A US traveler bought a fraudulent Marriott employee discount on Craigslist for a Singapore hotel stay, and now faces up to three years in jail.
“if you’re going to do something stupid, don’t do it in Singapore” 100%. Impersonation isn’t great, but the punishment here seems disproportionate (if it were the US, we’d arge 8th Amendment, protection against ‘cruel and unusual punishment’). For crimes mostly dealing with financial deception, fines and restitution seem more appropriate.
Now, the real question is, would Singapore hold Marriott executives accountable in the same way (jail time) if they lied to customers, say, by devaluing their program, not providing upgrades when upgrades are indeed available, etc. No, of course not. Rules for thee…
I remember one of my earlier stays at this property some 23 years ago or so. They would upgrade Platinums nicely back then, had no lounge and don’t recall being given breakfast; and they wouldn’t upgrade to the “Towers”.
Back then, it and the St Regis were notable to me for being among the few Asia-Pacific hotels being quite interested in proof of eligibility for the negotiated rate I was using while hotel hopping.
There're far, far fewer crimes in Singapore than in the US, so police in Singapore do have a lot more time to get involved in minor crimes or rule violations.
Remember the American kid that was caned in Singapore for scratching cars with a key ("keying")j.
He was flown home on Northwest and they had to pad the seat for him!
The US should adopt this for mischievous crimes.
She ought to pay the bill in the first place , and not try to game the system . Or , she could have gone to Penang and the "Snake Temple" .
Years ago I went to Singapore. I remember the flight attendants making several announcements that drug activity in Singapore was punishable by death. It was even printed on the back of my Thai Airlines boarding pass.
Singapore is not the place to FAFO. But some morons will anyway.
I always found Marriott's employee discount program to be the worst among the major brands. $1200 saved across 29 nights (or $41 per night) seems to be another data point confirming this.
funny to be reading this just after leaving the exact hotel pictured, for a second i thought 'Did Ben just post my hotel room'
What’s the deal with the curtains in the room? Looks like someone hung on them to pull them down in the middle.
Yeah there's certainly something weird about the design: they mysteriously broke at the end of my stay as well
The real tragedy is that she did this to stay at a Sheraton, the Oldsmobile of hotel brands....
Some Sheratons are fantastic. Try the Sheraton Doha. One of my best hotel stays. A fabulous property with great elite treatment.
That was the problem with Oldsmobile - no clear brand identity, inconsistency, and vague mid-market. The Sheraton brand itself never tells you what you are guaranteed to get. Everything varies by property, and many of them are terrible.
I wonder if using a corporate discount code for a company you are not actually an employee of would be equally problematic. It is something I do all the time and never contemplated that I might be taking a legal risk! Definitely won't be doing it in Singapore now...
Don't do it for a rental car because if there is a collision, you are responsible for the damage
Craigslist is still a thing? Also, don't do anything stupid....in Singapore or anywhere!
Singapore, former HK (before 97), Switzerland and Scandinavian countries consistently rank at the top of Corruption Perception Index. Lee Kwan Yew was famously known for telling an CIA agent who attempted to bribe his lieutenant to commit a crime " You do not know who you are dealing with". It applies same punishment to foreigners without leniency, despite the intense pressure of a more powerful foreign nation. If a US executive violates the rule in Singapore, he will face the same consequence as an ordinary citizen. Leadership and culture dictate the nation's destiny. Should we still be proud to rank above Nigeria, Somalia, Russia and India in Corruption Perception Index in today's environment?
"For crimes mostly dealing with financial deception, fines and restitution seem more appropriate" clearly explains why no US financial executive served time in prison for the 2008 Depression, despite its widespread havoc and carnage inflicted on the poor and working class at home and abroad. Paradoxically, when B of A bought Merrill Lynch in 2008, its CEO Thain negotiated to obtain $50M severance package to fold the company, at the chagrin of B of A CEO Lewis.
Prime Minister Lee Kwan Yew did not execute the CIA agent. He did not torture the agent. He refused a bribe by the CIA. The agent was released just for a written apology.
Singapore is a dictatorship, but Switzerland and those Scandinavian countries are not.
“So I feel bad in the sense that I’m sure she didn’t think this all through, or realize what she was opening herself up to.”
No sympathy from me. Anybody who BUYS use of a friends-and-family discount, especially on a website that is a haven for scams and stolen goods, and gets caught deserves whatever consequences follow.
The only reason she got caught is because she was too greedy!! A few nights stay is fine, The longer you stay, the more suspicious we become! No one at the front desk has time to verify this information really. I never did unless you caused a problem or started asking for too much. One phone call and you are out and the family member is banned from the program.
I think we need an OMAAT review of the Sheraton Towers Singapore! "Rooms - adequate. Dining - uninspired but sufficient. Staff - great attention to some details, but failed to provide the welcome amenity."
Very common to bash Singapore while in the US, there are clowns like AOC&Trump and crooks that rob and kill Americans in their home towns.
So she saved $85 a night? But it cost her $300. So net net-She saved $65 a night.
So what happened to the employee that sold it to her? I would think that would be the bigger crime.
The whole repeatedly extending is a pretty strange behavior for trying to be unobtrusive or un-scrutinized. Did she really like the place? Couldn't plan ahead for some reason?
It appears she may be a "travel influencer" name matches with Singapore and Marriott content eyeofamuse
First of all this should have not gone so far if the hotel staff or some supervior on duty or the same manager who got Suspicous reported to the police team Front office Desk must have done the Verification Check in the first place before her check inn
this whole mess should have avoided !!!
I completely blame the hotel front desk not doing their job which they are supposed to do also I blame her using falsifying documents & lieing !!!