The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Wednesday announced that it is suspending and fining Berjaya Hotel Makati after it failed to stop Gwyneth Chua from breaking quarantine protocols.
DOT said in a statement that it is suspending the accreditation of the establishment and is revoking its permit as a Multiple-Use Hotel.
The hotel will also be fined with a cost equivalent to "twice the rack rate of its most expensive room," according to DOT.
Berjaya is the hotel meant to accommodate Gwyneth Chua from December 22 to 27 for her quarantine after arriving from overseas.
However, its management allowed Chua to leave the hotel premises after her arrival, with Chua seen later in social media posts at a bar in Poblacion, Makati. She later tested positive for COVID-19 and infected her peers.
The hotel initially said that all their guests follow strict quarantine protocols, but in a later statement apologized for the error and said the staff involved would be "dealt with severely."
The DOT in its decision said the recent statement was "an admission of not just the facts of the incident but as well as their lapses in their responsibility as an accredited establishment of the Department of Tourism."
The penalties received by Berjaya Makati were recommended by the DOT-National Capital Region and approved by its Tourism Regulation, Coordination, and Resource Generation.
Berjaya Hotel is given 15 working days to appeal the decision by the DOT.
