Woman slips on steps, sues 5-star Cebu hotel

A WOMAN who slipped and fractured her foot in the parking lot of a five-star hotel in Cebu City filed a P1 million damage suit.

Elsa Go of barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City sued Marco Polo Plaza, saying the accident was caused by the “extremely slippery surface” of the steps of the parking lot.

She and her husband attended a birthday party of Maximo Go Sr. at the hotel on June 28, 2013. After the party, the couple walked to their car past 9:30 p.m. when the woman slipped.

As a result of the fall, Mrs. Go said she wasn’t able to work for two months and spent P13,000 for hospital treatment.

Sought for comment, the hotel’s general manager Julia Nacar yesterday said the incident happened during a rainy evening despite “precautionary measures in place to eliminate the risk of accidents.”

“We offer umbrellas, valet service and the parking lot is well lit. At the time of the incident, it was raining and it was night time. The complainant walked to the parking lot and when she slipped in the rain, the security guard who saw her offered the services of our nurse on duty. However, the offer was declined and the complainant drove off. We are sorry that our offer to assist was refused,” said Nacar in a press statement.

In her complaint, Go alleged that the hotel was “negligent” in its duty to ensure the safety of its guests.

She said that no hotel staff or guard was around when she fell and that her husband had to leave her temporarily to look for a security guard to help them.

Go said they were advised that there was a clinic in the hotel, but since she was in severe pain, the spouses went directly to the Emergency Room of Chong Hua Hospital. She was treated for a severe fracture in the right foot.

Named defendants in the complaint are Marco Polo Plaza Hotel Cebu, its owner Cathay International Resources Corporation, and the Swiss general manager Johannes “Hans” Hauri.

Go is claiming P100,000 in lost income, P850,000 in damages, and P70,000 in attorney’s fees and litigation expenses as well as the cost of the lawsuit. The civil case was filed through her counsel, the Aumentado Duallao & Ponce Law Office in Cebu City.