Saudi hotel owners barred from revealing guests' identity

The Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH) has barred hotels and furnished apartments from revealing the identity of their guests or giving out the room numbers to anyone.

The commission also banned the owners and managers of the hotels and furnished apartments from keeping copies of the guests' ID cards or passports.

Abdullah Al-Omari, SCTH director in Makkah, said hotels and furnished apartments should clearly display room tariffs approved by the commission and warned them of punishments if they failed to comply with the rule.

"The customers have every right to complain to the commission on its toll free number 19988 if they notice any discrepancies in the prices," Al-Omari said.

He said no change in the prices of housing units would be allowed before their owners inform the commission about three months in advance. He, however, said the building owners have the right to decide the prices most suitable to them especially during high seasons.