Budget hotels must cut links to prostitution

Screen capture of the video of situation of the woman being attacked. [Photo/IC]

The assault on a woman staying at a budget hotel in Beijing has revealed the tip of the iceberg of prostitution in the budget hotel industry across the country. The records of 11 courts reveal 59 similar cases of violence in some budget hotel chains such as Home Inns. Beijing News on Wednesday urged better management:

Cards advertising on-call prostitution services are no secret to guests staying in budget hotels. The recent incident at the hotel in Beijing has brought the issue out from under the table.

The rampant prostitution in budget hotels has largely been deemed a result of lax management and administration of the industry.

If the budget hotels do not cut their connections with prostitution rings, they soon will lose all credit and business. Their low cost might be the main selling point of budget hotels, but guests still expect to be safe.

There is no excuse for budget hotels not strengthen their management to ensure no illegal activities take place. The current operating model of weak management and low cost actually puts the safety of guests at risk.

To cut the ties between the budget hotels and prostitution rings, the police should also fulfill their duties.