Royal Hotel in Hanoi.
Google Maps on November 12 showed that all one-star reviews of the Royal Hotel, located at 19 Hang Chao Street, Hanoi, had disappeared.
Days earlier, the hotel had received tens of thousands of one-star ratings and critical comments after reports spread that staff had turned away a guest who arrived at 2 am on November 9 despite having prepaid and booked in advance.
In a video shared on TikTok, user Q said she booked a three-night stay from November 7 to 9 through an online platform requiring full prepayment. Due to an unexpected delay, she reached the hotel at 2 am on November 9 but was denied check-in because of her late arrival.
Reception staff told her that guests arriving after hours must call ahead and that failure to do so meant the booking was considered cancelled. Unable to resolve the issue, the guest left in frustration.
The incident quickly went viral, drawing widespread criticism of the hotel’s handling of the situation. By the evening of November 11, Royal Hotel had nearly 31,500 one-star ratings and numerous negative comments on Google Maps.
Royal Hotel has nearly 31,500 one-star ratings and numerous negative comments on Google Maps by the evening of November 11.
By the following morning, all one-star reviews had been removed, and the hotel’s average rating had returned to 4.3 stars with 336 comments. The data suggested that Google deleted over 30,000 negative posts.
Most of the deleted reviews had been posted after news of the dispute spread online. According to Google’s policy, reviews containing hate speech, defamatory remarks, or personal attacks are automatically removed.
In response to the controversy, O Cho Dua Ward Police said they had reported the matter to Hanoi Police. Upon inspection, authorities found that the Royal Hotel had committed multiple administrative violations in its lodging operations.
The hotel failed to follow regulations on guest registration and was operating a conditional business without the required security and order certificate. It also neglected maintenance of standard fire safety equipment.