Tourism board investigating Cotai resort pricing mistake

The Macao Government Tourism Office is investigating an alleged pricing mistake by a Cotai resort and will make another announcement in due course, the authority informed the Times at yesterday’s Covid-19 press conference.
The Galaxy Hotel in Cotai allegedly refused a number of guests who reportedly booked rooms using online travel agencies (OTAs) for as little as HKD19 per night. The hotel is owned by gambling concessionaire Galaxy Entertainment Group and is part of its flagship location, Galaxy Macau.
The guests were told upon check-in that the pricing mistake was caused by a technical problem.
According to reports on social media, some guests had already checked-in when the problem was spotted by the hotel and were asked to leave the rooms in “20 minutes.”
Last night, the hotel operator issued a statement on its social media page. The operator addressed the matter without commenting on the allegations.
In its statement, the gambling concessionaire pointed out that the prices were different from those the hotel provided to travel agencies. It has worked closely with the agencies involved to correct the mistakes.
“We advise the guests who have been affected (for bookings made on the OTAs on 23 June, 2020) to contact their OTAs to arrange for viable solutions,” the resort operator noted in the statement.
The Social Welfare Bureau announced at the same press conference that from July 1, social service facilities, such as community centers and daycare centers for senior and youth service squads, can resume operating gradually.
In order to safeguard users and workers, the bureau has issued technical guidelines for facility operators. In addition, workers at these facilities must undergo Covid-19 nucleic acid testing prior to the resumption of work.
Finally, the bureau will also arrange trainings, technical workshops and hands-on drills to teach workers Covid-19 containment measures.
With regard to the application for a waiver of quarantine in Zhuhai, the Public Security Police Force announced yesterday that there would be a physical application point operating from tomorrow.
Applications are currently only available online. Since they commenced, many people have had difficulty with the process because they were not familiar with digital platforms or they simply do not have an email address, which is a mandatory field in the application. Some lawmakers have even requested the government to make exceptions for elderly people so that they will not have to input an email address.
The physical application point will be set up at the Immigration Affairs Building in Pac On, which is next to the Taipa Ferry Terminal.
The physical application point will be open from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. on Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Fridays. It will remain open during lunch hour, but will be closed on weekends and public holidays.
Applicants will fill in physical application forms and declare that the information provided is true. If the application is approved, applicants will be notified via text message.