I know the kids who run the hotel you stayed at may have seemed to have been nice, kind and concerned with your best interests, but the truth of the matter is as likely as not that they are paid a commission on your final hotel bill, and that they’ll as soon rake you across the coals as look at for what is right. Before signing your checkout bill, check it, check it again, make sure it’s 100% accurate and raise holy hell if it isn’t.
It’s not that these hotels are out to rip you off; it’s just that, all things being equal, there’s no real, personal crime in taking advantage of a foreigner who they think will never, ever return to their country. They’re still good people, but much like you, they’re looking out for number one… but after a week of hard shopping and seeing the sights, are you still looking out for yourself?
Statistically speaking, you are not. Don’t feel bad, we all do it. I’ve even done it myself, but even after I learned fluent Chinese, when I got home, found the overcharges and called back to get my due refund, I only found it was too late… conversely, even before I spoke a word of Chinese I knew enough to raise holy hell for such exorbitant overcharges and get my bill back to where it needed to be.
I know you’re tired, you’ve got all your luggage resting bloatedly behind you and you just want to check out and get back in an airport-bound taxi to head home, but there’s one last step you have to take. You’re about to be presented with your final bill for the hotel, and as sure as they’re Chinese and you’re a foreigner, the bill’s going to be inflated.
Don’t feel bad about it, if the Romanians overran your town with money flowing as freely as the Chinese see your dollars, you’d do it to. It’s a natural occurrence, but don’t let it make you a victim of tourist fleecing. Accept your bill, review it, question it and debate any and everything that’s on it that might not be duly attributed to yours.
Our staff’s experience has shown that, as you step up through the stars (specifically from a two-star hotel up through a five-star hotel) these extraneous (and undue) charges are less and less. But no matter how expensive your accommodations (and how rich your expense account or vacation budget) there’s just no telling what’s been thrown in to your bill. I’ve seen extra stuff thrown on to my hotel bill even in Palm Dessert, a place where they should know better.
Take your bill, review it, examine all the charges and make sure that every last one of them is duly attributed to you and your stay. It’s common to see internet charges inflated, premium room upgrades charged and room service charges inflated by as much as 300%. Look at it, review it, and if it isn’t true, just and yours, contest it.
They will fight you, expect that. They know you’re tired and all you want to do is go home, but don’t let that deter you. Stand up for principal, the more you do, the less they’ll try to take advantage of future tourists. Tell them you know it isn’t yours, and wait for them to call a manager (which they will.)
If, even after sharing your disagreement with the manager, you still have not reached an amicable agreement, resolve to send a letter to the Chinese Ministry of Tourism upon your return home, and tell them this. This resolution, especially as you share it with them, will certainly (in the instances of the three AboutShanghai writers who responded to my survey) get your bill remedied to the level to which it should truly be.
Don’t be a jerk, however. Admit your bill is truly what it is, but still, don’t accept a penny over what it should be. If they can’t turn a profit based on their current profit model, that’s their problem and something they should investigate. It’s no grounds by which to justify the fleecing of traveling businessmen nor tourists.
