The Consumer Council received 1,048 complaints regarding accommodation services last year, a 34 percent year-on-year increase, driven mainly by disputes over inaccurate room reservations and ambiguous responsibilities on booking platforms.
The upward trend persisted into this year, with 466 cases recorded in the first five months, representing a surge of 114 cases compared to the same period last year.
In one case, the complainant reserved a six-bed female dormitory room equipped with personal lockers at a guesthouse in Tsim Sha Tsui through a booking platform during the Labour Day holiday. Upon arrival, the guest was relocated to a three-bed female room in an older adjacent building with no lockers provided.
The staff explained that no other rooms were available due to full occupancy over the holiday. The booking platform initially rejected a refund, claiming that the accommodation provided was consistent with the original booking details.
Following enquiries by the consumer watchdog, the platform agreed to offer a 20 percent refund, while the guesthouse did not respond at all.
In another case, the complainant spent HK$20,000 to book two suites for a two-night stay at a local five-star hotel. In the early hours of the first night, the suspended ceiling in the bathroom suffered severe water leakage.
The guest reported the issue to hotel staff the next day, after which maintenance workers arrived to carry out repairs. During the maintenance work, accumulated water gushed down from the ceiling.
The complainant then lodged a complaint through the booking platform, which stated that the hotel would contact them directly. However, hotel staff mistakenly called the complainant’s travel companion in the adjacent room to follow up.
The hotel later offered a bottle of champagne as an apology. In response to the Consumer Council’s enquiry, the hotel stated that it had offered an explanation and compensation to the complainant.
In light of these incidents, the Consumer Council urged both hotels and booking platforms to ensure all accommodation details are accurate. If the originally reserved room or room type cannot be provided due to unforeseen circumstances, parties should inform guests promptly and adopt flexible solutions.
Regular inspection and maintenance of in-room facilities are also recommended.
