Couple in wrong hotel container mess up, swear at rightful guest

The police were called after an altercation between guests at the Tiny Pod shipping container hotel in One-North on Feb 25.

Stomper Alyani, who is pregnant, had booked Container No. 4 for her family and friends for the night and catered food for the occasion.

Check-in time was 2pm, but because she had trouble getting a ride, the Stomper ran a little late and the caterer got there before she did.

"Suddenly, my caterer told me that there was someone there in the container and they came out and said to the caterer's driver that they did not order any food," recounted the Stomper.

"Before we arrived, I called the manager regarding this matter and she said it was impossible that there was someone in the container as she said that Container No. 4 was booked under my name."

The Stomper, who was with her husband and three young children, had paid $299.75 for the one-night booking.

She said: "We reached the said location outside Container No. 4 and took our stuff to set up there before our guests came.

"The caterer's food was already placed on the table outside the Tiny Pod. After we placed all the things outside the TinyPod, a lady from Container No. 4 came out and said she had booked Container No. 4 under her name.

"Then I told her we would wait for the manager to come and resolve this issue."

When the manager came, she informed the woman and her male companion they were in the wrong container.

"We told the manager that we had decided to go to Container No. 3 instead since the tourist couple had already entered and used Container No. 4 because we felt it was unfair. They said they just sat down for five minutes whereas it was more than 30 minutes," claimed the Stomper.

"The manager told me the couple were aware they were in the wrong container as they could not access the PIN. Also, the couple were aware that the interior was different from what they saw on the website for the container they booked."

The couple then insisted on moving to Container No. 3, which was what they had booked originally.

"They already made Container No. 4 a mess as they wore shoes inside. The floor was dirty with their shoe prints and they expected us to agree with their decision," said the Stomper.

"My spouse and I were very unhappy as this issue had already delayed us as our guests were coming and not a single thing was set up. We only agreed provided the manager gave a full refund and did a whole cleaning for Container No. 4."

The Stomper said the couple did not apologise.

"The tourist guy took videos of us and the lady used vulgarities against us. The guy threatened to call the police, which we were not scared of at all. I was so angry that they provoked us, I shouted at them.

"I also took out my handphone and took photos and videos of them. The manager stopped us from fighting and asked them to leave the container."

Her guests started arriving soon after.

"A few hours later, the police also came and took our statement and issued us a case card which I requested," said the Stomper.

"They called the police to come and shame us in front of our guests, but it was not even our fault."

In response to a Stomp query, the police confirmed that a report was lodged.

When contacted by Stomp, Tiny Pod founder and CEO Seah Liang Chiang apologised for the inconvenience and distress that the hotel guests experienced.

"Regrettably, one of our guests inadvertently checked into the wrong container at our one-north location. This has never happened before," said Mr Seah.

"Upon being informed of the situation, our operations manager promptly arrived at the scene within 10 minutes to address the issue.

"She intervened to defuse the escalating tension between the parties involved, offering apologies to both sides for any inconvenience caused and ensuring that each guest was directed to the correct accommodations.

"Unfortunately, the situation escalated, leading to the involvement of local authorities to help resolve the matter.

"Following the incident, our operations manager personally supervised the cleaning of the container again to ensure its readiness for our guests. She recognised the distress experienced by one of our guests and thus made the considerate decision to offer the guest a full refund as a gesture of goodwill."

Mr Seah added the hotel was committed to enhancing its check-in procedures.

"Moving forward, we will ensure that all guests receive clear and comprehensive instructions prior to their arrival to prevent similar occurrences in the future," he said.