S’pore man books China hotel on Agoda, searches 6 hours only to be told foreigners aren’t allowed
A Singaporean man spent six hours searching for a hotel he had booked through Agoda in China, only to find it the following morning and be told that it did not accept foreign guests.
Mr Wu (transliterated) had booked a stay at Ruiping Hotel (瑞平酒店) in Taiyuan, China, from Sept 28 to Oct 2, and had already paid nearly $30 on the platform.
According to Shin Min Daily News, the 54-year-old security officer had visited Taiyuan several times before and specifically chose a hotel near the railway station for convenience.
However, when he arrived, he struggled to locate the hotel.
He said the Agoda listing did not provide a contact number or detailed address, and his emails went unanswered.
Spends 6 hours searching for hotel, ends up paying extra $58
“I arrived at around 8am and followed the map around in a big circle, but it led me to another hotel, Lixin Hotel,” Wu told Shin Min.
He said he spent about six hours searching for his accommodation before trying to check in at Lixin Hotel (立欣酒店).
However, he was told that the hotel accepted only Chinese guests.
Left with no choice, he found another hotel nearby and paid an additional $58 for accommodation.
At around 7am the next morning, Wu used another travel website to look up Ruiping Hotel’s location.
Following the directions, he finally found the hotel — near Lixin Hotel, where he had ended up the previous day.
“The front desk staff told me that their hotel signboard did not have an English name and that they could only accommodate Chinese nationals,” he said.
Wu was frustrated that Agoda had allowed him to book and pay for a hotel that would not accept him as a guest.
He said the listing had not indicated that foreign travellers were not allowed to stay there.
“I could book the hotel room and even make payment successfully, so I really couldn’t understand it,” he said.
Agoda responds, issues refund
After returning to Singapore on Oct 4, Wu contacted Agoda’s customer service team to lodge a complaint.
He was told that the matter would be investigated and that the company would respond as soon as possible.
A screenshot provided by Wu showed that his refund request had been completed.
Responding to Shin Min’s queries, Agoda expressed regret over the incident but declined to disclose details of the case, citing privacy considerations.
“Our customer experience team has been in contact with the customer to provide further assistance,” Agoda said.
The platform added that it works closely with its accommodation partners to ensure property information is clear, accurate and helpful to travellers.
Agoda said it would review concerns raised about accommodation listings or check-in requirements and follow up with accommodation providers where necessary.
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