St. Maarten Private Eye

SMNN - Taxi Drivers not allowed in lobby or toilets at Westin - 3rd April 2007

St. Maarten News Network

4th April, 2007
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Taxi Drivers not allowed in Westin Dawn Beach Lobby ---- Not qualified to use the Resorts Lavatory

Westin Dawn Beach

Dawn Beach: - Taxi Drivers on St. Maarten are frustrated and are ready to take drastic actions against management of Westin Dawn Beach Resort.
Michel Hunt and Scotty Priest told SMN News yesterday in an interview that the Dutch Taxi Association has been receiving complaints from its members who claim that the bell boys working on the order of management has informed the island’s ambassadors they are not allowed to enter the lobby of the resort and neither can they use the lavatories
Michel Hunt a taxi driver and member of the DSTA said that he was personally told that he is not to enter the lobby neither use the rest rooms as the resort is not there to accommodate the drivers. Hunt said the orders were given to him by a bell boy working at the resort.

Taxis at Westin

Scotty Priest said that the incident was brought to his attention on Monday night when a female taxi driver needed to use the rest room and was prevented to do so. Priest said he personally went up to Westin Resort to work all day yesterday waiting to see if the African bell boy who is enforcing the company’s rule would approach him with what he described as nonsense. Priest said that should this happen to him he would block the entrance to Westin and make sure the island leader of Government Sarah Wescot- Williams visit the scene and deal with her daughter who is the human resource manager. He also remarked that the land on which Westin Dawn Beach is sitting belonged to his grandfather and was sold.

Also speaking to SMN News is Alain Hodge a taxi driver who said when the bell boy gave him the instructions, he insisted in seeing the resort’s manager to see if he could get answers from management about the discrimination against the drivers. Hodge said that he spoke to someone working for the company in senior position and that person promised to look into the matter.

Clyde Hook President of the Dutch Taxi Association in an invited comment to SMN News said that he was informed about the incident by his members and he is now working on getting a meeting with management to have the matter rectified.
Hook said yesterday he was called by head of Security Edward Jacob who saw this reporter taking pictures and speaking to the Taxi Drivers who told him that the resort has some issues with the female taxi driver and for that reason she was denied using the rest room.
However, the DSTA president said he is working on scheduling a meeting with management of the resort and would make a full statement after the meeting as he needs to get explanation from both sides.

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