It might have been an over-reaction in some ways (not the landing itself, but all the "hoo ha" that went with it) but after almost forty years in the industry it doesn't surprise me. Helicopters are still seen by some in the same light that required a man with a red flag to precede a motor vehicle.
Over the years I've landed in all sorts of places. Some hotels with a helipad require with various paperwork well in advance, indemnity forms, proof of insurance (the latter signed by the pilot, the operator and in the worse cases, by the insurance company itself for every landing, even if you are a "regular") so there's no chance of an unscheduled landing. One hotel refused me a landing because they were adamant "I needed written police permission for something like that".
Others just say "Drop in, anytime - just don't block the "H" in case another one comes in".
As far as airfields go, from the way helicopters are dealt with at some of them you would think we're landing a space shuttle!
