A mock safety drill at luxury hotel Novotel Visakhapatnam, managed by Accor Hotels, came as jump scare for a British diplomat as it was conducted half an hour before the scheduled time. The drill included mock explosions, which was not notified to the guests at the hotel.
"Dear @Accor; rather like many of your staff @Novotel_Vizag you too may find it funny but your mock terror raid nearly killed me," Dr Andrew Fleming, the British Deputy High Commissioner to Hyderabad wrote on Twitter.
"It happened over 30 minutes earlier than advertised, explosions, men with guns. Everyone amused I dived behind the reception desk, still shaking," he added.
In a notification to its guest, the hotel had stated that the mock drill for "in-house guests' safety and security" will take place on February 6, between 10 am and 1 pm. However, according to Fleming, the activity ensued at around 9.26 am.
"Not only did the said activity happen at 09:26; the note gave no mention of explosions, men with guns and all else I witnessed," Fleming added.
While the hotel has conducted emergency mock drills in the past, the recent exercise was not pleasant for the guests, who were left shaken.
Novotel has not responded to the incident. The story will be duly updated once a statement is released.
