2 good - 1 bad - HKDL is back!
Let’s get this straight: I am not trying to shoot down Hong Kong Disneyland. Heck, I was interested to go there before it opened and the recent stories posted by Andrea about his visit make me want to go their really, really soon… But it seems the local management just can’t get a positive handle on the press coverage.
Thanks to the press agency DPA now another story fills print and online media, detailing how a Singaporean woman announces that she will file a suit against Disney in Hong Kong and the US since allegedly Disney did not react to her mother falling ill in Hong Kong Disneyland properly, but forced her take a regular shuttle bus to the Disneyland Hotel, where cast member, so the claim, originally refused to call an ambulance, turned the ambulance away when it finally showed up at the front entry and send it to the back entry - all in all resulting in a three hour delay. Unfortunatley the guest later died.
Now this is a terrible accident and our heartfelt wishes go to the grieving daughter of the deceased. Still this is a Disney related blog so let’s look into the story from another point of view…
Did it actually happen? We can’t comment on that. BUT what really makes this story so troubling is that once again one negative accident gets wide press coverage adding to the growing negative image of the resort and in result also to some extent of Disney in Asia - ege on Monsters and Critics, which also covers the reaction of Hong Kong Disneyland - with two paragraphs in a lengthy article:
A Disney spokeswoman told the newspaper an internal investigation found staff had ‘handled the case in the most appropriate manner, taken care of the situation and given immediate attention’.
While not referring to the ambulance being allegedly turned away, she said first aid personnel attended to the dying woman immediately and that hotel staff called an ambulance straight away.
I am not an expert on crisis management and crisis PR - but this reply just doesn’t do it. At least they should have gone into more detail, expressed their regret over the loss of a live or whatsoever. After the negative publicity before the grand opening about that shark fin soup, the no so impressive guest numbers and then the closing of the gates and turning away of guests during the Chinese New Year celebrations this is just another let down. If they continue to drop the ball like this, soon it won’t even matter whether Hong Kong Disneyland actually is offering fun and magic in Disney quality - the negative image will turn guests away from even considering a visit!