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Hotels struggle to attract quality staff as tourism recovers


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Posted

I went to the pharmacy today to buy some medicine. As usual the pharmacist said " Sorry, no have". In the UK, US or Japan they say "Sorry, no have but will get for you in couple of hours...can you come back then?"

 

Having lived in the UK, US and Japan I can see that the level of service here is appalling.....and fully meets the expectation of the customers because they don't know any better and so they put up with lousy service all the time. 

 

I have been in Thailand now for more than a decade and what I can say about hotels is that they are cheaper that UK or Japan but the service is bad and gets worse each time you stay there. Last year I stayed at a lovely hotel near Nana....it was small and intimate but during the pandemic had no kitchen so you had to go out to eat. This year they have opened the kitchen, but it smelly like a greasy spoon and the food (breakfast) sucks badly. What happened to the reception staff who were so wonderful and friendly last year when my wife was temporarily disabled and they could not do enough to help her? Well they are no longer there and the staff are now hiding away so as not to interact or help residents....the service has gone from 5 star to 1 star in 12 months. 

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Posted

Do hotels that laid off their loyal staff really expect them to sit and wait until called back to work years later? People move on so to attract staff hotels need to pay more and provide the training, as needed. Haven’t hotel managers been doing this?

Posted
55 minutes ago, Pedrogaz said:

I went to the pharmacy today to buy some medicine. As usual the pharmacist said " Sorry, no have". In the UK, US or Japan they say "Sorry, no have but will get for you in couple of hours...can you come back then?"

 

Having lived in the UK, US and Japan I can see that the level of service here is appalling.....and fully meets the expectation of the customers because they don't know any better and so they put up with lousy service all the time. 

 

I have been in Thailand now for more than a decade and what I can say about hotels is that they are cheaper that UK or Japan but the service is bad and gets worse each time you stay there. Last year I stayed at a lovely hotel near Nana....it was small and intimate but during the pandemic had no kitchen so you had to go out to eat. This year they have opened the kitchen, but it smelly like a greasy spoon and the food (breakfast) sucks badly. What happened to the reception staff who were so wonderful and friendly last year when my wife was temporarily disabled and they could not do enough to help her? Well they are no longer there and the staff are now hiding away so as not to interact or help residents....the service has gone from 5 star to 1 star in 12 months. 

Even worse is asking the question "where is the ........?" and getting the "We no have" because they can't be bothered to look for you. Then you see what you asked for. How about watching them opening 200 cartons of cigarettes and asking "can I buy a carton only to be told "we don't have!" Customer service is really bad in Thailand. Prices similar to UK even higher yet they pay their staff a fraction and work them twice as hard 12+ hours a day and 6 days a week.

  • Like 1
Posted

It all comes down from the top. No one to blame but themselves. If they don’t pay the management a decent salary and have them make sure they pay appropriately and are trained properly then they will never be staffed properly and they will be the only ones losing money. 

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Posted
8 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

Same all over the world, isn't it? And it isn't only in hotels that 'staff' are  difficult to recruit here. So I've read :tongue:

Yes it is..

Despite all the news reports that you're reading tourism hasn't even started to return.  25 percent of what it used to be is a joke.  When it truly returns, it will be a disaster in Thailand.  Prices will go up, staff will be short, and service will decline significantly.  

Despite the government opening themselves with "open arms", it won't feel that way.  And you will be reading about this starting next tourist season for many years to come.

Remember what I wrote, this ain't nothing yet.  

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Posted
11 hours ago, JoePai said:

Train new staff and pay more to keep them

Agreed.

However; why are hotels so cheap in Thailand compared to the west? Because staff are paid so poorly and less well (hardly) trained.

Why are staff so poorly paid and less well trained? Because customers (often westerners) don't want to pay higher prices!

A 5 star hotel in London will run easily 20,000+ THB per night. Here in Bangkok it's possibly as low as 3,500 THB per night. Neither is guaranteed to get great service these days.

The differences elsewhere around the country are stark. Any service at all for 1,200 THB night? Rarely in my experience.

 

Posted

'struggle to attract quality staff as tourism recovers' - it's not just hotels; it's every walk of life.  Mai ben rai is the motto of all employees except imported labour who have a better work ethic AND better English.

  • Like 1
Posted
19 hours ago, renaissanc said:

To attract staff the 6-day week has to come to an end. People don't want to work 6 days a week.

 

Are you suggesting a 7 day working week? ????

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Posted
1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Might be because picking berries in Sweden is more attractive!

Do they take on older English guys? ????

 

Heard good reports about Sweden and met a few!

Posted
1 hour ago, mikebell said:

'struggle to attract quality staff as tourism recovers' - it's not just hotels; it's every walk of life.  Mai ben rai is the motto of all employees except imported labour who have a better work ethic AND better English.

A friend of mine, now an elderly Thai lady that had three restaurants in Northern England said that to me a long time ago.

 

She hailed from Korat and said ' The problem with most Thais in the labour force, is that they have no work ethic '  Those were her exact words.

Posted
1 hour ago, Scouse123 said:

A friend of mine, now an elderly Thai lady that had three restaurants in Northern England said that to me a long time ago.

 

She hailed from Korat and said ' The problem with most Thais in the labour force, is that they have no work ethic '  Those were her exact words.

I've often wondered, though, why it is that in the west we have to work so hard for such a poor reward in many cases. Personally, when I have to work for small money it does make me feel 'worthless' quite literally.

  • Like 1
Posted

I have been in Pattaya since June.

I have never seen such a shortage of English speaking staff.

I was asked by the manager of one of the best known sports pubs, if i knew of anyone to fill vacancies in the kitchen and serving staff.

If this place, with it's decades of contacts, can't get the staff they want, then nobody can.

Combine this with half truths when asked simple direct questions and the Thai loss of face and the service levels are dreadful.

My hotel has a water pump issue and dear knows when it will be fixed.

Supplier/contractor to hotel reception tell you a combination of half truths and lies.

The place is a shambles.

 

Posted
2 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

Do they take on older English guys? ????

 

Heard good reports about Sweden and met a few!

The price of a pint there would not suit you I expect!

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