Page 16 - ARUBA TODAY

A16 LOCAL
Monday 18 June 2018

Hotel Hustle

Column by: Shanella Pantophlet

Death In Paradise

“How do you handle death at your resort?” A
friend of mine asked me the other day and al-
though it is a morbid topic, it is also fascinating
one. Every hotel in the world from the largest to
the smallest all have had to deal with the passing
of a guest during their stay, it is a complex situa-
tion to be in as it becomes an emotional time for
the family, who now unexpectedly have to start
making plans while on their vacation. It’s a matter
that requires the utmost empathy, assistance and
sensitivity. In moments like these the staff, usually
the concierge, have to function as the calm, lo-
gistical liaison between the family, local authori-
ties, the local funeral home and the airlines. The
last thing we want is to make a difficult situation
even harder for the family.

My first experience with a death on property was during my first two years of working at my hotel, there was a sweet 87 year old member who
would get up every morning and go to the gym to spend time on the treadmill. Everyone at the front desk knew her and they’d have the key
ready for her. Naturally when I questioned them about this, they’d told me this had been her routine for years, despite her age and increasing
frailty. The staff would always tell her to take it easy and she’d smile and be on her way. Another year passed by and again she came down and
had the same routine, up until the day she passed away. She’d just finished her work out, dropped off the key and went back to her room to rest,
about a half hour later we received a phone call that she’d passed away. Obviously the news was quite upsetting, not because of her age, but
because we had all seen her earlier that day following her routine.

There is no time for the staff to mourn though, instantly we need to get into gear and follow our procedures in this matter. The usual procedure
for deaths on property require us to reach out to the appropriate authorities including a doctor to call time of death. After that then one of the
funeral homes have to be called in to meet with the family, remove the body from the room and store the body while assisting the family to make
any special preparations to get the body flown back home.

Even when it is expected it isn’t an easy task making sure everything is in order and the family has everything they need. You may be wondering
what I mean by “expected” and believe it or not, we have had instances of guests who, know their time is limited, come to the Island and spend
their last days in a place they love. In those cases the family is prepared and will have notified someone and make profuse assurances to the
staff that it is what their family member wanted. One last trip to paradise. In those cases we still follow procedure, because even if the deceased
has accepted their fate, it can still be difficult on the family and we strive to ensure they are as comforted and cared for as they can be during
this sad time.

Aruban born and bred Shanella Pantophlet is passionate about tour-
ism. That is the world she studied and works in, so we might as well call
her a specialist. Luckily for Aruba Today Shanella also loves to write.
And together with the fact that the majority of our readers are tourists,
we found ourselves a perfect combination for a column: Hotel Hustle.