Australian tourists have been forced to barricade themselves inside their Bali hotel rooms as rogue security guards ransack apartments, steal thousands in cash, and leave families in tears.
The chaotic scenes exploded after ownership tensions at the four-star Annata Hotel and Resort in Legian came to a head with police.
Online calisthenics coach Matt Butterworth is among dozens of Australians caught up in the mayhem and was forced to use a sofa to block his apartment door in a desperate attempt to keep intruders out.
‘I had to barricade my door overnight in my apartment in Bali, this place is nuts,’ he said.
‘This didn’t just happen to me, it happened to a lot of people.’
The 28-year-old, who has been in Bali for five months, told Daily Mail Australia some locals had stormed the hotel complex, breaking locks, terrifying guests, and allegedly stealing up to $14,000 in cash.
‘People trying to take over the building are just ransacking the place,’ he said.
‘People have had $14,000 stolen. Security guards are just walking in and out in the middle of the night.’
Online calisthenics coach Matt Butterworth had to barricade himself into his room as one of the dozens of Australians caught up in the mayhem
Mr Butterworth told Daily Mail Australia rogue operators stormed the hotel complex in an attempted takeover
The chaotic scenes exploded after ownership tensions at the four-star Annata Hotel and Resort in Legian came to a head
One of the most distressing incidents he witnessed involved a father returning to find his children traumatised after unknown men had entered the room while they were sleeping.
‘I saw a guy who had his kids sleeping and he wasn’t home,’ Mr Butterworth said.
‘He got back about 11.30pm and they were crying, distraught, because security were just walking in and out.’
At Bali’s Bingin Beach earlier this week, authorities launched an aggressive crackdown on illegal tourism development, ordering the demolition of more than 45 cliff-side businesses built without proper permits.
Heartbroken locals were infuriated as popular warungs, villas and restaurants – some run by families for generations – were forcibly dismantled amid accusations of environmental breaches and construction on state land.
Despite days of negotiation, demolition crews moved in with sledgehammers, leaving many Australians stranded when their accommodation was destroyed with little warning.
In an attempt to warn others, Mr Butterworth posted a video to his social media after the situation at his hotel escalated, which forced him to cancel the rest of his stay.
‘Last month there was a huge issue between ownership and there were a lot of fights going on and breaking out outside,’ he said.
In an attempt to warn others, Mr Butterworth posted a video to his social media after the situation at his hotel escalated
The hotel handed out some flyers to guests
Mr Butterworth said he went to reception to complain, he discovered at least 10 others in the same situation.
‘They were trying to barricade the building, there were cops involved and bomb squad involved.’
The Gold Coast local said that since that incident, ‘not much happened,’ and ‘flyers were handed out,’ but on Wednesday he arrived back to his apartment to find a man at his door.
‘There was a guy at my door fixing it when I left in the middle of the day,’ he explained.
‘I came back at 9pm and my door was completely open and the lock wasn’t working.
‘I have $10,000 worth of camera equipment and my passport and everything here. Thankfully nothing was stolen. However, anyone could have just walked in and out of my apartment complex.’
When he went to reception to complain, he discovered at least ten others in the same situation.
‘There are mums with kids and people’s livelihoods here, they are just ransacking the building, not giving a f***,’ he said.
‘Everyone was frustrated and angry but also sort of laughing at how pathetic the situation was.’
Mr Butterworth was eventually offered a 30 per cent refund, but warns that his situation is not an isolated incident.
‘A friend had three big Indonesian guys knocking on her door at 3am and she was freaking out, bawling her eyes out,’ he said.
‘Another guy was having a shower and saw security just walking in and out breaking down his door.’
The Annata Hotel and Resort, which has around 200 rooms, is currently still listed on Booking.com with an average price of $70 a night.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted the hotel for comment.
