Tourist upset after discovering Singapore hotel is next to funeral home

SINGAPORE: A Taiwanese tourist planning a family holiday in Singapore has raised concerns after she realised the hotel she booked was located right beside a funeral parlour.

The traveller, Shannon, told Stomp that she had reserved a three-night stay at Arton Boutique Hotel in Lavender from July 3 to 6, paying $637.

However, within minutes of completing the booking, she learned that the hotel stands next to Singapore Casket, one of the country’s best-known funeral homes.

“This fact was never mentioned on the booking platform or the hotel’s own website,” Shannon said.

She immediately contacted both the hotel and the platform in hopes of cancelling the reservation and obtaining a refund but her request was turned down.

“Even though the booking was still fresh and the room had not yet been used, the hotel insisted on enforcing their non-refundable policy,” she recounted, “Their response ignored the fact that I had been misled by omission, and had acted in good faith.”

Text messages between Shannon and the hotel, seen by Stomp, show her explaining that she was unaware of the location and expressing concern that her two young daughters might be frightened by the funeral home next door.

The hotel maintained that it could not cancel the booking or provide any refund.

Shannon told Stomp that the incident has not only disrupted her holiday plans but shaken her confidence in Singapore’s hospitality sector.

“As a tourist who is unfamiliar with the local surroundings, I felt deeply uncomfortable and misled,” she said, “This caused me great stress and completely ruined my trust in the city’s tourism standards, even before I checked in.”

She added that a funeral parlour situated directly beside a boutique hotel was “not something most tourists would knowingly choose,” especially families travelling with young children.

“Tourists should not be tricked into unwanted environments, especially when they act quickly and responsibly to correct a mistake,” she said, “No tourist should feel deceived or helpless in a city known for order and trust.”

While Shannon acknowledged in her messages that she could have researched the address more carefully, she believes accommodation providers have a duty to disclose such information clearly.

“This is not a simple case of buyer’s remorse,” she said, “It raises broader concerns about transparency and disclosure obligations for accommodation providers, and fair treatment of foreign consumers unfamiliar with local geography.”

She also pointed out the “psychological and cultural impact” that failing to mention proximity to “sensitive or potentially distressing establishments” can have on guests.

Shannon has since booked alternative accommodation for her family but remains upset that what was meant to be her daughters’ first happy experience in Singapore has been overshadowed.

“I really like Singapore,” she told Stomp, “But this is my girls’ first visit and I don’t want to scare them.”