'5-star' Taiwan hotel's condoms and lubricant leave HK couple cold

Many Taiwan hotels have a rather liberal policy, which may include hourly room rentals during some days of the week. We all know where that leads. This common practice may give rise to obvious misunderstandings with some tourists.

A couple from Hong Kong had the cultural shock of their life when they visited one on a luxury tour during the Lunar New Year arranged by local tour operator Explorer Travel. They had expected the four-day, HK$10,000 tour to include accommodation at a five-star hotel. Instead they found condoms, lubricant and a jacuzzi for lovers in their room. They left immediately and paid extra to check into the nearby Hyatt. On their return home they filed a complaint with the Travel Industry Council.

'It's highly regrettable ...', an Explorer Travel manager said. 'But it is not all that unusual to find these things in Taiwanese hotels, even reputable ones. Our staff gave a list of hotels for the couple to choose from and they picked that one. Unfortunately, none of our staff had visited that particular hotel and had no idea about the hourly rents. The hotel ... does not advertise itself as a sex hotel.'

The travel agent has offered HK$3,000 for the misunderstanding, but the couple have rejected it and are pursuing the complaint with the council.

While we understand it could be shocking to find oneself in such a hotel room, we thought the misadventure could be taken advantage of to rekindle lost passions.