The hotel was faced with a situation that doesn't happen very often, a hotel with no power or water and an initial uncertainty when it would be restored. All the right people were there tracing the electric wiring to see what could be done. It was determined that power would not be restored for a day or two and now the hotel had to find other rooms for a large number of guests.
There were two lines, one to be rehoused and the other for a flashlight to go up to your room and bring your luggage etc down. The hotel did a lot right, one thing they didn't do is communicate well. This is typical in situations like this all over the world, it leads to frustration and people saying things they both should and shouldn't say. It can happen at home too, when one person is told one thing and another person told a variation of that.
Which brings us to another lesson, when communicating about or during an event, it is imperative that everyone communicate exactly the same thing to everyone. It might be better to write it all out and hand it to everyone, so everyone has the same information and nothing else. People talk to each other in these situations, comparing what information they have and don't have, emotions are already heightened so they pounce on any difference, might even take it personally.
I found it quite amazing how even managers at the hotel were saying different things to people, creating confusion and frustration, and creating more work for themselves.
