In some holiday apartments on the Gold Coast, guests have to pay an extra 10 yuan a night to rent air-conditioning remote controls, the property manager said. But by replacing cheaper power suppliers, they are now phasing out the policy.
Last week, filmmaker Bruce Redman (Bruce Redman) worked near Surfer Paradise. His apartment is $150 a night, and he plans to stay for two nights. When he entered the room and was ready to turn on the air conditioner, he found a message that read, "Air conditioning-10 yuan per night. Please contact the front desk during office hours to purchase the air conditioning remote control. For unauthorized use and damage of air-conditioning equipment, the guest will be required to pay compensation according to the price. " Redman said it was the first time he had seen a surcharge for air conditioning in paid accommodation.
"that's why I want to take a picture because I think it's funny, it's very different, and I'm really shocked," Redman said. "maybe they meet a guest who breaks the remote control, but you take a deposit and you don't have to take it every night."
"they have your credit card information, so if you break something, they can still deduct money from it."
Redman shared the photo on his personal Facebook page, and his friends were "very angry".
"Air conditioning is a very basic facility in Kunzhou, which cost me 150 yuan a night, so it's not cheap," he said. "when I get to the front desk, I should know that they're charging me $10 a night for Wi-Fi."
He said he had not rented a remote control during his two days of stay.
"I'm glad I didn't live there during the summer, which is crazy," Redman said.
The holiday apartment's website lists "apartment air conditioning," additional surcharges, and additional charges on the hotel's website, booking.com.
The property manager said the surcharge was requested by the former manager and that he is now preparing to cancel the fee.
"I took office in February 2018, and I just took a few steps to reduce the concerns of all individual owners and the high cost of electricity," he said.
Of the 25 apartments, only seven have been transferred to a cheaper energy supplier, so air conditioners are now included in the cost, he added.
Before changing suppliers for them, he must speak individually with the owner of each apartment and will cancel all air-conditioning surcharges as soon as possible.
Most of the feedback from social media is one-sided negative when it comes to charging for air conditioners:
Casey Rebelo (Cathy Rebelo): this is a tourism failure. That's disgusting. We're in Kunzhou! This is a necessity for summer.
Ali Webster (Aly Webster): Market today is to provide value and create loyal customers. There is no doubt that we have seen the rise of platforms like AirBnB.
