Hotels pursuing aesthetics over guests’ privacy is the issue hitting the headlines at present in Nanjing and elsewhere, as stories emerge of the psychological trauma experienced by some, if not many, after realising their nudity had been on show without their knowledge.
Her original purpose in travelling was to relax, but a Ms. Liu’s experience of her holiday in Nanjing will not forevermore leave her memory. For it wasn’t the beauty of our city that won’t leave her; rather the memory of the show she had inadvertently put on for others.
Liu had recently booked a stay at a hotel in a scenic spot in Nanjing, one with a private bath on its balcony, offering beautiful views of the scenery while bathing in the hot waters of a local spring. It sounded just what Liu was in need of.
But she was to find out that the bamboo curtain on the balcony’s window to the rest of the hotel was close to useless. Liu then went in anger to the hotel seeking an explanation and requesting alternate curtains, to be told by staff that there are no other curtains. “As long as the bamboo curtain is put down, nothing can be seen from outside”, staff said.
Somewhat reassured, Liu went ahead with her bath that night. And the next, during which time she heard noises from the corridor outside. She asked asked her husband to go outside to check. He was shocked to find that despite the bamboo curtain, the entire scene of his wife in the bath was plain to see from outside their room.
Making things worse was the fact that during their subsequent complaints, a study of surveillance cameras’ footage revealed other guests pointing to Liu’s room. She choked upon finding this out, reports The Paper.
While the hotel attempted a defence by saying that the purpose of the bamboo curtain on the balcony was not to prevent peeping Toms, but to match the design aesthetic, the manager also admitted that this time it was the fault of staff. The hotel then posted a reminder in the room to inform guests to wear swimsuits to soak in the bath. Liu was also offered some financial compensation.
Liu’s story has attracted much online attention and media coverage. Among the more pertinent comments; “I also don’t want to be seen taking a bath in a swimsuit. This is obviously the responsibility of the hotel!”.
So where do Lui’s experience and the actions of the hotel stand in the eyes of the law? According to Articles 7 and 18 of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests, “Consumers have the right to require goods and services provided by operators to meet the requirements of protecting personal and property safety”.
Zhang Zhongkai is a director with Beijing Gaojie Pengkai Law Firm. Speaking of Liu’s rights, Zhang said, “Natural persons have the right to life, the right to body, the right to health, the right to name, the right to portrait, and the right to reputation and honour”.
