A woman in China who allegedly flooded her hotel room after being denied a refund has been ordered to pay nearly £3,200 in damages.
According to local reports, the incident occurred on 28 October at a budget hotel in Hainan, China’s southern island province.
The guest from Jiangxi Province in China, whose identity was not revealed, had booked a single-night stay at the hotel located in Haitang district in Sanya City, for 108 yuan (or $15) through an online platform. Arriving late that evening, she soon asked to cancel the booking and demanded a full refund, citing a “change of plan”.
When the hotel refused, explaining that cancellations were not allowed after check-in, she complained that the room was shabby and lacked proper soundproofing.
The hotel manager, identified only by his surname Xiong, said staff even offered her a free upgrade – an offer she declined.
“According to the platform’s rules, reservations that have already been checked in cannot be refunded. We explained to her that the room had incurred cleaning costs and offered to upgrade her to a different room for free, but she insisted on getting a refund,” Mr Xiong said, according to a local daily newspaper, Qilu Evening News.
Allegedly frustrated by the hotel’s refusal to issue a refund, the woman called both the police and a local government hotline. But while waiting for authorities to arrive, she turned on the bathroom sink and shower, letting the water run continuously for hours.
She also reportedly tossed the bedding into the shower area and doused it with shower gel.
Hotel staff reportedly discovered the damage only when water began leaking from her second-floor room into the lobby.
“The taps ran from 2am until early morning,” Mr Xiong reportedly said, adding that the flooding ruined walls and flooring.
The estimated damage was around 20,000 yuan ($2,800).
When questioned by police, the woman admitted to her actions and agreed to compensate the hotel nearly 30,000 yuan – roughly 280 times the original cost of her stay.
Under Chinese law, intentionally damaging private property can result in fines or detention, and damage exceeding 5,000 yuan may lead to criminal charges.
According to the South China Morning Post, the incident sparked a mix of ridicule and reflection online. “She ended up paying nearly 300 times the hotel room rate she wanted to avoid,” one user wrote.
