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Terror in America

Sep 17, 2001by David Shrimpton

The ramifications of Tuesday's devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washington are only just beginning to sink in. What were your experiences of the day's events? Was your hotel or business affected? What were the reactions of your customers? What do you think the longer-term impact will be? If you have any comments, experiences or information e-mail me on david.shrimpton@rbi.co.uk and we will publish your comments below. - David Shrimpton, Web site editor.

 

Please supply your name, company name and say where you are based. If you do not want any of your details used, please say so.

 

Your e-mails:

 

There is so much news its hard to take it all in - but there seem to be some astonishing reactions from the US hospitality industry - 2 things I have heard this morning…

 

All US airlines have offered to refund in full any passengers who cannot fly or more importantly do not wish to fly.

 

A second report this morning from an English chap phoning home to reassure parents that he was OK and is booked into his hotel for the week has been advised that his hotel rate has been doubled for the rest of his stay.

 

Says something about the hotel and airline industries - don't you think…

 

Rebecca

 

The more I think about it, I realise my comment was totally a knee-jerk reaction to something I heard and I know as well as the next person that many hotels are generously opening up their spaces to people who desperately need it.

 

Rebecca

 

We have had contact with our three shops in New York and, as far as we know everyone is OK.

 

Pret a Manger

 

I hope they lynch the persons responsible for this barbaric and inhuman act of political terrorism. Having been brought up in Northern Ireland I have grown up with this sort of thing and I should be immune to it but this has touched myself and every other human being all over the world.

 

Name withheld

 

To me the acts of last Tuesday are again another defining period in history, when many years later everyone will remember where they were, the other defining act being of course the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

 

I am a hotel General Manager and at the moment I am between positions having left Jamaica earlier this year, I have however worked in hotels in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Sudan, Lybia and Egypt, prior to the Caribbean.


I remember the problems in Saudia Arabia after the documentary "Death of a Princess" was shown on British Television, I was also in Lybia when attacked by American planes and also in Egypt on another unforgetable day, 14 November 1977, when the massacre of some 57 Europeans took place at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor.


What we should all remember is that in many areas of the wrld, in particular the Middle East, Africa and Asia, we have Christians working alongside Muslims. Nothing should happen that could bring this to a crisis.


Already I hear from some friends overseas that their remaining picture of the horror was the absolute glee of the Palestinians celebrating this act of terrorism, this will probably stick in their minds longer than images of the impact of planes on the twin towers.

No-ne says that a military respose should not take place - eventually, when all the facts come to the fore. I feel that if President Bush orders an attack now, he is inevitably playing into the terrorists' hands, and doing exactly what they want him to do. As in the past, sympathy will switch sides.


Let us all remember that should the attacks on Israel in the Gulf War have brought Israel into the conflict it would have dramatically changed the outcome.


After the attack on Pearl Harbor, I beleive the senior offer in the Japanese navy stated that they had "awakened a sleeping giant". A sleeping giant has been awakened, but let it be the rest of the civilized world acting in unison and without any presumptive acts that could already make the horrors of Tuesday worse.


Revenge is an act best taken cold. Look at the facts. Look at the proof. Look at cooperation from the rest of the world, and then act.


To all my old friends working alongside Muslims throughout the Middle East, keep your own council, have private thoughts but please do not cause provocation.


Christopher J Hartley MHCIMA


We have already had a couple of conferences cancelled including chemical petrol oil companies and financial institutions. However very little of my buisness is based around USA/US tourists, as I pull buisness from many markets and many areas .


I feel the end results of the disaster will be catastrophic to the overseas tourist industry coming to the UK. This will keep people at home and indeed make them focus on the regions and areas around home. The recent events in Spain/Turkey etc with the terrorism made thousands rethink travel etc. This will put the lid on it.


The small buisness hit by floods, fuel strikes, foot and mouth and the present anti-small buisness attitude from the government, Mickey Mouse EU laws and real problems getting recruitment to be effective with young people will be faced with a new challenge.


JOHN BENSON-SMITH, Hazlewood Castle, North Yorkshire

 

I felt compelled to send you an email, after reading your request for comments etc, about the horrific attacks in America last Tuesday.

 

I am currently Sous Chef at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. I am also British. The ramifications of the attacks are starting to hit the industry incredibly hard in the USA.

 

This week alone my hotel has lost $80,000 in F&B conventions and banquets, and we are still recieving cancellations well into the following weeks. Restaurants as far as Texas are feeling the pressure. I can only hope that in the coming months America's hospitality industry can get itself back on its feet.

 

My experience of the day's events started at 10am when my wife (who is American) called me at home and caught me before I left to go to work. I then obviously turned on the television, as it turned out I was unable to go to work. As all roads into the city were closed off. This was at 10:45am The Pentagon hit was approx 10:00am. The City's officials were taking no chances.

 

The long-term effect really depends on the public. How long will it take the American public to rebuild their own confidence?

 

Incidently, one of our chefs who works part-time with us, also works at the White House. He is in the US Navy, as apparantly only Navy Chefs are allowed to work at the White House. I heard he called on the Tuesday afternoon to let us know that he wouldn't make it in, as they had evacuated the White House. As of yet we haven't heard back from him. I suspect security at the White House is extremely tight.

 

Life here has changed dramatically. Today (Fri) was the first time this week the roads had traffic on them, and the first indication I have seen that life is gradually coming back to normal.

 

Simon Volante, Washington DC

 

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