Pest control to deal with SHN hotel guests' cockroach complaints
Two high-end Singapore hotels where returning citizens and permanent residents have been serving their stay-home notices (SHN) have engaged pest control services to get rid of unwelcome guests - cockroaches.
Photos and posts have been circulating on Facebook recently to highlight the severity of the situation at Swissotel The Stamford and Grand Copthorne Waterfront, where quarantined guests complained about finding multiple cockroaches in their rooms, with some even having to change rooms more than once.
In response to The New Paper’s queries, a spokesman from Swissotel The Stamford said: “Certified specialists have been called in immediately once we were alerted to solve the issue and mitigate the occurrence of similar cases.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and carefully to ensure comfort and peace of mind for our guests.”
A spokesman from Grand Copthorne Waterfront, which is part of the Millennium Hotels and Resorts group, added: “(We have) taken strenuous efforts to address the issue. We are taking the complaint seriously and are investigating the situation.
“Our hotels maintain a strict cleaning regimen that adheres to SHN protocols.
“Grand Copthorne Waterfront has engaged a pest control specialist to conduct a thorough check and fumigation of the premises. The hotel is also intensifying the frequency of its cleaning for all rooms.”
Ms Geraldine Yeo, director of the SHN Operations Division at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), said STB is aware of the pest encounters at both hotels and is working closely with the hotels to resolve the issue.
“We will continue to conduct regular checks on the Stay-Home Notice Dedicated Facilities (SDF) and work with our hotels to ensure that SDFs adhere to the required hygiene and service standards to ensure a safe environment for both guests and hotel staff.”
Mr David Tan, who checked into Grand Copthorne Waterfront on Nov 24 to serve his SHN until Dec 8, told TNP he was “startled” to see a 2cm-long baby cockroach crawling on the wall while he was showering.
“I used the shower head to flush it down the drainage,” said the 44-year-old Singaporean who works in the technology sector.
Mr Tan said he did not bring this up to the hotel as it was his only cockroach encounter.
He added: “(But) I feel awful that it happens to five-star hotels in Singapore. It puts (us in) a bad light to the world.”
Singapore permanent resident Ms Jisoo Lee, who also checked into Grand Copthorne Waterfront on Nov 24 for her SHN, was the first hotel guest to post about her ordeal with the infestation on Facebook on Nov 27.
She wrote about having to change rooms five times due to cockroaches she found in each room, which appeared in various places like the wall, in the bathroom and on the table.
She said in her post: “I was livid because everyone serving SHN (including myself) has to pay a fixed fee of $2,000 for a 14-day hotel quarantine, and I can’t believe my money and time is being spent on a roach-tel!”
Currently staying in a room on the fifth floor, which she described as more spacious and bright due to its different layout, she wrote: “I’ve slept through the night with all the bright lights on due to fear that I’ll encounter another roach pal during my sleep.”
She added: “But with this many roaches in various rooms, it seems like it won’t be a successful sweep, especially since pest control can’t enter rooms with quarantined guests present in them.”
Ms Lynette Quah, a guest staying at Swissotel The Stamford, commented on Ms Lee’s post and revealed she faced the same cockroach infestation problem, killing five cockroaches in four hours on her first night at the hotel before killing another five in one hour after changing rooms the next day.
She said there was “no improvement, and the various parties are shuffling me around with no real solution in sight”.
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