Expat Spends 6 Hours Finding a Hotel, Only to Be Told “No Foreigners Allowed"

Imagine booking a hotel, spending SIX HOURS trying to find it, only to be told you can't stay because you're a foreigner.

You're not trying to enter a secret government facility. You just want a bloody bed to sleep in.

But apparently, even that can turn into an adventure in China, despite the government's repeated attempts to put an end to this nonsense.

6 Hours, 2 Hotels,Zero Welcome 

According to Singapore's Shin Min Daily News, a 54-year-old Singaporean man surnamed Wu booked a hotel in Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, through Agoda for September 28 to October 2, paying around ￥210.

He arrived shortly after 8am but struggled to locate the Ruiping Hotel. He said the listing lacked a detailed address and telephone number, while his emails went unanswered.

After spending around six hours searching (I guess he was using Google Map, poor guy wasn't informed), he tried checking into another property, Lixin Hotel.

The response? Staff allegedly told him they don't accept foreigners, and ignored him afterwards.

Wu eventually paid another  ￥410 to stay at a third hotel.

The following morning, he finally located the original hotel using another travel website. Surely, now he'd get his room?

Nope. Staff at Ruiping Hotel allegedly told him the same thing: they don't accpe foreign guests.

They reportedly even pointed out that the hotel sign had no English wording.

Ah, so apparently, we're supposed to know that no English on the sign means, “Foreigner? Get the f*** out.”

Wu later contacted Agoda after returning to Singapore. The platform confirmed that its customer experience team had contacted him, and his refund request was reportedly completed.

Agoda apologised and said it would work with accommodation partners to improve listing accuracy and investigate concerns about check-in requirements.

A refund is nice. But seriously, why list your hotel on Agoda in the first place if you don't want foreign guests? That's like advertising your vegan restaurant on a steak review website. Who exactly are you expecting to show up?

No, not anymore! This issue has been around for decades, but in July last year, the Central Government finally stepped in (in a good way).

Seven big-shot ministries—including tourism, immigration, police, and commerce—got together like the Avengers of bureaucracy and dropped this official statement below:

Here’s the translated gist of that document (in my biased way):

“Dear hotels and local officials:
We don’t care wtf your excuse is.
If a foreigner books a stay, you accept them.
Y'all hear me?

Do the paperwork. Do your job. Stop making it hard.

Sincerely,
The F**king Awesome Seven Ministries.”

So yeah, this is not just another local memo stuck on a dusty bulletin board.
This came straight from the top—and it’s official.

Next time, if a hotel ever tells you “Sorry, we can’t take foreigners,” just smile, pull out your phone, and tada....show them that statement.

You’re not breaking the law — they are.

So yeah—spread the words, fight the nonsense, and enjoy your travels.

Add our customer service above to join the grou