A couple says they were caught naked by a cleaner who walked into their hotel room. They're demanding 10 times the cost of their stay as an apology.

• A couple wants a hotel to compensate them after a cleaner entered the room while they were naked.
• The hotel in Shenzhen, China, confirmed the incident to local media, but declined to pay.

A couple who stayed at a hotel in Guangdong, China, is demanding a refund worth 10 times the cost of their room after a cleaner walked in on them while they were naked.

"Both of us were on the bed without our clothes, then we heard a sound at the door. And suddenly the door was opened before we could react," the man who complained, identified only by his surname Huang, told provincial TV station Guangdong Radio and TV.

Huang and his girlfriend were staying at the Ranz Hotel in the city of Shenzhen on Saturday and had arranged for a late checkout at 6 p.m., per the outlet.

But the cleaner entered their room just after 5 p.m., and had failed to knock, Huang said.

"It was open at a 90-degree angle, and because the room is small, the bed can be seen once you open the door," he told Guangdong Radio and TV.

The outlet reported that the cleaner, who was not named, said she assumed the guests had already checked out because it was late in the day and their room's lights appeared to be turned off.

A front desk staff member at the Ranz Hotel confirmed the incident to Hunan-based daily Xiaoxiang Morning News.

But the hotel disputed Huang's claim that the door was opened fully, saying surveillance footage from the hall showed the door was only opened at a small angle before the cleaner closed it.

Huang is now blaming the hotel for the mishap and has asked for compensation worth 10 times the cost of his stay, which was 188 yuan, or $26.55, per Guangdong Radio and TV.

The hotel told the outlet it could offer an apology, but not the money.

"If you want 10 times the room rate, that's an impossibility," the lobby manager, identified by his surname as Xie, told the outlet.

China's civil code states that hotel operators bear responsibility if they "fail to fulfill the duty of maintaining safety" of their guests, but does not specifically mention guests' privacy rights.

Huang's complaint went viral on Wednesday, with 230 million views on Weibo, China's version of X.

The Ranz Hotel did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI.