Road trip nightmare: Ibis Budget Hotel charges guest $1800 after steamy shower in Canberra

A budget hotel has drained an interstate traveller’s bank account of more than $1800 over a shower in his Canberra hotel room.

Simon He, 36, was on a road trip from Sydney to Adelaide, hoping to make a fresh start in the southern city after he was attacked on the streets of Newcastle last year.

“I was violently bashed ... this trip was supposed to be a part of my healing process,” He told 7NEWS.com.au.

He was exhausted when he stopped for the night in Canberra, and checked into a $75 per night room at the Ibis Budget Canberra where he promptly fell asleep on Monday night.

The next morning, He took a five-minute shower in the prefabricated bathroom pod in his room.

“Before I took a shower, I noticed that there was a sign on the bathroom which says, ‘keep the door shut while showering’. I did exactly that,” he said.

“I finished the shower and walked out and, when I was putting my clothes on, the fire alarm was triggered.”

Staff members were knocking on his door within seconds. In less than an hour, his bank was drained to foot the expected fire service call-out fee to the hotel.

“They charged me $1825, without my permission, without my knowledge,” He said.

Back-and-forth emails disputed the fairness of the charge — the hotel claims it explained the risk and fees in regard to shower steam during the check-in process, while He said the small sign on the bathroom door was the only time he was made aware of the issue.

“I asked multiple times for a copy of this policy, the relevant booking term, or any signed document showing that I agreed to such a charge. So far, they have not provided any copy of the policy or written basis for charging me,” He said.

“I followed that instruction. It did not say the door must remain closed after showering, that it must be opened slowly, or that shower steam could result in a $1825 charge.”

Securing the fee before it’s too late

He also raised concerns he was charged a fee before the relevant fire authority had invoiced the hotel with the exact cost of the call-out.

However emails from the hotel explained: “This amount is based on the costs we have previously been charged in similar fire alarm call-out incidents ...  we have had similar incidents in the past where the fire alarm was activated due to steam from a shower.

“If the amount is not secured at the time of the incident, the guest may subsequently block or cancel the card, making it difficult for the hotel to recover the cost once the official invoice is received.

“This is the reason the amount was secured immediately.”

After He made several attempts at disputing the charge, 7NEWS.com.au contacted Ibis Budget Hotels parent company Accor and the chain has now issued a full refund to He.

“(The) hotel has (a) right to cover the cost but the way (it was) handled is not right. I do apologise for the trouble we might cause,” an email from the cluster general manager said.

The hotel chain has not yet responded to a 7NEWS.com.au request for comment.

He worries it is not the last time an unsuspecting guest will be slugged with the $1800 charge.

Similar steamy incidents

Fire services usually only charge call-out fees for repeated false alarms within a 60-day period.

“False alarm charges are the responsibility of the person who has entered into a contractual agreement with the AFASP (automatic fire alarm service provider),” Fire and Rescue NSW said.

“FRNSW does not support charges being passed on to individual occupants, although exceptions may apply.”

It is unclear how regularly steam triggers false alarms in Ibis Budget Hotels, or how often guests are left to foot the fee, but the budget hotel chain is named in a number of steam-related false alarm reports on online legal forums and review platforms.

“The steam buildup is significant and with poor ventilation — especially above the toilet — it’s no surprise that it triggered a false alarm,” one guest wrote on Trip Advisor after their stay at the Ibis Budget Coffs Harbour in August last year.

“This is a facilities issue, not a guest misconduct issue. This entire experience left me feeling humiliated and unwelcome.”

“I showered in fear of an infringement notice,” another guest said on Trip.com after their stay at Ibis Budget Melbourne Airport in August this year.

Another guest who stayed at Ibis Budget Sydney Airport several years ago also slammed the “sh**** design of the bathroom” in a legal subreddit: “If you left the door open (it) would let steam out to (the) alarm right outside the bathroom door.”

“I stayed at the Newcastle one, and someone did set the alarm off with a shower on my floor,” another netizen said on the subreddit.

Does room design doom guests

Building design is sometimes cited as a cause of unwanted false alarms (UFAs), with South Australia Country Fire Service saying: “Poor building design means detectors can be located too close to showers.”

The CFS advises that “to fix building design problems”, owners prone to repeated false alarms can engage a relevant professional to consider the alarm system or detector positioning, or “check if it is possible to replace smoke detectors with a more suitable type”.

Specialised detectors for areas prone to steam — known as heat detectors, which sense rapid increases in heat rather than airborne particles — are available and approved under the National Construction Code (NCC).

It is unclear what type of smoke detectors the hotel chain uses.

He told 7NEWS.com.au he did not see an exhaust fan or a window in the bathroom pod, despite ventilation requirements for such design elements in bathrooms under building code standards.

But it is also unclear if the prefabricated bathroom pods have specialised inbuilt ventilation systems.

7NEWS.com.au has reached out to Accor for comment.