M Social Hotel Guests Experienced Disruption In Electricity Supply Due To Annual Power Shutdown
UPDATE (21 Dec): A spokesperson from M Social Hotel said the annual power shutdown exercise was mandatory and done in coordination with Energy Market Authority. They have also reached out to affected guests to check on their well-being.
You can read their full statement below.
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Staying at a hotel is meant to be a pleasant experience. That’s why many are opting for staycations now, since overseas leisure travel isn’t possible.
For guests staying at M Social Hotel Singapore on 18 Dec, an annual power disruption had put a major kink in their plans to relax.
From 12am-4am, there were power supply disruptions throughout the hotel, affecting guestrooms and lifts as well.
M Social Hotel Singapore
Source
Guests staying for the night took to Facebook to air their complaints regarding the incident, as many alleged they were not informed about this beforehand.
No mention of power disruption when checking in at M Social Hotel
One of the guests, Ms Lam, told MS News that when she checked into the hotel, there was no mention of power disruption.
Only when we’ve checked in and gotten our rooms, did we realise that the hotel had an annual power disruption event.
She contacted Agoda, and she said the booking platform wasn’t aware of it too. M Social Singapore allegedly did not communicate this to them either.
Said she was cooped up in room with no lights & aircon
The experience at the hotel quickly turned downhill from there. Ms Lam lamented that she had paid full price for the room, hoping to enjoy and relax.
Yet we were slapped with a power disruption which spanned from 1am-4am.
She said she was cooped up in a room with no lights and air conditioning. She also remarked that she couldn’t contact the duty manager.
Power shutdown affected guestrooms & lifts
According to a notice seen in the comments the hotel’s Facebook page, M Social Hotel Singapore had their annual power shutdown exercise scheduled on 18-19 Dec as part of government regulatory requirements.
The power shutdown timings were as follow:
18 Dec
– Between 9am-12pm (about 10 mins)
– Between 12pm-6pm (about 10 mins, lift would be grounded for 15 mins)
19 Dec
– Between 12am-4am (around 4 hours, no electricity in guestrooms except emergency lights)
– Between 4am-5.30am (around 1.5 hours, lifts will be grounded and won’t be operational)
The note also says the hotel sincerely apologises “for any inconvenience this may cause”, and thanks guests for their understanding.
Netizens shared the same experience
On the hotel’s official Facebook page, other netizens echoed the same sentiments as Ms Lam.
One of them also wondered why there was no mention of the power disruption, considering the fact that it was an annual event.
Another guest recalled their experience waking up at 12am as they felt it was stuffy with no ventilation and air conditioning. They also alleged that “hundreds of guests” were seen outside the hotel with no safe distancing and mask at 1am.
Another sounded disappointed that they had taken time off from work for a Christmas staycation, but ended up with an experience that felt as if “we didn’t pay for electricity in Singapore.”
Power shutdown in coordination with Energy Market Authority
A spokesperson from M Social Hotel told MS News that the annual power shutdown exercise was mandatory and lasted 3.5 hours in total instead of the 4 hours expected.
Here’s their statement in full:
“The power shutdown at M Social was part of an annual mandatory exercise prepared in coordination with the Energy Market Authority. Efforts were made to inform guests of the shutdown. This included informing guests at front desk and putting up notices at the lift lobby and rooms.
Although the notice to guests stated that the mandatory power shutdown would take 4 hours, the actual exercise only lasted 2.5 hours from 1am to 330am. A shorter shutdown lasting 30 minutes was conducted again an hour later. During the power shutdown exercise, M Social’s security team was patrolling the building.
Despite the advanced warnings, some guests felt uncomfortable and were concerned. The hotel called for an ambulance when one guest experienced a panic attack. The hotel duty manager and head of security stayed with the guest until paramedics said she was fine.
A small number of guests left their rooms and headed to the front desk. Police who were also on the scene said all was in order after a full investigation.
M Social has reached out to all affected guests to check on their well-being. Most guests have been understanding and have expressed appreciation for the efforts made by the hotel.”
Unfortunate that many staycations were disrupted
In a time when staycations are the only getaway we can enjoy, many are looking forward to a relaxing time.
So it’s truly unfortunate that guests had an unpleasant experience at the hotel due to a scheduled power shutdown.
Perhaps more could have been done to ensure that guests were well-aware of the situation before checking in, so that they may have the choice to reschedule their bookings.
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Featured images adapted from Facebook and Google Maps.
