Oh rats! Tourists lose sleep after spotting rodents in Geylang hotel room

Two tourists staying in a Geylang hotel had a sleepless night after spotting at least three rodents in their room.

A Chinese national surnamed Yan, 24, told Shin Min Daily News that he and his Malaysian friend paid RM1,129 (S$340) for a three-night stay at a three-star hotel located along Sims Avenue.

Upon checking into their room about 7pm on July 19, the duo immediately noticed a "strong, musty smell".

They requested for a new room, which the man said still had a musty smell as well as some strange noises. Thinking that the sounds came from the road outside, the pair went out to explore the city and returned to the hotel at about 11pm.

"But as I was about to sleep at around 1am, the noises got louder and louder, and then I saw rats running around the room.

"We saw at least three rodents, not only did they scurry about on the floor, but they also climbed onto the dresser and chewed on the coffee bags," recounted Yan.

His female friend, surnamed Chen, told 8world that the hotel staff gave them two glue traps and informed them that it was not possible to switch rooms as the hotel was fully booked.

"The rodents sneaked in through the door crack and were unafraid of humans," she said, adding: "Yan tried to chase them away with a slipper, but they climbed onto the bed".

The two frightened tourists only managed to fall asleep in the early morning and requested yet another new room after waking up in the afternoon.

However, the third room reportedly smelled musty too. And to add insult to injury, the duo was given another two glue traps.

"I only wanted a clean room where I can rest — and that's a room without rodents," Chen said.

The tourists decided to cancel their booking and subsequently called the police after a two-hour silence from the hotel manager regarding their refund.

Unable to find an available room at nearby hotels, they said they walked all the way to Marina Bay, where they hung out for the night. Thankfully, they checked into another hotel the next morning.

Speaking to Shin Min, a hotel staff attributed the rodents' presence due to on-going renovations in the newly opened premises. The police confirmed that a report was lodged.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com