A Singaporean man holidaying in China found himself unable to check into a hotel he booked due to its policy of admitting local guests only.
The man, Wu, told Shin Min Daily News that he had paid around S$30 (approx. RM95) through Agoda for a stay at Ruiping Hotel in Taiyuan from Sept 28 to Oct 2.
Couldn’t find hotel
Wu arrived at the city at 8am but had great difficulty locating Ruiping Hotel as Agoda’s listing didn’t show a detailed address and telephone number.
He also claimed that multiple emails sent to Agoda also went unanswered.
After six long hours, Wu stopped by another hotel, Lixin Hotel, and tried checking in but was allegedly told that only Chinese guests were accepted.
In the end, Wu had to check in to another hotel and paid S$58 (approx. RM185) to stay the night.
‘Only Chinese guests’
The next day, Wu used another travel website to find Ruiping Hotel’s exact location and discovered it wasn’t far from Lixin Hotel.
But when he went there, he was given a similar answer as Lixin Hotel’s: only Chinese guests would be accommodated to.
The staff also told Wu that the hotel’s sign had no English wording on it.
Wu said Agoda didn’t state in its booking page that Ruiping Hotel didn’t admit foreign guests but still allowed him to make a booking.
On Oct 4, Wu contacted Agoda’s customer service upon returning to Singapore and had his refund request fulfilled by the booking platform.
Agoda apologises
When contacted by Shin Min, Agoda expressed regret but declined to reveal further details due to privacy protection rules.
They said they would continue to work closely with their accommodation partners to ensure accommodation information on their platform is clear, accurate and helpful to travellers.
The booking platform also said concerns regarding a property’s information or check-in requirements will be reviewed based on circumstances and, if necessary, followed up with the accommodation provider so that appropriate action can be taken.
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