After checking the bill, I learned that it is common for Chinese people staying in hotels to be warned by fake restaurant operators.

Sugar Checked into hotel, apparently didn’t eatBreakfast But there was an additional 20 yuan in food expenses on the bill. When a Chinese recently checked the hotel bill for a trip to another state, she found that someone had actually used her room number to sign up for breakfast. She was quite surprised: she didn’t spend the money, but who ate this breakfast and asked her to pay the bill? The hotel explained that this is why they remind their employees not to share their room number with others. But this only exposed the security flaws in hotel bill-based consumption.

A breakfast charge of more than 20 yuan may not seem a large amount, but it is a matter of concern in the hotel industry: If someone only needs to report the room number or even add the guest’s last name to charge someone else’s room bill a meal charge, is it possible for the guest to pay for a stranger’s consumption? This type of problem is not an isolated case. Several cases of fraudulent use of hotel expenses have emerged in news reports. From restaurant dining charges to resort beverages, food and merchandise consumption, there have been cases where charges have been debited from other guests’ accounts. One case involved amounts of up to 2,419 yuan, indicating that the amount of money fraudulently used in hotel accounts was not just a few dozen yuan.

According to a report on the People website in October, a suspected consumer fraud incident occurred at the Chica Lodge & Spa in Islamorada, Florida last year. A guest discovered that more than $900 had been spent on the room bill without his consent. Investigators later traced the total consumption to approximately 2,419 yuan in beverages, food, clothing and other merchandise. Police eventually located the suspect, 26-year-old Malachi Ethan Kessler, and arrested him. He is charged with grand theft, impersonation of another person and fraud.

Why do such cases of fake accounts arise in hotels? Hotel owner Kitty Lo said that according to her personal observation, similar situations occur in every hotel almost every month. Hotels often ask guests for their room number and last name when recording purchases, but cheating is still possible as some hotels now use self-service check-in, where guests are not required to go through the front desk, and staff may not have the opportunity to verify their identity in person. She usually reminds staff not to disclose guest room numbers at will, which helps protect guest privacy. Additionally, the hotel will also improve the bill signing and verification process and maintain necessary transaction records to reduce fraudulent consumption and subsequent disputes. For guests, carefully examining the bill before check-out and immediately raising an objection to the hotel if they discover any unknown charges are ways to protect their rights.

He said that apart from facing people using their room numbers to sign bills, hotels also often have to deal with problems such as guests refusing to make purchases, raising disputes with credit card companies and requesting refunds due to unsatisfactory service. Based on our experience, hotels may face many similar disputes every month. When a guest files a dispute with the credit card company, the hotel is required to submit evidence within a deadline, but it is impossible to hand over the surveillance video to the credit card company every time. For example, a family of five ordered burgers on Independence Day this year. He complained that he had to wait for 30 minutes for delivery. In the end, they got all the money back, even if they had eaten the food. If these guests report directly to the hotel they may not get a refund, but after complaining to the brand, the hotel may refund the money.