The scene of a hotel fire in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, on the morning of the 23rd of August, 2024. A major fire breaks out in this hotel on the night of the 22nd, resulting in the deaths of 7 people and injuries to 12 others. /Courtesy of ChosunDB

The Korea Fire Agency has made it possible to check whether sprinklers are installed in lodging businesses such as hotels and motels on major lodging reservation apps since 10th. This is a follow-up measure to the incident in August last year in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province, where a fire broke out in a hotel, killing 7 people and injuring 12.

It has been pointed out that the problem was the absence of sprinklers that automatically spray water in case of fire in the hotel room where the accident occurred. The Korea Fire Agency's public disclosure of sprinkler installation status on accommodation apps aims to encourage lodging businesses to install sprinklers through consumer choice and pressure.

However, in reality, it has been found that checking whether sprinklers are installed using lodging apps is not easy. Also, compared to overseas lodging apps, domestic lodging apps lack safety-related information.

The domestic accommodation reservation app 'Nol' does not provide a feature that allows users to view only accommodations with sprinklers. /Courtesy of Nol capture

◇ It is impossible to view only lodging businesses with sprinklers on 'Nol'

According to the Korea Fire Agency on the 14th, the lodging app Nol and Yeogiatta allow users to check whether their partner lodging businesses have sprinklers installed. The Korea Fire Agency has aggregated reports from over 30,000 lodging businesses nationwide to determine the sprinkler installation status and provided this information to Nol and Yeogiatta.

In the case of Yeogiatta, users can filter search results to see only lodging businesses with sprinklers installed using the 'filter' function. This allows users to eliminate lodging businesses without sprinklers right from the reservation process.

However, Nol does not have a sprinkler option in its filtering function. To reserve a lodging business with a sprinkler, users must check each one individually.

Information on accommodations listed in the domestic reservation app 'Nol'. It indicates that there are sprinklers, but it does not separately provide information stating that there are no sprinklers. /Courtesy of Nol capture

◇ Information on 'no sprinkler' is not provided at all

Even opening each lodging business in the app makes it difficult to check whether sprinklers are installed. Both the Nol app and the Yeogiatta app do not indicate 'no sprinklers' for lodging facilities where sprinklers are not installed. They do not display any related information at all.

Even for lodging businesses with sprinklers installed, checking this information is not easy. In the Nol app, users can check for sprinklers in the 'Facilities/Services' section by pressing 'View All' at the top of the reservation screen. In the Yeogiatta app, this information is provided under 'Other Facilities and Services' at the bottom of 'Facilities and Services.'

A person surnamed Kim (32) who uses both apps said, "It's odd to classify sprinklers as security or convenience facilities."

The overseas accommodation reservation app 'Booking.com' includes information on the fire safety facilities that hotels have, but there is no information at all on the domestic accommodation app 'Here and There'. /Courtesy of Booking.com and Here and There capture

◇ Overseas lodging platforms provide extensive fire safety information

In contrast, overseas lodging reservation apps provide various fire safety-related information. When searching for a hotel located in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul on 'Booking.com,' information emerged that fire extinguishers and fire alarms are installed. 'Trip.com' stated that smoke detectors, first-aid kits, and fire extinguishers are available.

The lodging platform Airbnb also provides information on whether it is equipped with fire safety-related facilities. Regarding a guesthouse near Seoul Station, it states that while fire alarms and fire extinguishers are present, there is no carbon monoxide detector.

However, there is absolutely no fire safety-related information available on Nol or Yeogiatta.

The Airbnb app displays what fire safety equipment is available in a guesthouse near Seoul Station. It shows that there is no carbon monoxide alarm, indicated by a strikethrough. /Courtesy of Airbnb capture

◇ Lodging business owners say, 'It's not even mandatory, but it's difficult to operate'

It has been said that the difficulty in easily knowing whether sprinklers are installed on domestic apps is due to the pushback from lodging business owners. A motel owner surnamed A in Sinlim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, said, "It is difficult to install sprinklers in buildings that have been around for a long time," adding, "If the information is disclosed on the app, it would hinder business operations."

Since 2018, all floors in lodging facilities that are six stories or higher must have sprinklers installed. Then, starting in 2022, all lodging facilities must have sprinklers installed regardless of their height. However, lodging facilities built before the law was amended can operate without sprinklers. An official from the Korea Hotel Association stated, "Installation work can take several months, preventing business operations, and the construction costs are considerable."

A representative from Yeogiatta said, "I'm not sure if the app needs an update," adding, "Since the installation of fire safety facilities other than sprinklers is mandatory, we do not have to provide that information."

A representative from the Korea Fire Agency said, "It's not necessary for lodging apps to filter whether they have sprinklers installed," noting, "The display of other fire equipment information is under discussion." According to the Korea Fire Agency, of the 31,271 lodging facilities nationwide, only about 4,500 (14%) have sprinklers installed.

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