Hua Hin Hotel Manager Fired After Dispute Over Customer Review

[chuang]

Cheap Charlie staying in a 5 ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ resort..

 

[phitsanulokjohn]

We respect and value ALL feedback,given by our guests.

 

This is refreshing to hear,as most places in the Kingdom asking to be left a review,do not state,and make sure it's a good one,otherwise we'll Sue you.

 

Jeez,can no one have an opinion for fear of retribution?

[G Rex]

This  appears to be a huge over-reaction by the employer.

I doubt this was the 'Managers' first offence. 

My take is that the Hotel would have been looking for a reason to show this employee the door - and in doing so, also show how much they value their customers.  Win , win.

 

but - maybe I am overthinking this - I am sure it is much easier to fire an employee here in LOS than it was in Australia.  

Edited October 28 by G Rex

[OneManShow]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Now let me explain or educate you

😮🤣

[GammaGlobulin]

GOOD Reply from the manager.

 

I really HATE all that crappy plastic junk they put out for hotel guests.

I do not use any of it.

 

a.  I buy and use a high quality toothbrush...NOT Hotel crud.

 

b.  All that plastic garbage, unused, truly is not so good for landfills and the environment.

 

c.  I also do not use that crappola because I have no way of knowing what is inside those bottles.  The products might have been adulterated by previous guests, etc.

 

Therefore....

 

I am with the hotel manager on this one.

 

The guest should go brush his teeth with a twig off the nearest tree.

 

 

[4MyEgo]

5 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

If you can afford to stay at a 5 star hotel then you can afford 20 Baht for a toothbrush.

 

I have stayed at 5 star hotels, and they do supply toothbrushes for free, along with a variety of other products, like shampoos and conditioners, not your cheap ones either, shower caps and cotton buds.

 

When you are paying 5,000 to 10,000 baht a night, you expect the above, if they ever wanted to charge me for those products, then their room rates would have to come down.

 

5 hours ago, pacovl46 said:

Secondly, getting fired over this seems definitely excessive!

 

The Managers comments were condescending and rude. He/she obviously had bad English or used Google translate, because if I received a rely like that, they would have lost my business.

 

The hotel owner did the right thing dismissing this Manager, I would add, that, probably not the 1st incident which probably warranted his/her dismissal.

 

The last thing a 5 star hotel wants is a customer being handled this one "publicly".

[ikke1959]

3 hours ago, sqwakvfr said:

I would agree witht the reviewer on this.  I have stayed at 5 star, 4 star and many 3 star hotels in the Land of Smiles and the defintion of  "service" is a fluid term. If one pays 5 Star prices this would mean "the guest should not have to ask any thing".  I have seen eco friendly and disposable toothrushes that are not made of plastic.  So "save the enviornemnt" does not ring true to me. In my experience I hated dealing with native hotel managers in LOS but all the foreign managers were receptive and friendly when I spoke to them about anything.  

Who decides how many stars a hotel gets in Thailand.. I know Forbes is giving stars and Tripadvisor dots... but here in Thailand every hotel can give itself as many stars as they like?

[Sydebolle]

Well, going through their ratings it makes me wonder, why you don't opt for a normal guest house for a fraction of the price. Some of the reviews refer also to staff, rooms and fittings ....... just to say! 
One way to get rid of customers, I assume 😞 

[BB1955]

Im not so sure people are reading this right , or maybe Im missing part of it .  It says they are terminating the management contract , could that mean they are terminating the policy to charge for a tooth brush ? 

[ujayujay]

I´m with the Manager, he´s 100% right! This Putahracsa Hotel is blacklistet now by me

[JeffersLos]

I always bring my own travel wash bag with my travel toothbrush, tooth paste, shampoo and shower gel, with enough room left over to fill up on their bars of soap. 

[BE88]

 

The customer is always right not the manager who answered, what an idiot

[ignore it]

Another defeat for wokeism.

 

Stay free!

 

well for toothbrushes that is.

[Alex80]

it seems they have no idea how to manage an hotel. 

An hotel that charges a minimum of 4200 a night in low season is expected to provide top class service. They clearly didn't and the customer was in his right to point it out.

[JackGats]

For once the hotel's response was sensible.  I guess here the "condescending" tone was the issue. Condescension though does not harm the planet (or anyone except snowflakes). A new toothbrush every day, on the other hand, is a total waste.

[sabai-dee-man]

Same guest probably thought nothing of paying ฿400 to get into some national park though.

 

However, it sounds a bit like the manager could've been translating their comments from Thai into English before posting. That may explain some of the presumed arrogance.

 

Personally I don't think it's a bad idea at all to charge for a toothbrush. In fact, I think the charge should be more like ฿80-100, to discourage plastic waste, but charges should be made very clear. Don't want to pay ฿100? Pop to the 7-Eleven and buy one for ฿10. But really, who doesn't travel without their toothbrush? 

[sabai-dee-man]

14 minutes ago, Alex80 said:

it seems they have no idea how to manage an hotel. 

An hotel that charges a minimum of 4200 a night in low season is expected to provide top class service. They clearly didn't and the customer was in his right to point it out.

 

We stayed in a resort on Koh Kood recently that cost more, and didn't even have a TV in the room. The aircon was unavailable during the day, the restaurant was closed by 8pm, and you could hear a pin drop in the resort by 9pm. The eco approach was made quite clear before we booked though, and I don't have a problem with it in the slightest. ฿4200 a night doesn't entitle you to freebies to be wasteful with, if  the policy has been made clear. ฿20 to discourage one-time use of an item you'd normally replace every 4-6 months is hardly a catastrophe, but maybe the policy wasn't clear? I'm no eco warrior, far from it, but I don't mind doing my bit.... even though in reality, I doubt it's making a blind bit of difference! 

 

Seems to be a lot of tightarses on this thread.

[OJAS]

5 hours ago, steven100 said:

very unprofessional,   and it tells me straight away he is not educated enough to be a manager.  

 

In common with this individual:

 

 

[Baba Naba]

For one thing, they may have been looking for a reason to change management. 

 

  My guess is that the manager used Google Translate for help and it spat out improper wording/wprds that could be misconstrued. Words like "educate" etc.   As hotchili said, it would have been better said as "Let me explain/clarify the hotels green policy" and not come off sounding like you are disciplining a child.  You dont school the hi-so on a public forum!!! 😲

[LoudHailer]

Given the Manager's 'tone and manner' in his response, it is reasonable to suspect that he was already teetering on the cusp of dismissal. It is reasonable to suspect that this was "the last straw."  None of us knows the history of encounters between the  Manager and  other former clients and hotel owner.

[Dirk Z]

The main thing was the "condescending tone". I think nothing would have happened if he had explained the hotel's green policies in a more neutral way. The only the discussion would remain whether this is stingy or not, but the manager would not be to blame for the hotel's approach.

[Enoon]

18 minutes ago, Dirk Z said:

The main thing was the "condescending tone". I think nothing would have happened if he had explained the hotel's green policies in a more neutral way. The only the discussion would remain whether this is stingy or not, but the manager would not be to blame for the hotel's approach.

 

Yes, the perceived tone of the manager was what caused the issue.

 

Nothing to do with cost or poor service.

 

Many AN respondents seem to have failed to grasp that.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 28 by Enoon

[sqwakvfr]

2 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Who decides how many stars a hotel gets in Thailand.. I know Forbes is giving stars and Tripadvisor dots... but here in Thailand every hotel can give itself as many stars as they like?

I have stayed at Marriot and Shangri La in CNX (both looked like a 5 star from the outside) but the experiences were disappointing.  Marriot did not provide a tootbrush (6500 Baht for one night) but Shang Ri La did (6500 Baht for one night). Both properties were impressive in terms of rooms, swimming pools and gym but the employees were lacking.  

[Hardcastle P]

8 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

The employee was fired for their attitude…the customer is always right manta is being followed…

 

is this a western or Thai hotel/chain?

No the customer is not always right,that's folly  However you will never win an argument with a customer if you do they take their custom elsewhere.  

 

[Scottie12]

Looks like they wanted rid of the manager anyway. If he'd been doing a good job no way would he have been sacked.

[pacovl46]

10 hours ago, steven100 said:

It's got nothing to do with the price ....  it's the principle of the matter if you understand ..

 

there's plenty more other thai people of authority who should be fired for similar, so many stupid rules and illogical laws. 

So what's the principle then? Don't dare talking to me in a way I don't like or I'm gonna get you canceled? He should've never gotten fired over this and the idiot who complained about 20 Baht for a toothbrush is a salty, stingy snowflake.

[pacovl46]

9 hours ago, Spock said:

Alternatively a 5 star hotel should offer free what is often provided in 3 star hotels. It's not much to ask and at 20 baht the toothbrush would not have been an Oral B with soft bristles brush. The hotel seems stingy. Though I would never leave my teeth to the mercy of a cheap hotel brush.

Obviously you missed the keyword sustainable. No one takes those toothbrushes home. If that hotel has a hundred rooms then that's anywhere between 100 and 200 toothbrushes a day that get thrown away. Multiply that over the course of a year and that's some serious wasteload as well as a pile of money.

[pacovl46]

9 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

In a way, yes. But maybe they were looking for some time to fire him. Now they had a reason. 

The text above is certainly not what should be send to a 5-star hotel guest from a 5-star hotel manager.

Yeah, his wording could've been way better, but it's not reason enough to fire him immediately, in my book. But yeah, maybe he had it coming.

[pacovl46]

7 hours ago, renaissanc said:

Five star hotels always provide toothbrushes for free In the bathroom. How do I know? I worked in such hotels from 1988 until the China virus arrived.

Quite obviously this one doesn't....

[steven100]

5 minutes ago, pacovl46 said:

So what's the principle then? Don't dare talking to me in a way I don't like or I'm gonna get you canceled? He should've never gotten fired over this and the idiot who complained about 20 Baht for a toothbrush is a salty, stingy snowflake.

He attempted to resolve the issue with a silly comment ....  he's not a manager because a manager would not have done it the way he did.    It's not the 20 baht or toothbrush .....   it's how he mis-handled it that's questionable.   Now you understand..