University of Cebu-Main Campus

College of Hospitality Management

PRACTICUM with Conferences and Seminar

Case #9
A RESORT IN CEBU REPRIMANDS MOTHER AND CHILD WITH AUTISM
Rationale of the Case:

What was supposed to be a fun afternoon for a mother and child at Plantation Bay

Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City turned out to be anything but relaxing when they got

reprimanded by resort staff after her son, who has autism, started squealing with delight

when he swam.

“It could’ve been the perfect getaway for Fin, my child with special needs. When

something excites him or when he is happy, he makes it known by squealing with

delight,” Mai Pages said in a Facebook post and on travel site TripAdvisor, where she

gave the resort a one-star rating.

She said, however, that the resort staff reprimanded her for her child’s noise even as

she explained that her son had special needs. “I thought that was okay until we were

told from afar (a lifeguard). As a mother, your initial action would be directed to your

child,” she shared. “So I told him not to squeal because it wasn’t allowed.” Pages said

the incident was a “difficult moment” but one that she gets a lot.

In his initial response to Pages on TripAdvisor, which has been taken down and

replaced by an updated statement, resort owner Manny Gonzalez said that

"uncontrolled shouting is not a symptom of autism."

“For your information, uncontrolled shouting is not a symptom of autism. On the

contrary, autistic children tend to be silent, non-verbal, and overwhelmed and withdrawn

when faced with strangers… Google ‘Autism’ and verify this for yourself,” Gonzalez

said.

His statement added: “Therefore this parent is most likely deliberately lying, or has been

given an incorrect diagnosis of autism, when what the child more likely has is a lack of

discipline due to simple parental neglect.”

Gonzalez replaced his response to Pages with a toned down statement also on

TripAdvisor on December 7, where no reference to autism was made. He highlighted

the resort's "strict policies regarding noise-making by anyone" because of safety

reasons, among others, since the resort has "ten times more water" than other resorts

in Mactan.

https://www.rappler.com/nation/plantation-bay-resort-cebu-reprimands-mother-child-

with-autism

Case Study Report Outline

1. Description of the Status of the Case

a. Describe the current situation of the case
b. Describe the performance standards and measures (if any)
2. Assessment/Analysis of the Case
a. Describe the operational strength of the case
b. Describe the issues/problems/concerns within the case
3. Alternatives for improvement
a. Present alternatives to address the identified issues/problems/concerns
b. Assess the alternatives to determine the viable solutions
4. Recommended solutions/improvement
5. References:
It is recommended that you source business journals, textual references as
well as any online sources to support your answers on number 5. Make sure
to include it with facts and figures. Please try to use your own words and
ideas based on research rather than copy and paste other’s words from the
internet. You should use the APA format style for the citations in this section.