A hotel in China, where Karen Mok was a guest, has been mocked by netizens for trying to cash in on her fame.

After the Hong Kong singer-actor checked out of the hotel after a recent stay, the Movenpick Hotel Enshi in Hubei province advertised that potential customers could bid to stay for one night in a suite used by her.

The winning bidder would also be able to take home items like towels and bedsheets used by the 49-year-old that still had "her lingering warmth and smell".

The starting bid was set at 8,800 yuan (S$1,706) for the room used by Mok when she performed in Enshi.

That marketing stunt was slammed by netizens as a shameful invasion of one's privacy, reported the South China Morning Post.

The hotel has since backed down, issuing an apology for management's failure to exercise good judgment and offending the feelings of the public.

Mok's representatives had also lodged a strong protest, saying the singer's reputation had been smeared by the hotel's action.

The Beijing Times quoted a hotel employee as saying that the authorities had imposed a fine though the amount was not disclosed.

Mok, who performed in Singapore in June, is reportedly bowing out of concert performances with her current tour that marks her 25 years in show business and includes stops in Paris and London.

She has talked about switching to musicals and theatre in the next phase of her career.

"I find that it's the most challenging of all performing arts. In a musical, you have to sing, dance and act live and do it every night. That's quite tough," she told an interviewer.

And if she does take Broadway-style musicals to China, do not expect her to stay at the Enshi hotel.