Crisis communications: don't duck the issues

The bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond have this week been rocked by a media storm directed at the Duck Bay Hotel.

Any business can find itself at the centre of a crisis. But handling it with care and not ducking the issues (pun intended) is the only way to move forward with as little reputational damage as possible.

The business, owned by Cawley Hotels & Restaurants, stands accused of refusing a young couple access to a socket to plug in a nebuliser machine which administers vital treatment to their terminally ill baby.

The story was initially posted on social media by the mother's family - who told how this couple had to abandon their family day out to hurry back to a hospice to ensure their infant received his treatment. And despite nurses making two separate phone calls to Duck Bay to get to the bottom of what had happened, they were refused the opportunity to speak to a manager and told the place was too busy for anyone to deal with them.

Unsurprisingly, this sorry tale has been picked up by the Press.

The hotel has issued an apology which - from a crisis comms perspective - is sadly lacking.

There are three fundamental errors in this statement:

• It makes excuses

• It scapegoats one junior employee

• It tries to guilt trip the public

It's little wonder that the social media reaction to this has been less than welcoming. Let's examine these errors.

Firstly, when you've made a mess, take responsibility. There's no doubt Duck Bay is admitting this actually happened. But they're saying it was a junior member of staff, who had just joined, acting without guidance, blah blah blah. Excuses. Better to lead with a heartfelt sorry and a statement of "this should never have happened" before outlining actions to prevent errors being made again.

Besides this, the excuse is so wafer thin anyone reading the complaint can see right through it. Three separate approaches were made about this matter - it's unlikely the same worker was involved in all of them. But Duck Bay's apology is scapegoating one employee and placing the blame firmly with them. They may not name that worker, but I'm sure internally everyone knows who it is and will be looking at the company statement to guide their reaction. Not only has Duck Bay shown no care to the family at the centre of this story - but they display no duty of care to their staff.

Accountability should have been from the company as a whole. The buck stops with management and the hotel chain to make sure staff are properly trained, and have someone more senior to guide them when necessary. Recognising that in the apology and not apportioning blame would have been far stronger.

And finally, having thrown that worker under the bus, Duck Bay are putting the onus on the general public - who are voicing their outrage on social media - to consider the "devastated" junior employee's feelings in this. We wouldn't need to, had the firm itself not opened that person up to ridicule. This is insulting and it removes the focus away from the family who should be at the centre of this apology. Everyone's thoughts and sympathies should be firmly directed at them.

As it stands, Duck Bay is still riding the wave of public outrage. The company has turned off comments on its social media pages, due to the influx of negative feedback. And TripAdvisor has announced it is suspending reviews on the hotel for the time being, based on people turning to their website to vent their anger.

It is essential to take advice on crisis communications before responding to something like this. The hotel will no doubt be sustained by the tourist trade through the Summer months, but off season - when they rely on locals to fill their coffers - they may find people are not quick to forgive.

What do you think? Interested to hear your thoughts.