The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2019
Orange Crystal Hotel's Women's Day push said 'this generation of women is too wild'
On the eve of Women's Day 2019, Orange Crystal Hotel pushed a WeChat article: 'This generation of women is no good, too wild.' It apologised the next day.
Orange Crystal Hotel (桔子水晶酒店) · Huazhu Group (华住集团)
What happened
On the evening of March 7, 2019 — the night before International Women's Day — Orange Crystal Hotel, a chain owned by Huazhu Group, pushed a WeChat article to its subscribers titled 'This generation of women is no good, too wild...' The cover image showed a woman in a bathtub. The article was a hotel promotion offering a 'modern fairy invitation' with 'three privileges,' and its comment section filled with sexual innuendo. By noon on March 8, it had 67,000 clicks.
The backlash was immediate. Female customers — the brand's core demographic — called the title degrading and a violation of public decency. Regular customer 'Cheng Li' told media she felt 'very uncomfortable' seeing the push as a loyal guest. Legal experts cited the Advertising Law: lawyer Huang Wende of Beijing Jingshi Law Firm said the content 'makes fun of women' and constitutes an 'absolutely prohibited' violation under Article 9 of the Advertising Law.
On March 10, Huazhu Group issued a formal apology for its subsidiary's 'low vulgar marketing.' The WeChat account had a history of similar titles — including 'This Spring Festival, come to Chengdu to sleep with you' and 'The boy who checked into a room with me back then is marrying someone else tomorrow.'
Why it happened
- The timing compounded the insult: publishing a 'women are too wild' push on the eve of International Women's Day framed a rights commemoration as a marketing opportunity for sex jokes.
- The pattern was the brand, not one post: previous titles — 'come sleep with you,' 'the boy I shared a room with' — showed a deliberate innuendo-first content strategy, not a one-off lapse.
- The comment section was the proof: the sexual innuendo that filled the replies was exactly what the title invited — the push was designed to generate that engagement.
- The legal exposure was clear: Chinese advertising law explicitly prohibits content that 'violates public order and good customs,' making this not just offensive but unlawful.
The lesson
A hotel brand whose customers are women cannot market rooms by calling its guests 'too wild.' A pattern of innuendo titles is a strategy, not an accident.
Sources
- 澎湃新闻 — 'Orange Crystal Hotel's push called insulting to women; lawyer: absolutely prohibited under Advertising Law', 2019-03-10
- 中国新闻网 — 'Huazhu Group apologises for Orange Crystal Hotel low vulgar marketing', 2019-03-10
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