Dirty hotels, bigger fines
A political adviser is calling for stricter supervision on hotels and harsher punishment for those found with hygienic problems.
Wang Rulu, a member of the CPPCC Shanghai Committee and deputy chief engineer from the Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Co, raised the suggestion in a proposal to the government during the ongoing annual session of the city's political advisory body.
Wang pointed out that the 2,000 yuan punishment for luxury hotels, including seven in Shanghai, exposed with unhygienic room cleaning practices by blogger Wu Dong recently was not enough.
The video uploaded on Wu's Weibo account in November shows cleaners wiping cups and sinks with dirty towels and sponges. Some used the same towel to wipe the toilet seat, while others could be seen soaking cups in shampoo. The video was widely spread and aroused public outcry.
“With social and economic development, hotel industry has become an important part of tourism service and hygiene is one of the basic services that a hotel should provide,” he said. “Such practices found in those five-star hotels are against our city’s efforts in promoting the ‘Four Brands,” namely service, manufacturing, shopping and culture, and developing itself into a global excellent city.”
He said the punishment ruled in current regulations, which is up to 2,000 yuan for such problems, were lagged behind of the economic development.
He also said the hotels lacked proper supervision on its staff.
Wang suggested Shanghai to take the lead to legislate on hygienic standards and punishment measures for hotel services.
He also urged the market watchdog to enhance supervision with unscheduled inspections and secret inspections.
His suggestions for punishments include degrading or blacklisting the hotels with problems and publicly displaying the inspection results online.
He also said the authorities should reward consumers who report the problems and safeguard their rights to seek compensation.
Wang also urged hotels to improve their management so as to improve their service quality.