Construction Suspended at Westin Lagunamar

[Randy37]

June 22nd 2007
According to the local press, today, construction on the new Westin Lagunamar has been ordered suspended until officials can determine the extent if any of the damages to the Maya Ruin site near the construction area. Authorities are also concerned that the Hotel's development will restrict future public access to the site and the Hotel's development along the beach and dune lines. The Hotel is currently in the middle of construction with considerable sized structures already built on site.

 

[nodge]

FWIW, we were in Cancun last New Years and quickly learned that everyone has their hand out. Upon arrival, we were told by Hertz at the Airport that even though we had a confirmed car reservation and I had called the day before to confirm availability, they didn’t have a single car they could rent us. I slipped the guy a $20 (and agreed –with my fingers crossed—to tour a timeshare he was plugging right there at the Hertz counter,) and he looked again, and guess what? A car had just been returned (but of course not at the confirmed rate).

Upon checking into the Mayan Palace, we were originally placed in the building furthest away from the beach and closest to the highway. The agent said that there was nothing closer. So I slipped her a $20, and guess what? We found ourselves on the third floor of building 1 (closest to the beach and pools) right across the hall from the model units.

The whole everyone having a hand out thing really turned us off to Cancun, but near as we could tell it is a way of life down there.

I’m sure the good folks at Starwood are on it, but it sounds to me like someone needs to slip someone a $20 to get things moving again.

-nodge

 

[DavidnRobin]

These are part of the reasons we will not buy in Mexico...

 

[rocky]

The $20 trick to get better service is not isolated to Mexico. Alamo routinely tries the bait and switch with me for cars I have reserved in places as exotic as Portland.... and you can really about 20 pages of posts about the $20 room upgrade on flyertalk. I own a home in Mexico and I have NEVER been panhandled for a tip. Truly..... never.

 

[nodge]

Mordida. Bribes and corruption are so pervasive in Mexico it even has its own name.

Folks here on TUG (see post 5 and on) have reported their own experiences with it, usually by being pulled over by the police and having to slip the officer $20 to avoid a ticket, which may or may not have been warranted.

Last time I checked, us folks here in Portland or anywhere else in the United States would be arrested for trying to bribe a police officer under similar circumstances. For example, I’m sure our former VP Al Gore would have gladly paid a $20 bribe to the ticketing officer here in Oregon to avoid his speeding ticket at the Oregon coast. Yet, he sped and was ticketed just the same.

Maybe the Westin Lagunamar work stoppage for “environmental” and “public access” concerns is a legitimate government intervention that somehow wasn’t properly addressed prior to Starwood breaking ground. However, similar to the dolphin show at that mall aquarium across the street from the Westin Lagunamar construction site, which starts every show with a lip-service announcement that we should all “respect wildlife” and “preserve their natural habitat,” but then pumps up the disco music and lights that run throughout the show, I doubt it.

I suspect the folks enforcing the work stoppage (aka the folks seeking the mordida) gave some warning to Starwood before they actually forced the work stoppage. Starwood may have taken a stand to not pay any more mordida (I don’t know how they could have come this far if they hadn’t already paid something to someone), and the work stoppage was a CONSEQUENCE of THAT decision. If so, I would think reversing that decision and its consequences, especially in a US corporate environment framework, would be particularly difficult.

We shall see what becomes of this culture clash.

-nodge

 

[rocky]

Come on - Mexico is not all bad!

Mordida. Bribes and corruption are so pervasive in Mexico it even has its own name.

RIGHT. And it's so pervasive here in the US we have special word for it too. The word is BRIBE.

And I'm not sure why we are talking about speeding tickets and Al Gore..... but ok.

The reason Starwood can't pay bribes DIRECTLY is something called the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 which makes it unlawful to make a payment to a foreign official for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business for or with, or directing business to, any person.

That's why companies use intermediaries sometimes when they are working overseas. The American bias against doing business using kick-backs (which I am not arguing are proper or healthy, rather I am arguing they are common and unavoidable) can make doing business difficult other places without outsourcing. I worked for a multinational overseas for many years in places like the Philippines, Italy, Vietnam, Brasil, Poland, etc. and it was hard. And yes, they all have a word for bribe. But people are poor, they have much less to take for granted in their lives than we do....... so it happens.

What I think is more interesting than broad brush generalizations about Mexico and how they can sometimes do business in a manner that Americans find distasteful..... are the specific facts surrounding this one situation.

My first thought was "Ruins???" "decreased public access???" This resort is being built on the grounds of the former Cancun Sheraton. The facts cited as the cause of the shut down are so inconsistant with what I understood about the location, that I wondered if some how the impacted hotel was lost in translation, and maybe the problem was not actually with the Westin. But maybe it is. You can be sure it's not going to sit there unbuilt for long. The national tourism development agency FONATUR is very sensitive about getting Cancun cleaned up and more "high end" feeling after Wilma. The problem will be worked out.

 

[Westin5Star]

I emailed Starwood last week and here is the response today:



Thank you for contacting Westin Vacation Ownership.
We are happy to report construction has not stopped, it is business as usual. We apologize for any confusion, the information regarding construction stoppage was only a rumor.

Should you need further assistance, please contact Owner Services at 800.847.8262 in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico, 0.800.89.5065 in the United Kingdom, 001.800.847.8262 from Mexico and 407.903.4640 for all other areas. Owner Services is available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturday through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.

Sincerely,
Lisa Bythwood
E-Communications Specialist
Owner Services

 

[formerhater]

Sounds like someone should have slipped their source a $20 bill...

Glad to hear everything is on track.