Cancun hotels fined for lack of emergency shelters

CANCUN — Twenty-five hotels in the Cancun Hotel Zone have been fined for failing to have or register their emergency shelters for guests, according to www.jorgecastronoriega.com, a Quintana Roo state news website.

Since the start of the current hurricane season in June, authorities decided to check that the hotels have these spaces and ensure that they also have an agreement with a transport company to move their guests in emergency cases. The authorities from Civil Protection found that 25 hotels haven’t registered their shelters or simply didn’t have one prepared.

Benito Juárez Director of Civil Protection Luis Antonio Lomelín said that they decided to check hotels to ensure they had the necessary emergency shelters ready in the case they are needed. Having an emergency shelter also requires having it registered with the state with an agreement for emergency transportation in case guests need to be relocated.

All the hotels were fined with quantities above $88,000 pesos. The hotels will be checked on again to ensure the emergency shelters are sufficient and registered with the state as required.

Antonio Lomelín explained that it’s not enough to simply have a space for emergencies, but a proper shelter that is registered. The shelter is only authorized after an inspection by Civil Protection, noting that first and foremost, hotels are responsible for their guests.

Sources:

• www.riviera-maya-news.com
• www.jorgecastronoriega.com