NEW DELHI: After a shocking attack on the stewardess in her room in a London Hotel by an intruder earlier this week, Air India has decided to Cabin crew to another hotel. The airline has asked the management of the Radisson Red Hotel, Heathrow Airport, to ensure Security of its crew until they are taken to a safer location. The cabin crew had been complaining to hotel management about the lack of security for some time, to no avail, sources said.
It was learned that the crew did not feel safe at the property because “many areas lacked video surveillance; hotel staff did not respond to emergency calls; the front desk was often unmanned; strangers frequently knocked on doors and windows from outside; lighting was dim; staff entered rooms without knocking.”
Sources add that these issues “were discussed with the hotel several times but were not resolved. Therefore, they did not feel safe despite having locked room doors.”
On Sunday, Air India said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by an unlawful break-in at a hotel belonging to a major international chain, which also affected one of our own hotels… We constantly review travel and accommodation arrangements with reputable international hotel chains based on feedback from our employees and internal reviews to ensure the safety and comfort of employees. In this specific case, we have taken immediate action and decided to relocate our colleagues to another hotel.”
The statement continued: “We have reached out to the management of the current hotel to ensure the safety of colleagues staying there. We have been assured that there will be no compromise on safety until our colleagues are relocated to another hotel.”
The airline says it is “working with local police and will pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law. Our team in London is actively monitoring security aspects and is available to provide any assistance during this time.” Sources say the attacker is a person of African descent, possibly Nigerian, who has been arrested.
It was learned that the crew did not feel safe at the property because “many areas lacked video surveillance; hotel staff did not respond to emergency calls; the front desk was often unmanned; strangers frequently knocked on doors and windows from outside; lighting was dim; staff entered rooms without knocking.”
Sources add that these issues “were discussed with the hotel several times but were not resolved. Therefore, they did not feel safe despite having locked room doors.”
On Sunday, Air India said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by an unlawful break-in at a hotel belonging to a major international chain, which also affected one of our own hotels… We constantly review travel and accommodation arrangements with reputable international hotel chains based on feedback from our employees and internal reviews to ensure the safety and comfort of employees. In this specific case, we have taken immediate action and decided to relocate our colleagues to another hotel.”
The statement continued: “We have reached out to the management of the current hotel to ensure the safety of colleagues staying there. We have been assured that there will be no compromise on safety until our colleagues are relocated to another hotel.”
The airline says it is “working with local police and will pursue the matter to the fullest extent of the law. Our team in London is actively monitoring security aspects and is available to provide any assistance during this time.” Sources say the attacker is a person of African descent, possibly Nigerian, who has been arrested.
