The $500 Smoking Charge at a Luxury NYC Hotel—Traveler Says She Didn’t Smoke, Yet the Charge Stands
Rhay traveled to Manhattan for a weekend girls’ trip and stayed at the M Social Time Square Hotel, a property she described as “really cute” with a central location. The October rate for a night hovered around $500. After a day of sightseeing, she and her friends returned to their room around 5 p.m. to find a note accusing them of smoking and charging $500. She insists they never smoked in the room and has photos and time-stamped evidence showing they were out in the city at that time. Her TikTok video about the incident went viral, drawing more than three million views and warning others to avoid the hotel.
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A Dream Stay in a Central Location
Rhay described M Social Time Square as chic and desirable, with October room rates around $500 per night. Its central location in Times Square drew her in, promising a stylish weekend with friends. She said the hotel was appealing for its luxury and proximity to the city’s sights, and she found the property “really cute,” justifying the price for a short October stay. The lure of a glamorous, well-situated hotel helped seal the weekend plans before the dispute over the bill began.
The Charge and the Proof: Smoke, Time, and a Ruled-Out Alibi
At the front desk, the manager presented a ‘smoke report’ claiming smoke was detected in their room between 4:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. But Rhay and her friends say they weren’t in the hotel at that time; time-stamped photos show they were out exploring the city until around 5 p.m. and back at the room after 5. She confronted the staff, asking them to pull records or review cameras. The manager replied that the matter was “done” and urged her to dispute it with her bank, offering no further investigation. “I told the manager, ‘Look at your records. Look at the time stamp on the key cards we used to gain entry to the room or look at the cameras in the elevator. We weren’t in the room.’”
Hotel’s Defense, Public Rebuttals, and a New Update
The Daily Mail reached out to the M Social Time Square Hotel for comment but had not heard back. On Google reviews, the hotel posted an explanation: every room contains air-quality devices designed to keep the environment smoke-free and to differentiate smoke from steam, aerosols, cooking, and other factors. The devices reportedly detected smoke particles in the room, which the hotel said violated policy and justified the charge. In an update video, Rhay said she received a new bill with the charge removed, but she remained unhappy with the hotel’s response and lack of direct follow-up. “I received absolutely nothing else from the hotel; no attempt of communication, nobody reaching out to me to speak to me about my experience or apologizing for the confusion or for this mistake,” she said. “What I want to know now is, what about all the other people who have been commenting and sharing similar experiences?”
Resolution, Accountability, and What This Means for Guests
Rhay says the charge removal came only after the online attention, and she questions whether the hotel would have acted without public pressure. “Don’t stay at this hotel. We were having a great time… but now they’re trying to scam us out of $500,” she added, describing the frustration of the process. She also pressed for accountability: if this is a real mistake and the equipment is faulty, what will the hotel do to prevent similar incidents for future guests? She asked the hotel to address the broader experiences shared by others and to explain their plan going forward. This case has sparked renewed conversation about hotel billing disputes, guest rights, and the balance between safety technology and customer trust.
