far more detailed response than Guðjón granted members of the Icelandic press, telling DV only that he did not want to comment beyond saying, “This matter is closed as far as we’re concerned.”
As reported, the victim wrote on TripAdvisor about the incident, which took place the night before New Year’s Eve, saying, “The concierge had seen us come and go together, alone, for the past half week, always at reasonable hours. That night, not only did he open the hotel’s front door to let us in, he also opened our hotel room (we were too drunk to do it ourselves!) and didn’t think it odd that this stranger went in with us. My husband passed out and the strange man raped me.
“The hotel has security cameras. We thought they would provide evidence to help us get justice – but no, the hotel manager informed us that their security system does not work at all.
“This hotel is not safe. They do not have the slightest regard for the safety of their guests. If they had, this nightmare would never have happened.”
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