There’s a story going viral on Twitter about a woman who claims she was raped by one of the butlers at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives, as flagged by View from the Wing. My gosh, the details here are just terrible.
Solo female traveler claims she was raped at Ritz-Carlton Maldives
A solo female traveler (a Chinese national studying abroad in Australia) took to Twitter to make some pretty serious allegations against the Ritz-Carlton Maldives. According to this woman’s version of events, here’s what happened after she checked in on June 10, 2023:
- After checking in, she was assigned a butler, who showed her around the room and familiarized her with the property’s amenities
- During her stay, she splashed some water on her phone and couldn’t get it to turn on, so she contacted the front desk, and they sent the butler; he let her use his phone with her SIM card, so she could get in touch with her family
- He then set down on her bed, and asked why she came to the property alone and where she’s from, and also asked if she slept outside the night before, at which point it occurred to her that he might have been watching her
- He put some chewing gum in his mouth and asked her if she wanted to kiss, to which she responded no; she took her computer and translated it for him, in case he didn’t understand
- He then reassured her that she could feel comfortable with him and that having sex is okay; he leaned toward her, and he forced open her mouth, and when she resisted he asked her if she was lesbian because she didn’t want to do anything with him
- He then forced his tongue into her mouth but promised to be a gentleman, pushed her on the bed, removed his pants, and then put his private parts in her mouth twice, touched her private parts, and tried to have intercourse with her
- She tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn’t; she eventually managed to wrap herself in a quilt, but he still asked if he could touch her breasts
- He then “released” himself on her computer screen; he took a towel and wiped off the computer screen, and then told her he’d be back later, because she needed time to open up
How the Ritz-Carlton Maldives has responded
Following this incident, the woman immediately informed the property of what happened. Here’s what she claims happened:
- Managers came to her room and tried to make it look like nothing happened, so she requested the police
- Two staff came to her room to take her computer and the towel, and she reminded them that this should only go to the police
- They then took samples from her mouth, told her that it would take a week to get the results, and that there was no reason to arrest the butler yet
- She also did a medical examination, given that she had bruises all over her body
- She was then asked to leave the hotel ASAP, and that this matter was between the police and butler, and had nothing to do with the hotel
- The hotel told her she did this to get a free stay; she says she paid the full amount to the hotel, and that her family is “well reputed and rich”
The hotel was radio silent for some time, but finally posted to social media, stating the following:
We take such allegations seriously and this matter is currently with the police. The safety and well-being of our guests and associates are of the utmost importance. We continue to cooperate with the authorities, and are in regular communication with the guest.
She refutes these claims, stating that she has had no communication or apology from the resort since the incident.
This story is just terrible
My gosh, this story is just absolutely awful, and also an important reminder of how you really can’t let your guard down while traveling.
I have no reason to doubt this woman’s story or version of events. She immediately tried to get the hotel to contact authorities, she submitted evidence, etc.
It’s of course important to acknowledge that we only have one side of the story. I mention this because she names the butler and even posts his picture, and he should have the right to a fair trial (I mean, as much as that’s a thing in the Maldives).
I think one other important lesson here is that we often assume that we’re safe when staying at an international chain hotel, and we let our guard down. Unfortunately there are some bad actors out there, even at these hotels, and you should always have your guard up. That’s especially true for solo female travelers, who are most likely to be targeted.
This concern isn’t just true at chain hotels, but also when in foreign countries, where you can’t really trust authorities to act the same way they may at home. The Maldives is heavily reliant on tourism, so it goes without saying that the government has a strong incentive to downplay anything that paints the country as less than a perfect place to visit. Similarly, the hotel has a strong incentive to downplay this, since this is terrible PR.
Even if the hotel tries to downplay this, I hope that Marriott makes it a point to take this seriously. This is getting a huge amount of publicity, and Marriott would look a lot better if it showed that guest safety was a priority, and that this is handled the way it should be. I’m not holding my breath, though…
Bottom line
A solo female traveler staying at the Ritz-Carlton Maldives claims she was raped by one of the butlers. She detailed the allegations, submitted a police report, handed over the evidence, and was swabbed. The hotel reportedly told her she was just trying to get a free stay, and hasn’t been in contact with her since the stay.
While I certainly hope that a thorough and fair investigation is performed, I do have some concerns there. I’m curious to see how this situation evolves, and feel terribly for the guest.
What do you make of this Ritz-Carlton Maldives rape story?
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