The Riverside Hotel is making a splash with the local homeless

Sleeping outside Guangzhou’s the Riverside Hotel just got wet, according to an article in the Southern Metropolis News.

In an effort to combat street people sleeping under a covered walkway outside the hotel, more than 10 sprinklers have been installed to soak the pavement every two hours, reported the Southern Metropolis News.

The report added, the sprinklers run for twenty minutes every time they are activated.

According to the South China Morning Post, the walkway was home to roughly 20 homeless individuals but most have moved elsewhere after the sprinklers were installed in December.

Apparently the problem of street people out front the hotel is not a new one. The South China Morning Post also quoted a hotel manager saying the problem began as far back as 2002.

The sprinklers were jointly installed by the hotel and the district government in the Yuexui area, according to the same media report.

The sprinkler system seems to have worked for the Riverside Hotel and it may be the beginning of a new homeless deterrent for businesses in Guangzhou.