Woman cuts toe on pool tiles, calls out Chinatown hotel employee's 'nonchalant' attitude

A woman's swim with her children was cut short when she felt a sharp pain in her foot.

To her horror, she had been cut by the sharp tiles on the swimming pool floor which had somehow come loose.

In a post on Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Saturday (April 27), Cindy Wong detailed how her friend, Michelle Chee, was injured in the pool at Dorsett Singapore, a four-star hotel. 

Chee, 40, who owns a migration and property firm in Australia, came to Singapore with her husband, two children and parents on a business cum leisure trip.

Speaking to AsiaOne, Wong, 41, said that she and her boyfriend had arranged for Chee and her family to stay at Dorsett Singapore in Chinatown from April 15 to April 17 along with them.

Wong had booked five rooms for the party of 11.

Shortly after checking into their rooms at 5pm, Chee, an Australian citizen, and her children beelined for the swimming pool.

Chee told AsiaOne that she had just gotten into the pool when she felt something sharp cut her right foot.

She did not think much of it at first, but the longer she stayed in the water the more her toe hurt — prompting her to get out of the pool to check what was wrong.

This was when Chee found a deep cut on her middle toe.

"My whole toe was really red and bleeding," she said. "I thought I just got a small cut, but this was deeper than I expected."

Tiles were jagged and uneven 

Chee then noticed that the small square tiles on the swimming pool floor were jagged and uneven and realised that was what cut her.

Fearing for her children's safety, she rushed them out of the pool and called her husband to look after them.

Chee also called Wong, and they met at the lobby to ask for help and report the matter to the reception.

Wong said that a hotel manager spoke to her while another employee brought out a first aid kit to treat Chee's wound.

The manager allegedly told the two women that the pool was not the hotel's responsibility as it was managed by Dorsett Residences.

The 30m-long swimming pool, which is listed as one of Dorsett hotel's facilities on its website, is supposedly shared by the hotel and residences as both guests and residents can use it.

According to multiple Google reviews left by hotel guests, the pool had been closed for maintenance most of 2023 and reopened in August. 

'He didn't even apologise or take responsibility'

Wong and Chee described the hotel manager as "nonchalant" and unapologetic about the matter and accused him of shirking responsibility.

"I wasn't that upset initially, but when he didn't even apologise or take responsibility, I got upset," Chee said.

The manager had reportedly admitted to Chee that multiple accidents like hers also happened "a long time ago".

He then told the women: "This is a four-star hotel, it might not be up to your standards."

This shocked Chee, who is familiar with commercial retail regulations in Australia due to her work.

"It doesn't matter how many stars the hotel is, this is a matter of safety," she said.

"In Australia, this would have been reported to Consumer Affairs and everything already, but I'm not familiar with Singapore's regulations and I didn't have the time to find out."

"I always saw Singapore as a place where quality and customer service were of high importance. This incident has changed my views," she added.

According to Wong, the manager begrudgingly agreed to cover Chee's medical bills after they threatened to involve the police.

Chee visited a clinic later that night where she was administered a tetanus vaccine and prescribed antibiotics after being treated.

She said she was unable to walk for long distances after the incident, resulting in her itinerary being disrupted.

She is currently in Malaysia for business meetings and will return to Australia next week.

Wong said that since she received no follow-up from the hotel about the incident, she has reported the matter to the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) and Hotel Licensing Board (HLB).

A Google review left by a hotel guest two years ago pointed out a similar issue with the pool tiles.

"Everything is good, except the swimming pool tiles are broken. They could hurt the feet," he wrote.

Responding to AsiaOne's queries, a spokesperson for Dorsett Singapore said the hotel is "deeply sorry" for the incident.

"The safety and well-being of our guests are our utmost priorities and we have taken immediate steps to address the maintenance issue of the pool with the appropriate management team," she added.

AsiaOne has reached out to Case and HLB  for comment.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com