Wonji's Solo Hotel Room in Singapore Reeked of Smoke, and the Hotel Refused a Refund

Travel creator Wonji demanded a refund over an uncleaned, smoke-reeking Singapore hotel room, but the hotel offered only a room at another branch, as shown on ENA's Earth Marble World Tour 4 on the 17th.

A "solo room" that turned sour at the door

Wonji landed at Singapore Changi Airport at 12:55 a.m. after a flight of about six hours and decided to secure a room first. The trip's concept was trying something she does not normally do. Calling herself the "icon of group lodging," she said she would use a room alone this time, on a budget of 50,000 to 70,000 won. It was a modest attempt to get away from sharing one room with several people.

Her hopes fell apart as soon as she opened the door. Seeing that the room had not been properly cleaned, she said, "Nothing's been cleaned at all, has it?" She was disappointed that the room, booked for three nights, cost more than 70,000 won, and she pointed to Singapore's high prices. Worst of all, a harsh cigarette smell that seemed soaked into the walls hit her, even though it was a non-smoking room. The place she had picked for a comfortable rest alone became the trip's first source of stress.

Fury at the door, calm at the front desk

Visibly angry, Wonji went to the front desk asking, "How can I flip this?" Face to face with the staff, though, things went differently. When the employee suggested she stay in the room for one night and ask for cleaning the next day, Wonji accepted without any real protest. Watching, KwakTube said in frustration, "You have to get angry here," and that she should say "I'm just leaving" and "I'm not sleeping." Her anger, so fierce outside the room, faded quickly once negotiation began, and that became the show's laugh line.

The discomfort was not Wonji's alone. When the production team later checked the rooms assigned to them, they found doors that would not open properly and a broken air conditioner that left a musty smell. Wonji could take no more and pressed her demand for a refund, but the hotel offered a room at another branch instead. Having sweated over lodging right after arrival, she said, "Next time I'll just book a room for three," a bitter but funny remark. The hotel she moved to was far better than the earlier room, and she could finally breathe easy.

How the roulette sent three creators off

On the episode, travel creators Pani Bottle, KwakTube and Wonji used a Blue Marble game to decide their summer destinations before setting off. This season, instead of uploading videos to YouTube, they enter works in their own film festival. Entries are judged on novelty, vicarious satisfaction and artistic quality, and the winner is decided by combining viewer votes at 50%, travel partner evaluation at 30% and expert evaluation at 20%.

Even choosing the destinations was not smooth. Instead of dice, PD Kim Tae-ho brought out a giant film roulette marked with countries including New Zealand, Singapore, the Maldives and India. Spotting Singapore, Pani Bottle openly showed his distaste and threatened to sleep in an airport again if he landed there. The roulette gave him the Maldives, KwakTube New Zealand and Wonji Singapore. None got the trip they had hoped for, but Pani Bottle accepted the result, saying, "That's the charm of Earth Marble World Tour 4."

The other travelers' starts were no smoother. KwakTube, who reached New Zealand, had planned a pond smelt tour, but bad weather cancelled it. Pani Bottle, bound for the Maldives, put up with long-distance travel and an all-nighter to show viewers the beauty of bioluminescent plankton, yet failed to capture it on camera. Hit by the string of setbacks, KwakTube joked, "We'll get fired together." From Wonji, who dreamed of a room of her own, to Pani Bottle, who wanted to capture a wonder of nature, to KwakTube, who prepared an ambitious tour, all three had their plans run into reality on day one.

Read the original (Korean)