As we reported last month, as a result of the town council considering a Nuisance Abatement Board following a murder at the Lani Kai, the owners of the hotel hired risk management consultant Ellyn Bogdanoff to analyze the situation. Her conclusion: The Lani Kai is a good corporate citizen and the town needs to give them a break.
Bogdanoff said she did an analysis of the Sheriff department calls to the Lani Kai and the “vast majority of calls had nothing to do with the hotel.” She said what the Lani Kai is guilty of is wanting to be the place for people to come to at an affordable price. “It was Mr. C’s desire to create an atmosphere for people to have fun and that’s been taken advantage of.”
She also said part of the reason the calls are going to the Lani Kai is because the Sheriff’s vehicles are parked there, a service the hotel is providing them. Another was that it was such a landmark location that people simply use that location when they place calls.
Bogdanoff went on to tell the council that the calls (which were in the thousands) are not what you though they were. She said the vast majority of the problems were caused by people getting drunk at other locations then coming to the Lani Kai causing the trouble. Of course, as we all know by now, that was not the case with the murder of 22-year old Johnny Jackson.
Bogdanoff said “I have 40 years of experience. I know what I’m doing. I did an analysis of the calls. It’s not what you think it is.” When council members pressed her for more information on how the hotel was going to improve the situation she Bogdanoff refused to share it stating it was proprietary.
When council members began to ask questions, some tongue-in-cheek, because it was clear the could not believe what they were hearing, Bogdanoff didn’t take kindly to that. “I’m here as a courtesy. I made myself clear. You’re twisting things. You’re not hearing what I’m saying. The Lani Kai is an excellent corporate citizen and you guys need to give them a break. We all need to work together and stop the finger pointing.”
Councilman Dan Allers told Bogdanoff she was using the numbers to fit her own narrative, stating it took the hotel 40 years to hire her to analyze the problems.
One town council member told us after the meeting that Bogdanoff actually hurt her client with her presentation last night.
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