Tourist in S'pore fined S$200 for having durian in hotel room

A tourist from China was given a S$200 fine in Singapore for apparently having durian in her hotel room.

The experience left her shocked.

The woman clarified that she did not know about the "No durian" rule beforehand and posted a video so that other tourists would not commit the same mistake.

What happened

In a Xiaohongshu video posted on May 26, the woman said she and her friend were exploring Singapore when they found a roadside stall selling durians.

Since there was not anywhere to sit nearby, she decided to bring the fruit back to her hotel room.

As she and her friend headed back in a taxi, she noticed that they noticed the durian's smell was particularly pungent, and tried to wrap the box tightly so the smell would not bother the taxi driver.

The two then went back to her room and consumed the fruit.

However, the woman was taken aback when she received a letter from the hotel the next day.

The letter informed her that a S$200 cleaning fee would be imposed after a durian scent was detected in her room.

The tourist said she and her friend were shocked when they saw the letter, and that a quick search on Xiaohongshu found that many other tourists also did not know about this rule.

While some were stopped the moment they entered the hotel with durians, others were let off with a warning and were not fined by the hotel, as they did not know about the rule beforehand.

The woman called the hotel front desk to plead her case, saying she did not know about the rule and asked for a discount.

However, the employee explained that it was not possible as the room would need to undergo professional cleaning to get rid of the odour and may be out of service for several days.

The woman said that after getting fined, she quickly searched online for any other regulations she should be aware of.

Noting the S$500 fine that would be incurred for bringing durians onto public transport, the woman said it was fortunate that they were tired that day and did not take a train back home.

Hotel statement

In response to Mothership's queries, Vibe Hotel Singapore Orchard area general manager Sherlene Wong confirmed that the incident took place at the hotel.

According to Wong, the tourist had consumed durian in her room during her stay from May 25 to 26.

"The hotel has a cleaning policy that is shared with all guests, where a S$200 charge is required to professionally clean and remove pungent smells in the event strong odours are discovered and reported in guests' rooms," read the statement.

Wong added that when the hotel spoke to the tourist on the matter, she agreed to pay the S$200 clearing fee.

"We are committed to providing a clean and pleasant environment for all our guests at all times during their stay with us," said Wong.

Similar incident in July 2023

A similar incident occurred in July 2023, where a Chinese family purchased durian and brought it back to their hotel in Sentosa.

The woman said she received a warning letter from the hotel the next day informing her that guests were not allowed to bring durians into their rooms.

However, the hotel told her it would waive the fine as this was her first time making the mistake.

Top image via 幽蓝桑/Xiaohongshu and Canva