"On the evening of February 1st, my friends and I dined at the Japanese restaurant at Four Seasons Hotel Dalian, to celebrate my birthday, and had an extremely unpleasant experience.
A table of guests (Table A) to our left questioned the restaurant about a food quality issue—specifically, the restaurant had secretly switched dishes on the set menu without notifying the guests.
A table of guests to our right (Table B) felt that this made them "lose face" as the hosts and started shouting, "Eat if you can, if not, f**k off!" At that point, all the restaurant staff left to find their manager, leaving no one in the dining area. During this time, one of the guests at Table B started smoking indoors.
Our table (Table C) approached the restaurant staff and clearly stated that smoking was not acceptable, especially since there was a child present (a friend’s 9-year-old child had returned from studying abroad to celebrate the Spring Festival but was so disturbed by the situation that they left without finishing their meal). Later, we were told that there was also a pregnant lady at Table A.
The subsequent handling of the incident was extremely unprofessional:
The restaurant’s deputy director of food and beverage, John Cheng, arrived unhurriedly and first appeased the smoking table (Table B). While being escorted to a private room, members of Table B began pointing at everyone and insulting them, calling us "po*or lo*sers." One of them even claimed they were rich and would pay for our meal, but when actually asked to do so, they refused. When we expressed dissatisfaction, Cheng simply said, “If you’re unhappy, you can call the police,” and he proceeded to call the police himself.
John Cheng stated that indoor smoking is permitted in Dalian, so Four Seasons Hotel does not enforce a no-smoking policy (not just in bars, but in all restaurants). Therefore, he saw no issue with the behavior of Table B and refused to address our complaints regarding food quality, secondhand smoke, and verbal abuse. Instead, he kept pushing us to settle the bill quickly.
John Cheng, as a hotel representative, made no effort to de-escalate the situation and instead called the police. When the police arrived, they immediately brought the members of Table B back for questioning. The officers advised the hotel to communicate properly with its guests.
Additionally, a neutral unrelated table (Table D) was appalled by the hotel’s attitude toward smoking and verbal abuse. A guest from that table voluntarily offered to testify on our behalf and left a review on a public platform (equivalent to Yelp). They explicitly told the hotel not to contact them. However, that same night, John Cheng called this guest while pretending to be someone else, attempting to defend himself and absolve his responsibility.
Among all four tables involved (A, B, C, and D), we (Table C) were the only hotel guests. We had made our restaurant reservation an hour in advance, yet we experienced slow service, verbal abuse, and exposure to secondhand smoke. Throughout the ordeal, John Cheng never once offered any comfort or apology. It was only another female hotel staff member who made efforts to mediate the situation—she upgraded our room and provided a small gift as compensation.
I have shared the entire incident on RedNote, one of China’s most popular social media platforms, where the post has already received nearly 300 comments and 600 likes. Many commenters have shared their own negative experiences at Four Seasons Hotel Dalian, and some have noted that the hotel ignores complaints. All of us are appalled by the arrogance the management team at Four Seasons Hotel Dalian have persistently shown, and we are upset that this also tarnish Dalian, a city with nice people and beautiful scenes.
As a guest who has lived at Guangzhou Ascott IFC on an annual contract for the past five years, rented a residence at Guangzhou Rosewood Hotel on a monthly contract, and stayed at Guangzhou Four Seasons Hotel while dining at all of its restaurants, I know what proper hotel service standards should be. The Four Seasons Hotel Dalian should absolutely not treat guests with such an attitude and approach to problem-solving."
A Tripadvisor traveler review
Feb 05, 2025
