Four employees of the DusitD2 Hotel were killed in the Tuesday terror attack at the premises, the management said last evening.
Three others were admitted to various hospitals with injuries, general manager Michael Metaxas said.
“From the 100 employees who were on duty during the attack, we can confirm that four lost their lives. Three are receiving treatment,” Metaxas told reporters.
He commended security officers for “an impeccable job” in saving the lives of staff and guests. “Everybody arrived swiftly. The response was impeccable and the investigations so far are commendable,” he said.
Metaxas declined to disclose the number of guests at the hotel during the attack, saying it was sensitive information. He said security officers had asked the management not to reveal the number.
“We had a number of events at the hotel but I can’t reveal what type of conferences were there.”
Metaxas said they did not have intelligence report about the attack. He said the hotel might not have been the actual target of the terrorists.
“They came and shot randomly. We can’t say we were the target,” he said.
DusitD2 management and the 14 Riverside community have unarmed officers who secure the area in shifts, the manager said.
“We will assess the response and security arrangement and take necessary action.”
Metaxas said all guests were safely evacuated to neighbouring hotels and that the facility had been shut until further notice. “We’ll be sharing more information as it becomes available,” he said.
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He said they will support families of staff who died and those admitted to hospitals. He dismissed claims that the hotel’s emergency exits were locked at the time of the attack making it difficult for staff and guests to escape.
“I commend our staff who ensured that they guided the guests to safety during the unfortunate incident. A lot of our staff are heroes,” Metaxas said.
He added that their security evacuation plan and training helped the employees to minimise casualties.
The manager was away in India when the terrorists struck on Tuesday but returned immediately when he learnt of the incident