Golden Tulip Hotel denies ejecting Turkish Airlines’ passengers

The management of Golden Tulip Hotel in Apapa, Lagos has cleared the air on the reported rumour making the rounds in the media that it ejected Turkish Airlines’ passengers lodging in the hotel.

According to the management, such report is malicious, adding that nothing of such happened as the hotel took great care of the passengers.

Some Lagos-Instanbul bound Turkish Airlines’ passengers were lodged in the hotel on January 7, 2017, following the airline’s inability to carry its passengers due to bad weather in Instanbul, Turkey.

Reacting to the media reports, Mr. Paul Okojie, Rooms Division Manager of Golden Tulip, said the hotel did not eject its Turkish Airlines’ passengers and had no reason to do so for “one of its most valuable clients.”

He, therefore, described the media reports as “false, unfounded, mischievous, a tissue of lies and a figment of the writers’ imagination.”

According to Okojie, “We were bewildered to read the reports in some newspapers. Let me state clearly that those reports were absolutely wrong and false, as we took care of the passengers lodging in our hotel providing them with befitting accommodation, breakfast, lunch and dinner. We also lodged the crew and Turkish Airlines staffers who came regularly to visit the lodging passengers.”

While stressing the need to always verify the facts before rushing to the press, Okojie said, “The intent of the journalists who published the story remain unclear, as the hotel management was not contacted by the journalists to confirm their reports before going to press. This is totally unfair and unprofessional, as the flight disruption affected all Turkish Airlines passengers heading for Instanbul, where the airline was experiencing bad weather.”

He explained: “Our hotel has a very solid and one of the most outstanding partnerships since inception with Turkish Airlines. So, we did not have any reason to eject our client’s passengers. The passengers were 232 and came in batches through Saturday 7^th and Sunday 8^th January, 2017. This is contrary to rumour as reported by some newspapers that the passengers were totaling 410.

“As a matter of fact our sellable rooms in the hotel including those already being occupied by existing customers are 345. So, where do we get extra rooms to lodge 410 rooms?” he queried.

He explained that “What Turkish Airlines has done by keeping its passengers in a hotel due to the bad weather in Europe until it could guarantee their safety to be flown was within international standards as prescribed in the aviation industry.”

Okojie reiterated the hotel commitment to an enduring working relationship with Turkish Airlines, which he described as one of the most patronised airlines in Nigeria as a result of its affordability and high focus on safety.

“So far, most of the passengers have been air-lifted and only about 30 of them are still with us in the hotel and they are expected to be flown out of Lagos by Saturday, January 14, 2017,” he said.

It will be recalled that, Turkish Airlines could not pick passengers to their destinations via Istanbul on January 7, citing weather condition in Europe, especially in Istanbul and this affected its passengers leading to lodging them in hotels in Lagos.

Turkey is facing the harshest snow in 10 years which affected all flights coming into Instanbul, as the ‘heavy snow’ of 1.2 meter above sea level, has resulted in loss of lives.

The airline provided two reliefs for its passengers in Lagos advising them to proceed to its Head Office at 1, Adeola Odeku Str. Victoria island Lagos for a change of ticket to other available dates or ask for a full refund at their ticket purchase units, mostly at different travel agents, where they had purchased their ticket.