Worries About Hotel Safety Arise After Shoot-Out at The InterContinental in Rio
View of favelas from the InterContinental.
We can't even begin to imagine what was running through the minds of the 35 hotel guests at the InterContinental Rio de Janeiro on São Conrado beach after the hotel was taken hostage by 60 gang members over the weekend.
The gang was leaving a party in a neighboring slum (although the hotel is in a rather upscale neighborhood) and waving their guns around when they encountered police. A chase ensued and some gang member ran into the hotel. The NY Times reports:
The gunmen scattered, with some entering apartment buildings. Ten men went into the Intercontinental Hotel around 8:30 a.m., [Dirceu Silviana, a spokesman for Rio State’s security secretary] said. They seized 5 guests from Europe and about 30 hotel workers in the lobby at gunpoint, and forced them to a kitchen a floor below, according to a hotel spokesman, Roberto Falcão.
A shoot-out with police ensued and three hours and 1,000 bullets later, the hostages were released unarmed. However, one gang member was killed and four policemen were wounded.
The violence, while not atypical for Rio, is especially worrisome as the city is set to host the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. And while the area around the InterContinental is supposedly safe, guests do have views of the favelas as Flickr Member eguidetravel pointed out.
Right now, we're seeing a boom in hotels in London as the city gets ready to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and the same will also happen for Rio in the coming years. We just hope they focus on safety and security first.
What are your tips for staying safe in hotels in Rio De Janeiro? Let us know in comments below.
[Photo: eguidetravel/Flickr]
Comments (0)
Post a CommentReturn to » Worries About Hotel Safety Arise After Shoot-Out at The InterContinental in Rio
Join the conversation!