Originally Posted by drewguy

I have regularly signed these inside and out of China and never had a problem, nor has the card actually be run. I would not worry. You always have the dispute mechanism, and the timestamp on the receipt will show it was made at checkin.

I have to say I had never encountered the room check anywhere in the world prior to a check out at a mid-level hotel in Xi'an. What's odd is there was really nothing to damage, although the front desk mumbled something that made me think they were worried I might have made off with the mattress or the toilet.