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09 July 2012

Escort Cards In The Capital


How's this for a nice photo to kick start everybody's Monday morning?

I have been receiving these cards slipped under my door everyday at the hotel that I was staying. They go straight to the trash bin as these are usually scams and/or racketeering.

Problem is that every evening, new cards will be found on the floor slipped under the door when I return.


This is the sign put up by the hotel management inside the elevator warning guests against the escort cards.

Here's what are some points that I don't get:

  1. In order to access every floor, a key card is required to be swiped at the elevator button panel before you are able to operate the elevator buttons. This is required at all hours of the day, not just after dark. The elevator buttons of each floor only responds to the corresponding key card i.e. if you have a 14th floor key card, you can't push for the 9th floor.

    So how is it, the card distributor(s) is(are) able to slip these cards to every room everyday?
  2. Every floor has close-circuit monitors in the hallways. Surely, the distributing activities would have been captured on disk. So why didn't security* take any action?
  3. The last was discovered by accident. I have been picking up and throwing it away everyday for the first week and a half. I gave up and decided to leave it on the floor as they were in the hope that the chambermaid will pick them up together with the rest of the trash.

    The cards stopped appearing!

This led me to the following conclusion:
  1. This hotel is aware of this and has condoned this if not at the very least, chosen to look the other way.

    The sign in the elevator? That's a just a way

    - To appease the authorities and the general public (PR) that the hotel has taken active measures to "oppose" such activities.

    - Provide adequate warning to hotel guests and therefore are no longer liable, should the guest proceed to engage the escort service and get into trouble.
  2. I think it's the chambermaids who are distributing the cards.

    - This way, the security cameras won't be able to pick up any footage of distributing activities since they can drop the cards on the floor while inside the room. Therefore, the hotel management is able to deny knowledge of any distribution.

    - Chambermaids has access key cards to every floor at all hours.

    - The moment I stop clearing the cards, they stop appearing since the chambermaids cannot ignore the cards on the floor as they are required the clean the room. Hence, if they continue to do the silly thing of clearing the cards and putting new ones on the floor. They rather not as it is too much hassle for them.

Elementary, my dear Watson. It's Colonel Mustard in the Dining Room with the Candlestick.


p.s. Speaking of security. The hotel's one AND only security guard is a puny kid about 2/3 my size.  I feel so safe already!

p.p.s. I feel sorry for the kid coz the security guard uniform that he is wearing is about 1 size too big for him. I guess the hotel management only has that size for the uniform. Maybe the poor kid can grow into the uniform in 5 years. *shrugs*

p.p.p.s. Ok, I spotted another security guard. A young chap but significantly bigger in size. I think both of them are sharing the same uniform which explained why it was so lob-sided for the puny one.


- Voxeros

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Its interesting that the escort cards are still around even now. I first came across these way back during NS in Ta1wan, and that was almost 20 years ago:P

Still, the chambermaid conclusion was the first thing that came to my mind when you posed the "distribution access" question. Wouldn't it be awkward if they moonlit as well:P

Arrenn

JayWalk said...

Back in my day, it was the telephone ringing from the operator asking if I want companionship.

I respect them for coming up front with the honesty that they operate this one the side rather then sneakily slot cards under the door and blame it on third-party.

As for chambermaid moonlighting, does it mean that my room will get special attention i.e. more thorough cleaning the morning next?

How about an extra bottom of water then?