Hotel leak gushing like waterfall puts damper on Korean traveller’s Hong Kong stay; eventually secures refund

A disgruntled Korean traveller has been offered a full refund and a free stay in a three-star Causeway Bay hotel for her next journey to Hong Kong after her room was flooded by water gushing through the ceiling like a waterfall. In a Twitter post which read: “Hong Kong never disappoints! My room situation atm”, Park Juwon published a video showing water cascading from the ceiling into her room in the Charterhouse Causeway Bay hotel. The clip was seen by more than 160,o00 people as of Wednesday afternoon. “Currently I have no shoes and clothes to wear because they got soaked along with my AirPods, wallets, souvenirs, etc,” she lamented in another post. Park wrote that she had begun filming seconds before being “waterbombed”. “I heard an intense water dripping sound from the ceiling which made me hit record. Suddenly the water started pouring out from multiple holes on the ceiling plus shower head.” Hong Kong has scrambled to attract visitors and revive the beleaguered tourism industry after reopening to international and – most recently – mainland Chinese travellers. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has pledged an all-out effort to lure travellers back, with international conferences, exhibitions, sports and cultural events while the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) will offer visitors vouchers for transport, food and shopping as part of a HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) promotional campaign. Park, who stayed in the hotel for two nights and planned to leave Hong Kong on Thursday, said she felt distressed and had been concerned for her safety. “The staff handed me an umbrella so I can go back to the room and retrieve my passport and other things … in hindsight, I could’ve gotten electrocuted … Stressed,” she wrote. Thai tour group in Hong Kong gets only 1 day to dine out amid Covid rule change The visitor said she was dismayed to be told by hotel staff that she would not receive a refund, only getting compensation for damaged goods in a few months after arranging with the insurance company. “The hotel said they won’t be able to refund my hotel fee because ‘it’s paid already’ … I got waterbombed and spent the entire day drying my stuff while cancelling appointments with my Hong Kong friends,” Park said, adding she had moved to another hotel on Wednesday night. A Twitter user replied to the social media post that the water leaks in the hotel were “utterly unacceptable”. “Something needs to be done to tell a ‘Good Hong Kong story’ per Hong Kong government preaches,” the commenter quipped. City leader Lee earlier said the government would strive to “tell the world the good stories of Hong Kong” to attract investors, talent and tourists. Contacted by the Post, the hotel’s general manager Bena Yip apologised for the incident, clarifying that they had already given Park a full refund of more than HK$2,000 to cover the cost of the stay and new clothes. “The water leakage was caused by a broken pipe of a water heater on the third floor, resulting in water leaking through the ceiling on the second floor … This incident is very rare. It has never happened before,” she said. Park was the most seriously affected guest, with only minor leaks occurring in other rooms on the same floor, with all water pipes having been thoroughly checked and the leaks fixed, Yip added. Hong Kong bosses welcome axing of Covid isolation, want action to revive tourism “We were very concerned about the safety of our tenants and their belongings so we immediately dispatched staff to assist the affected tenants and move away their soaked belongings,” she said. “We also told her that we would arrange compensation for her. But maybe due to some miscommunication, she thought there would be no refund.” Yip said apart from the refund, the hotel would also offer compensation for damaged belongings later after reviewing a list of the affected items. “We’ve also offered [Park] a free stay next time she comes to Hong Kong, which she has gladly accepted. She said she would stay in our hotel next time,” she added. A spokesman for the Hong Kong Tourism Board said it had assisted the traveller after receiving her inquiry on Wednesday, as well as liaising with the hotel to ensure direct communication between the two parties. “We are glad that both parties have already reached a settlement. The HKTB will continue to keep in contact with the visitor and offer our gesture of courtesy for the next visit to Hong Kong,” he said.