Comfort Inn & Suites of Statesboro

Crisis Communication Plan

17870 HWY 67 S
Statesboro, Ga.
(912) 681-2400

Contents
Introduction...3
Purpose
Crisis Team Members
Criteria for Spokesperson
Key Publics
Pre-Crisis...7
Prodromes
Prepared Documents
Vulnerability Audit
Crisis Drill
Cybersleuthing
Crisis.13
Response
Preparing a Statement
Post Crisis..15
Questions to ask in evaluating your companys preparedness
Key Contacts..16
Emergency
Media
Samples..17
Press Conference Statement
Holding Statement
Apology letter
References..19

Introduction
Megan Bouchillon
912-601-2684
mm06614@georgiasouthern.edu
To whom it may concern:
Comfort Inn and Suites of Statesboro is a smoke-free hotel that offers affordable
rates within minutes from Georgia Southern University and other points of interest. The
hotels priority is to ensure that guest find their experience as a memorable one, as well as
provide guests with the feeling of security and convenience.
In order to assist the hotel in the unexpected event of a crisis, a crisis plan needs
to be in place in order to guarantee that this mission is implemented efficiently before,
during, and after a crisis. Preparedness will ensure a more stable environment for
employees and guests, while offering family members some peace of mind that their
family is safe and comfortable.
A crisis plan has been provided and is organized in a fashion that focuses around
three phases of a crisis: Pre-crisis, crisis and post crisis. Furthermore, explanations and
samples have been provided that will assist in managing the media and appropriately
communicating throughout a crisis. The only limitation of crisis plan within hotel is that a
crisis could be very complex and is not possible to plan and prepare for every situation.
However, I advise that this crisis plan be updated and revised frequently so that efforts
could be made towards reassuring that the organization is able to deal with a crisis of it
were to emerge.
Regards,

Purpose
The hotel industry is highly complex and prone to several crisis events. Hotels
need to be responsible and effective in terms of stakeholders and be able to prevent any
crisis. It is crucial that hotel organizations engage in defining and establishing a crisis
plan and focus on communication issues.
According to Revinate, In the immediate aftermath of the Boston Marathon
bombing the Boston police quickly instructed bystanders to leave the area and return to
their homes and hotels until the imminent danger had subsided. With attendees frantically
rushing out of the area and desperately trying to contact loved ones, it was imperative for
the hotels to engage in the real-time social media conversation, especially with cell
communication cut off. Fortunately, many of the areas hotels took to their respective
Facebook and Twitter accounts swiftly and effectively to communicate with worried
guests and assure their families and friends that everyone was safe.
This is just one of many examples as to why it is important for a hotel to have a
crisis plan readily available. Hotels need to be able to establish parameters of
responsibility and authority, provide a plan of action in the event of a crisis situation,
identify a core crisis team, establish a protocol for internal and external communications,
provide media guidelines, provide for the care and support of possible victims and their
families, and establish an orderly return to normal operations.
Since the organization that I have chosen does not have a crisis plan available I
believe this would be a great opportunity for the company and myself to establish an
effective crisis plan. The owner Andy Bhula has agreed to be available as a contact for
any information needed and since the organization operates here in Statesboro the
information needed will be easily accessible. Since hotels are classified according to the
hotel size, location, target markets, levels of service, facilities, and number of rooms,
ownership and affiliation this hotel is categorized as a Suite/Chain Hotel and has a web
presence on Madelia, Trip Advisor and recently Facebook. This hotel has regular clients
as well as new clients that are/must be 21 years of age to check in.

Crisis Team Members:

Steve Joyce - President, CEO
Pat Pacious - Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Andy Bhula - Property Owner
To Be Announced Spokesperson
To Be Announced Sub-Spokesperson
Megan Bouchillon Public Relations Advisor
Criteria for Spokesperson:

Well informed and knowledgeable of the hotels policies and additional

information
Familiar with the crisis and the steps in nullifying it
Skilled in public speaking and communication without jargon
Accessible and flexible to the company and the media
Ability to remain composed under pressure

Key Publics:
First Responders: Appropriate Authority and emergency personnel.
Crisis Communication Team Members: As stated above.
Employees: Their safety is first priority. If a situation arises in which the
employee is unable to control we must communicate how to keep them safe prior
to a crisis.
Guests: Alongside employees, the guests staying in the hotel and consumers
outside of the premises are a first priority. Their safety and knowledge pertaining
to an event should be addressed appropriately to ensure their peace of mind and
safe return.
Family Members: They will be calling, and showing up to the hotel, possibly in
panic. Direct them where to wait, and keep them informed on the status of loved
ones without compromising an investigation or safety of anyone involved.
Affiliated Businesses: Hotel industry is highly incorporated with other industries,
meaning that a wide range of potential crisis within hotels can affect and impact
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other businesses (Glaesser, 2013).

Local/national news: Depending on the severity of the crisis, it will draw the
attention of the press. Local and national levels could be involved and we do not
want speculation from employees, if approached by media/reporters. Only a
designated spokesperson may speak on behalf of the company to any media
outlets/reporters.
Community members: The community will speculate. We must work with them
via the media to regain their trust, and keep them informed of events as they
unfold.

Pre-Crisis
Prodromes:
High risk Guests- Aggressive, intoxicated, sexual assault, anxious, demanding,
etc.
Natural disasters- Flood, fire, earthquakes, landslide, hurricanes, tornados,
blizzard, wind storms, etc.
Disgruntled Employee(s)- Staff absence, poor service, theft, suicidal, makes
several mistakes throughout shift, laid off, poor morale, on the job accidents,
discrimination, harassment complaints, etc.
Company Mistakes- Overspending, miscommunication, theft, poor marketing,
product defects or quality problems, computer malfunction or virus, etc.
Suspicious activity- Any suspicious activity near or involving Comfort Inn and
Suites onsite or online. (Call authorities immediately)
Prepared Documents:
Safety Procedures
List of all employees
Background checks
Blue Prints
Annual Reports
Mission Statement and Values
Records of philanthropic work
Cybersleuthing Report
Fact Sheet
Media Contact List
Employee Contact List

Vulnerability Audit:
A vulnerability audit is created in order to better predict a potential crisis and the
magnitude in which it could damage the hotel. The list is a thorough self-inspection
designed to identify a crisis before it can occur. This offers the opportunity for creating a
crisis communications plan that will allow an organization to avoid or minimize the
negative impact of these potential crises. Every organization is vulnerable to different
types of crises but the vulnerability audit can help reveal "skeletons" of which
administrators may not have been aware. Overall, a vulnerability audit can prevent a
crisis from happening, response time can be improved, operational weaknesses are
corrected, and the cost of a potential crisis can drastically be reduced.
The highest risk being taken is indicated as a communications failure. This crisis
could involve communication failures in many different ways. According to Bernstein
2013, an example of communication failure is a client may rely on a single fax machine
for incoming and outgoing faxes from its headquarters offices during a crisis. If this isnt
up to par this can tremendously delay communication with a number of important
audiences. The simple addition of fax machines, creation of broadcast fax/email lists and
similar tactics can often greatly improve this crisis response or most importantly,
reducing the potential for this crisis overall.

Crisis Drill:
Scenario One: A pandemic flu strikes
Crisis: A pandemic flu arises in Statesboro sickening and killing people in the
area. Medical officials fear the disease will spread to other continents so they
ask that anyone who has stayed at the hotel within the weeks leading to the
epidemic could be affected. As a precautionary measure, medical officials ask
the owner not to allow guests to return home until they see a doctor. Later, a
few people within the hotel have been diagnosed with the disease and
diagnoses in the Statesboro area continue to rise. Employees are afraid to come
in, and without new guests checking in, the hotel is beginning to struggle.
Quickly, the hotel was traced back to as the possible start of the spreading disease
and people are talking. The hotel begins to receive hate comments on social media
and is being blamed for the epidemic even though the original origin of the
disease is still unknown.
Act 1- Employees are to respond to the epidemic and act out how they would
assess the situation.
Act 2- An employee of the hotel begins to respond to the posts
inappropriately by saying, (Employee determines response).

Act 3-The press catches wind of the hotels response due to following the story
closely already. The press prepares a release on the occurrence and deliver it
before the hotel management is made aware.
Act 4- Administrators are contacted and told about the hotel being traced back to
as the start of the epidemic and what happened with the posts. The administrators
are to prepare a statement and present it over the hotels supposed blame for
the epidemic and a response to the comment made online.
Scenario Two: Anti-Military Facebook Post (Dr. Bourland-Davis, 2014)
Crisis: A Comfort Inn & Suites employee who strongly opposes the US Military
was working late one night at the office, working on the new Military specials and
give-away hotel nights for active military. The employee has been highly agitated
because he is being forced to work with the US Military. The disgruntled
employee decided to post a hateful, derogatory comment about the military and
how he hated that Comfort Inn & Suites was assisting the military in destroying
other countries and killing families. This quickly offended many of his Facebook
friends who proceeded to share his post. The post became viral and military
officials soon found out that a Comfort Inn & Suites employee had spoken so
negatively of the military. Not only is the military upset with the comments,
citizens of the US begin to post highly negative comments about the hotel and
there is talk about a boycott because of the strong views.
Act 1: Administrators are to prepare a statement for a press conference
Act 2: Delegate a spokesperson
Act 3: Spokesperson must present the statement to a mock press conference.
Act 4: Other participants are to act as reporters and ask trick questions while the
spokesperson is to respond professionally
Act 5: As a team, evaluate the statement and the responses given to the reporters
*A sample statement is included at the end of this plan.
ParticipantsSteve Joyce - President, CEO
Pat Pacious - Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Andy Bhula - Property Owner
Megan Bouchillon Public Relations Advisor
All employees (front desk, housekeeping, and maintenance)
Goal- The main goal of this crisis drill is to be able to identify prodromes of a
potential crisis and how to address once a crisis has developed. This drill will

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prepare Comfort Inn and Suites on how to adequately respond and recover
from a crisis in the most efficient way possible.
Questions to Consider How is information being collected and dispersed as it becomes available?
Will you need to call in an expert or public relations team?
Who will be the spokesperson for the company?
Will business continue as usual or should the hotel close temporarily or
permanently?
Will this crisis affect other businesses in the area?
Will the company be involved in a lawsuit?
How will the company address false claims?
How did this situation arise and how could it have been handled
differently?
Cybersleuthing:
Choice Hotels International is one of the largest hospitality companies in the
world because Choice currently franchises more than 6,000 hotels in the United States
alone. Choice is obviously a franchise with much to lose if a crisis were to arise.
However, there is Cybersleuthing. Cybersleuthing is a form of crisis communication in
that it can aid companies in surfacing and preventing issues, or a crisis in this instance.
In order to cybersleuth once must constantly check the Comfort Inn name to ensure the
ideal reputation is exemplified. To do this, one must check all of the companys social
networking sites and heed to any imposter sites. Cyber monitoring is not just for ensuring
that the companys webpages are performing and functioning adequately but it is used to
discover any inclinations and distributions. Monitoring can be done from both inside and
outside of a corporate firewall by either having a team available to monitor the site or use
third party website tools like Google Alerts, Social Bakers, Cyberclient.com, and many
more. Regardless of the tools used, the company should monitor all social media outlets,
blog mentions, reviews, press releases, and news articles. Though this all may seem
meticulous this can easily be done by the company simply participating in conversations
and addressing any feedback given but are careful to not let the public drive the
conversation. If a crisis does surface the company should be the sole source of
information by consistently releasing material so that the public can be updated without
unknowingly trusting an unreliable source.
Choice Hotel U.S.A. currently has 284,975 followers on Facebook and 26,250 on
Twitter and their distribution of fans are mainly from the United States, Australia,
Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, and many others. Choices fan growth per day is at least
198 and about 3010 a month. Their social media outlets are constantly growing and not to
mention the countless other separate social media sites used by individual hotels under
the Choice brand. Choice hotels include: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Quality, Sleep
Inn, Clarion, Cambria Suites, MainStay Suites, Suburban, EconoLodge, Rodeway Inn,
and Ascend. It takes a matter of one click to start a Facebook page for a company and
many hotels do this in order to reach their clientele more personally. This could be easy

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marketing on Choices behalf but could clearly subject the company to a crisis if not
closely monitored. Comfort Inn and Suites of Statesboro has a Facebook page that is only
supervised by a receptionist at the hotel.
There are several key conversations to monitor and many are done internally by
listening to what your employees are saying about your organization, as well as leaders in
your sector. However, anyone with Internet access can view your brand through new
media and traditional media outlets. In addition, your core influencers and competition
are conversations to observe. If someone were to use Google Alerts for Choice Hotels or
any individual hotels, one would find a plethora of information about what activities the
company is involved in. Within the last month alone, Google Alert has sent 17 emails out
for the key word Comfort Inn. Each email holds at least 3 alerts. These alerts discuss
news article releases, social media posts, press releases, discount opportunities, and
customer feedback. In other words, basically any time something is posted with the key
words Comfort Inn, Google Alert will catch it and send an email to anyone interested in
this company. This is a great way to see what conversations are brought to the table in
order to prepare for any threatening issues. Some of these emails include a Facebook post
about how Choice Hotels apparently have a bad habit of making unauthorized credit card
charges or that Choice Hotels seem to take down what people post on Facebook. This
allows the corporate office to monitor any small issues like these before they get out of
hand.
Another alert that seemed to have been mentioned several times was concerning
the hotels recent renovation plans. Choice required many hotels to renovate their hotels
to match the new criteria for the brand. This caused a lot of conversation for Choice
Hotels over the past several months. The types of conversations were both positive and
negative. Many people were excited about new items in the rooms such as new beds, new
flooring, and new televisions. However, there were others who complained because they
were placed in rooms that were not finished or had a bad experience due to the work
being done. One guest who stayed at the Statesboro Comfort Inn recently complained
that, There was work being performed at the hotel, and it was apparent that the workers
were using the baggage dollies to carry drywall items. After using the dolly, my luggage
and other items were very dusty and dirty. It took me a while to clean everything before
putting my items back into my car. This review was written on a program site called
Madelia, where the individual hotel and corporate monitors all the feedback posted. If too
many complaints are posted corporate has to come to the hotel and supervise the hotels
employees up close and in person.
In conclusion, there are several ways to monitor a companys activities online by
using your own programming or through monitoring tools like Google Alerts. Companies
should utilize these programs in order to efficiently carry out their vision and maintain a
respectable reputation. These programs are a great way to discover issues that would be
otherwise unknown until they blew up past the point of correcting. If the company
monitors their brand name efficiently they could reduce their risk to a crisis substantially.

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Crisis
Response:
Contact key publics in appropriate order
Lockdown or evacuate building if advised by emergency personnel
Supply first responders with necessary tools
o Blue prints, CCP, location(s) to setup apart from the press, etc.
Prepare media statements
Work with the media: (Fearn-Banks, 2011):
DO NOT:
Speculate
Apologize
Place blame
Predict future outcomes
Lie
Compromise an investigation
No comment
DO:
Be truthful
Verify all information before release
Be compassionate
Keep communication consistent and frequent
Refer to your talking points
Use common language
Keep deadlines of reporters in mind
Preparing A Statement:
This message should be shared across all social networks and can also be fed to
media, guests and colleagues around the hotel. (Wohl, 2013)
*A sample statement is included at the end of this plan.

Designate a spokesperson to speak on behalf of the company throughout the

crisis.
Determine key points you want the spokesperson to specify and continue to
reiterate throughout the press conference or interview.
Educate spokesperson and other employees of the background information
pertaining to the crisis so that they can respond without speculating.

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While full message development must await the outbreak of an actual crisis,
"holding statements," messages designed for use immediately after a crisis breaks,
can be developed in advance to be used for a wide variety of scenarios to which
the organization is perceived to be vulnerable. (Bernstein, 2013)
*Sample holding statements are included at the end of this plan.
If a company experiences a complaint from a customer or several due to a recent
event, it would be wise to write or email an apology letter to the people involved.
This may not always fix the issue at hand but it would certainly let the customer
know that you care. If you do not, a much larger crisis could develop.
*A sample apology letter is provided after this plan.
Trick Questions Reporters May Ask (Fearn-Banks, 2011):
Loaded Questions-Isnt true that the hotel failed to monitor their employees
closely?
False Questions-Several people say that the hotels administrators are not active in
the hotels business procedures.
Nave Questions- What does the hotel do?
Know-it-all Questions-We know everything, but can you confirm these details?
Accusatory Questions-Is your front desk clerk to blame for this crisis?
Speculative Questions- If you would have prepared better, do you think this
would have occurred?
Leading Questions-You agree that this employee should not have been allowed
to work for your company?

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Post Crisis
After a crisis has been resolved or chaos has diminished a formal analysis is
required in order to evaluate the negative and positive aspects of the crisis response. This
offers the opportunity to determine what was implemented correctly, what was not and
how to improve the various elements of the crisis preparedness.
Questions to ask in evaluating your companys preparedness;(Club Managers of America,
2003):

Were employees confused? Why?

Did employees know what they were supposed to do? Why not?
Did members know what they were supposed to do? Why not?
Was the public updated in a timely manner?
Was the media given accurate information?
Was the crisis management team effective?
Was the crisis management team assembled quickly and ready to take action?
Were facts gathered quickly and accurately?
Were some critical steps missing in your plan? What steps?
How could you be better prepared in the future?
Was a crisis procedure plan and checklist easily accessible to each department?
Was the assigned leader within each department able to provide guidance and
keep things running as smoothly as possible?
Could the crisis have been avoided if certain actions had been taken? What
actions?
Was the spokesperson able to answer all media inquiries? Why not?
Was the spokesperson the best individual qualified to handle the crisis?
Now that you have experienced a crisis, is someone else better suited to serve as
spokesperson? What about the other major key players? Were they best suited
persons for their key roles?

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Key Contacts
Emergency:
East Georgia Hospital

1499 Fair Rd, Statesboro, GA 30458

(912) 486-1000
Statesboro Police Department
25 W Grady St, Statesboro, GA
(912) 764-9911
East Georgia Counseling Center
110 Rushing Ln, Statesboro, GA
(912) 764-7785

Jan Moore Mayor

50 East Main Street, Statesboro, GA 30458
(912) 764-5468
Media:
Stouthouse Media
186 Valley Rd, Statesboro, GA
(912) 536-2314
Statesboro Convention & Visitors Bureau
332 S Main St, Statesboro, GA 30458
(912) 489-1869
Statesboro Herald
#1, Proctor Street Herald Square, Statesboro, GA 30458
(912) 764-9031
WSAV-DT
1430 East Victory Drive Savannah, GA 31404
(912) 651-0300
WTOC-TV
11 News Place | Savannah, GA 31405

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(912) 234-1111

Samples
Press Conference Statement:
Thank you all for coming on such short notice. Those of you who do
not know me, I am ______________, ______________ for Comfort
Inn and Suites. First I will read a brief statement, and then I will be
available to answer any questions you may have.
An anti- military post was publicized on a former employees Facebook
page occurring today at ______________. The incident is being
vigilantly assessed and more information is forthcoming.
In response to the recent anti-military remarks by this former
employee of our organization, we would like to emphatically state that
those comments in no way represent the thoughts or sentiments of
Comfort Inn and Suites. We hold the utmost respect and admiration
for our military and the service they provide in protecting our great
freedoms. Comfort Inn and Suites appreciates and is grateful to these
brave servicemen and women at home and abroad, who have
dedicated their lives to defending our nation. We have, and will
continue to support them while we also recognize the sacrifices that
their families make on a day-to-day basis.
We plan to continue as scheduled to offer military discounts,
giveaways for our active military and specials for our veterans. All of
whom are well deserving for their services of protecting each of us
every day. In addition, we invite any and all to a celebrate with us at a
staff celebration in honor of faculty and staff veterans and a donation
drive will be present for the Walk in Their Foot Steps and the Fisher
House Foundation. The details of this celebration will be available
online. We will disclose any additional promotional items to
acknowledge their services when they become available.
Now, I am happy to take your questions. I should first explain,
though, that at this time, we are only authorized to answer questions
having to do with the Facebook post, and our actions in nullifying that.
We cannot at this time disclose any specific information on the

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employee. If we can help it, we seek to eliminate any further hateful

annotations towards any one person, group, or organization. However,
if applicable, I can be available to answer questions at a future press
conference. Thank you.

Holding Statements (Bernstein, 2013):

"We have implemented our crisis response plan, which places the highest
priority on the health and safety of our guests and staff.
Our hearts and minds are with those who are in harm's way, and we hope
that they are well.

Holding Statements are great for quick responses on social media:

Apology Letter:
Let us pretend that in this situation a hotel is experiencing major complaints
due to a recent problematic night at the hotel.
Dear___________,
Please allow me the opportunity to introduce myself; my name is
__________ ________ and I am the president of ________Comfort Inn and
Suites. I have been advised of the service youreceived during your stay
associated with the hotel irregularities. First and foremost I want to sincerely
apologize for the inconvenience we have caused you. We strive to service our
guests, as we would want to be assisted. However, on this occasion we did
not exceedyour expectations; I would like to invite you to give us the chance
to optimize your stay the next time you choose to visit the area. At such
time please contact me directly and Iwill personally ensure that your service
is exceptional; I will extend a preferred rate and a complimentary upgrade to
your choice rewards account.

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I look forward to hearing from you and having the opportunity tohave you
back as our guest.
Sincerely,
________

References
Bernstein, J. (2013, January 1). The 10 Steps Of Crisis Communications. Retrieved
November 30, 2014, from
http://www.bernsteincrisismanagement.com/articles/10-steps-of-crisiscommunications.html
Fearn-Banks, K. (2011). Crisis communications: A casebook approach. (3rd ed.) New
York, NY. Routledge.
Glaesser, D (2013), Crisis Management in the Tourism Industry, 1st ed; UK: Butterworth
Heinemann.
Prepare for the Unexpected...A Club Guide to Effective Crisis Management. (2003,
January 1). Retrieved November 30, 2014, from
http://www.cmaa.org/uploadedFiles/PCS/Operations/Secure/09-Post Crisis.pdf
Wohl, M. (2013, May 1). Best Practices in Hotel Crisis Management - Revinate.
Retrieved November 30, 2014, from http://www.revinate.com/blog/2013/05/bestpractices-in-hotel-crisis-management/

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