this post was submitted on 19 Jul 2025
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A Boring Dystopia

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Guests report getting billed hundreds of dollars for smoking, based on the readings of an "algorithmic" smoke detector. The sensor manufacturer markets its product as a way for hotels to unlock new revenue streams.

See also: https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/cobb-county/marietta-hotel-fined-women-hundreds-smoking-they-say-other-activities-tripped-sensors/WPFWFT7INFGOLHR4HSQK7YIOKY/

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[–] dandelion@lemmy.blahaj.zone 10 points 8 hours ago
[–] kerrigan778@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 7 hours ago

This should absolutely be becoming a massive class action suit against both the hotel and the smoke detector maker. All you have to do is prove in court that the detector can be triggered by things other than smoking.

[–] BigDiction@lemmy.world 7 points 11 hours ago

I see people talking about chargebacks in this thread which is the logical course of action for a case like this.

What’s nefarious about this is that Hilton and Merriot each own a ton of hotels. If you chargeback multiple times against one of those groups you could get block listed from their locations which can get very problematic in locales without much competition.

[–] dawcas@scribe.disroot.org 65 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

revenue-generating scheme

Scam. I think the word is scam.

[–] tempest@lemmy.ca 3 points 8 hours ago

No no, it is the algorithm. There was nothing they could do. Hands were tied and you can't blame them because the algorithm did it.

[–] kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 8 hours ago

You know those plastic hair covers fit really nicely over the smoke detectors.

[–] UltraGiGaGigantic@lemmy.ml 54 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Yet another huge win for those who choose to never leave their basements.

I miss my basement.

[–] anarchy79@lemmy.world 9 points 18 hours ago

Caves have only one entrance. So you know when someone is coming uninvited. And you can just spear the fuckers.

Us?

We are treading water in the middle of the ocean.

[–] Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 8 points 17 hours ago (4 children)

I'm going to start away from Hilton hotels after reading through this.

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[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 51 points 1 day ago (16 children)

I stayed at a "hotel" in Denver a few years ago. It was advertised as a hotel on Hotels.com, and we booked because we thought it was cool that the unit had a full kitchen and was like a condo. We thought it would be the best of both worlds, hotel amenities and Airbnb style room. We get there, and it's basically an apartment building that they've turned into a hotel. They have no staff on site, and I had to download an app to check in and do a face scan. Super not privacy friendly. Then one day we stayed in and we're having a few drinks and conversing. This was 5 guys. We weren't being beligerant or loud, just talking. It was maybe 4 pm, and not quiet hours. I get a text saying there was a noise complaint. Then we bailed and got another text saying there was a 2nd noise complaint. They threatened us with a $500 fee the 2nd time. I told them we were no longer in the room, so it wasn't us. We later found what we assumed was a bug device that notified them if we went over a certain decibel level.

I never got charged, but I was ready to fight tooth and nail with my credit card company if they did. It was very weird, and I would never book with that company again.

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