'We couldn't believe our eyes': Tourist charged $200 cleaning fee for eating durian in Singapore hotel room

[UPDATE June 2]

Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard has confirmed that a guest who consumed durians in their room during their stay from May 25 to 26 was charged a $200 cleaning fee.

Speaking with AsiaOne, Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard's area general manager Sherlene Wong explained that the

hotel has a cleaning policy — shared with all guests — where a $200 charge is required to professionally clean and remove pungent smells in the event strong odours are discovered in guests' rooms.

"When we spoke to the guest on this matter, they had agreed to pay the $200 cleaning fee," Wong said, adding that they are "committed to providing a clean and pleasant environment" for all guests during their stay.

A tourist spent $13 for a box of durians, but ended up paying $200 as the hotel she was staying in charged that amount as cleaning fee.

The China national apparently ate the snack in her room, according to a Xiaohongshu post by user Blue Mulberry (transliterated) on Monday (May 26).

Her post, titled "Spending 1,000 yuan ($200) in Singapore on one durian" said that she spent $13 on the durians, but paid $200 on cleaning fees.

"Other tourists in Singapore, please remember not to eat durians in your hotel room," Mulberry cautioned.

In her almost five-minute video post, she detailed her experience leading up to the $200 fee.

A day earlier, while walking with her friend they came across a shop selling durians, she recalled.

Since it was in a market with no seating available, she took the fruit back to her room to eat.

The durian had already been deshelled and placed in a Styrofoam container, Mulberry later added.

"After a while, we couldn't walk any further and decided to call a cab," she said. "The smell of the durian started to waft about, and my friend also commented that the smell was quite strong."

Worried that the cab driver wouldn't like the smell, she tightened the knot on the plastic bag her fruit was in, but the driver did not raise any issue, she said.

"I relished the durian later that night and went out the following day to tour around the area," she said.

When she returned, she found a letter addressed to her in her room, notifying her that the housekeeper discovered a durian smell and that a $200 cleaning fee would be charged.

"My friend and I were stunned and couldn't believe our eyes," Mulberry said.

Frantically searching on Xiaohongshu, she found that many other people have had similar experiences and didn't know that durians are not allowed in hotel rooms.

Some were luckier and were stopped by staff before they took the durian to their rooms or were let off because it was their first time committing the offence, she said.

Mulberry then apologised to the hotel staff and admitted that she didn't know about the regulation.

She tried to request for a discount to the cleaning fee, but staff explained that they charge less than other hotels, which apparently charge $500.

A quick check with other hotels in Singapore confirmed that durians are not allowed in their rooms.

Carlton City Hotel charges a $500 fee for cleaning should a durian smell be discovered, while Park Regis by Prince Singapore charges $300.

Taking durians into a room at Park Avenue Rochester would incur a $200 fine.

The silver lining to this is that they didn't take a train back, because that would have incurred a greater fine, Mulberry also added.

She commented: "I hope that my experience can help other tourists... save 1,000 yuan." 

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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