Top China hotel fines VVIP tourist $415 for not staying in room overnight

The fine was imposed as the hotel staff suspected the tourist was a "room reseller" who wanted to earn profits by transferring room benefits to another person, the South China Morning Post reported.

The tourist, a Diamond Card member of the five-star hotel, had booked two rooms for three nights starting from May 9 for himself and his family.

During check-in, he had signed a commitment letter that asked him to agree not to transfer member benefits during their stay and if he was found violating the hotel’s regulation, he would be imposed with a fine.

After checking out, he received a call from the hotel manager who allegedly accused him of not staying in his room overnight based on surveillance camera footage, resulting in the fine.

The tourist explained he had not returned to his room at night because of ‘time difference,’ forcing him to spend all nights hanging out and only return in the morning to rest, Chinese language news site Sohu reported.

The tourist filed a complaint to the hotel’s headquarters and received a full refund.

The incident has triggered a heated online discussion on Chinese social media, raising privacy concerns.

Many netizens questioned the hotel’s use of surveillance cameras to check on guests.