Globe Reporter on Hyatt PR Storm: “They Don’t Give Me Info on the Phone”

What happens when you fire 100 employees, replace them with out-of-state workers who make half the salary, then have the current employees train their replacements? If you guessed outraged community members, media, and politicians, you’re right.

That is the position Hyatt Hotels finds itself in, after numerous stories by the Boston Globe on the replacement of the housekeeping staff at the Hyatt Regency Boston, and subsequent PR nightmares such as a “Save the Hyatt 100″ Facebook page and a statement from Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick threatening a “government boycott of the hotel chain.”

PRNewser spoke with Katie Johnston Case, one of the reporters covering the story for the Globe, who said all communications are being handled internally and she has not heard from any PR agency communicating on Hyatt’s behalf. “I’ve talked to the PR woman by phone, but they don’t give me info on the phone. They’ve confirmed a few things on the phone but haven’t given interviews,” she said.

The company has issued several statements on its Website, one of which was a response to the Governor’s boycott threat: “We are very disappointed by the Governor’s decision to threaten a boycott of our hotels since it directly threatens the 600 associates who work in Hyatt properties and who live and work in Massachusetts at a time when businesses and individuals are cutting back on travel during the worst economic period we have seen in decades.”

PRNewser reached out Hyatt Corporate PR in Chicago for comment. They would not state if they are working with an agency.

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