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Danny Mok

Mary Ann Benitez

A hotel and a travel agency have been accused of racial discrimination for charging Filipino guests an extra HK$80 a night for a room.
The charge is listed on the website of Edmond Travel  for rooms at the Guangdong Hong Kong Hotel in Prat Avenue, Tsim Sha Tsui.
When asked about the discrepancy, the hotel and the agency each pointed the finger at the other.
A member of the sales staff at Edmond Travel said it was the hotel's policy to charge Filipinos extra and referred press questions to the hotel.
At the hotel, Ken Tsang, a duty manager, denied it had such a policy and said travel agencies took it upon themselves to impose the extra fee.
'The website does not belong to the hotel, so you have to ask the travel agent. This one is the agent's rate, not our hotel rate,' he said.
'Our hotel price is the same, which is HK$1,280 plus 13 per cent for all nationalities. There is no difference for Chinese, Filipinos or Americans. I am not sure why the agents mark up HK$80 more for the Filipinos.'
When a Post reporter pretending to be a customer called the hotel, a member of staff said the additional charge for Filipinos only applied to bookings through certain travel agencies, but not to individuals walking in or booking over the phone.
She said it was because of a 'nationality difference' and the result of a 'contact-related issue' among the hotel with some agencies, adding that it was 'our internal issue'.
A member of staff at the Wharney Guangdong Hotel Hong Kong, its sister hotel, also told the same reporter  that the extra fee only applied to bookings through certain travel agencies, but not to individual walk-in customers or telephone bookings.
The government's Race Relations Unit said it would look into the case and urged people who might have been unfairly charged to come forward.
'This is the first time that we have come across such reports,' said a spokeswoman. 'The relevant bureau has to find out the facts of the case to ascertain the consideration and reasons for the practice and see whether any action may be taken.'
Joseph Tung Yao-chung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council, said the council would look into the fee policy.
'I never realised this but it is something they should not do. I don't know why they impose such a charge,' Mr Tung said.
The Hong Kong Hotels Association could not be reached.
Dolores Balladares-Pelaez, chairwoman of United Filipinos in Hong Kong, said: 'Why only Filipinos? Why are Filipinos being treated like that?'
Edwina Santoyo  of the Mission for Filipino Migrant Workers condemned the practice as 'racist'.



Hotel surcharge targets Filipinos