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A woman convicted of managing an unlicensed guesthouse in Mong Kok was today (May 16) fined $4,000.
Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts heard that an officer of the Home Affairs Department's Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA), posing as guest, rented a room in the suspected unlicensed guesthouse on Nathan Road, Mong Kok, for two days at a daily rate in December last year.
The OLA officers spotted several guesthouse signboards on the wall outside the premises. Under caution, the woman admitted that she was responsible for managing the guesthouse.
According to the OLA's records, the guesthouse did not possess a valid certificate of exemption or a licence as required under Section 5(2) of the Hotel and Guesthouse Accommodation Ordinance. The woman was subsequently charged with contravening the ordinance.
A department spokesman said it was a criminal offence to operate or manage an unlicensed guesthouse. He added that enforcement action would be taken against unlicensed guesthouse operation to ensure the safety of patrons of these establishments.
Ends/Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Issued at HKT 15:30
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