Damp room, dirty towels: Woman complains about 'worst hotel' stay at Orchard

Staying in a hotel along Orchard Road for a 'reasonable price' might sound like a pretty good deal, but not for one woman who may have gotten more than what she bargained for. 

One TikTok user, who went by the name Rachel Tristan, posted a video documenting her stay in what she described as the 'worst' hotel last Sunday (July 31). 

Tristan explained in the video that she chose the particular hotel because it was "quite affordable" for the location, and had "pretty decent" reviews. 

Although Tristan covered up the hotel's name, netizens quickly identified it as the Hotel Chancellor@Orchard, a hotel located along Cavenagh Road. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@ar.shit.ek/video/7126223706191351066?_t=8USHiKhawld&_r=1[/embed]

A few days before arriving in Singapore, Tristan said she checked the hotel listing again online and realised that some guests had left negative reviews, posting that their room "smelt weird", and the "pillows are disaster". 

Almost like a foreshadowing, another guest said it was the "worst hotel stay [he's] ever had in [his] life". 

"At that time we thought it was pretty dramatic, and it can't be that bad right?" said Tristan, an Indonesian who is currently based in Taiwan.

Tristan's nightmare began almost immediately as she claimed she was greeted by "the most unfriendly staff" who told her that one of the two rooms she'd booked was not ready. 

"When we entered the room, [it] smelt damp, like wet, humid and kinda sour smelly," she recalled. 

Attributing the smell to Singapore's humid weather, she thought that the problem would be solved if she turned on the room's air conditioner. 

However, when she returned back to the room that evening, she said that the floor was flooded because of the leaking air conditioner.

Even though the hotel offered to change the first room, the towels and curtains in the replacement room were "misplaced" — a clear sign that the room had not been tidied, she claimed.

When she told the reception that the room "reeked of smoke", she said the hotel sent a staff member to spray the room to remove the odour. 

"I told him that wasn't gonna work, and he even agreed with me after smelling the room." 

The woman also showed photos of strands of hair that she found on the hotel's bed sheets and towels. 

"Just don't stay in this hotel, don't book it." 

A check by AsiaOne showed that Hotel Chancellor had received SG clean certification from the National Environment Agency, dated January this year. 

There were some netizens who said that the woman got what she paid for, considering the price she paid. 

"Orchard is supposed to be a prime area and nothing is supposed to be cheap there," said one netizen. 

According to Booking.com, a double room at Hotel Chancellor costs about $187 a night. 

Making a disclaimer in the comments, the woman clarified that she wasn't expecting five-star service, but at least a "cleaned and prepared room for stay". 

When contacted, a spokesperson from Hotel Chancellor told AsiaOne that they "accept full responsibility for the shortfall in service" and are in the midst of trying to identify and contact the guest to provide service recovery.

They said that they hope the guest can contact the management directly.

The spokesperson explained to AsiaOne that the whole hotel industry is facing sharp and severe shortage of manpower in all departments.

"The difficulty in getting housekeeping staff in the first place is further exacerbated by rostered staff suddenly taken ill," added the spokesperson.

"We will continue to train our housekeeping staff to achieve required cleanliness standards."

The hotel said it is in the midst of addressing the air-conditioning issue with their service contractor, adding that they were "equally shocked" with water dripping from the air-conditioning vent after service.

In June, two Malaysian tourists had their holiday ruined when they were bitten by bed bugs in their hotel room in Singapore. 

Phia Boo made a Facebook post showing the red welts that appeared on their bodies after their first night at ST Signature at Jalan Besar. 

Even though the hotel offered them an upgraded room for their second night's stay, there were still bedbugs on the linen in the new room. 

Upon returning to Johor Bahru, the pair had to immediately visit a laundromat to wash their clothes and bagpacks. 

Boo's friend also had to visit a doctor for her rashes. 

ALSO READ: Littered with cigarette butts and used Q-tips: Singapore family complains about Genting apartment, gets threatened by staff

claudiatan@asiaone.com