Hotel Complaints. Do I Use Confrontation? Or, Telepathy?

[OldChinaHam]

An answer to this question might be of interest to many a hotel guest around these parts.

The question is, if being even the least bit confrontational is frowned upon, then how does one get one's point across to the Front Desk Help when services sometimes dip far below what is usually expected and anticipated, and originally bargained for?

If one is cautioned against roiling calm waters among the Hotel's service providers, and even among the Hotel's management, then what is one to do? Resort to anonymous telepathy?

We all know that while in Asia, one is expected to behave less like a barbarian, or a New Yorker. But gee whiz! If one cannot confront the hotel staff and hotel management and raise one's voice a tad when things start to go off the rails, then how can one get one's point across. And how can the problem situation be rectified without meaningful discussion? Magic?

No one should advocate sudden ranting and raving, but there must be a preferred way to put across ones point in some firm way that will get results without overly offending anyone. Isn't there?

If the shower leaks, after many polite suggestions go unheeded, then what?

If the aircon rumbles and goes ignored, what then?

It is almost as if the Hotel Guest is Invisible and the Hotel is operating just for the good of itself and its staff, the humble guest only an inconvenience to be tolerated.

Seems strange to me, a veteran of many a strange and wonderful Asian Hotel.

Thanks for any advice,

O.C. Ham

[ripstanley]

Write a report about the hotel online. Tripadvisor is a website where you can post a report about a hotel. Most hotels do not like bad publicity on the web.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotels-g293915-Thailand-Hotels.html

[Songhua]

Take my wife with you. If being confrontational about bad service or conditions is not an Asian trait, she's not typical.

Edited April 15, 2013 by Songhua

[Chicog]

Write a report about the hotel online. Tripadvisor is a website where you can post a report about a hotel. Most hotels do not like bad publicity on the web.

http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotels-g293915-Thailand-Hotels.html

Most reputable hotels do not like bad publicity, but many of the hotels I've stayed in do not give a monkey's flying f*** what it says on tripadvisor or anywhere else.

[Morden]

90% of the population avoids confrontation and the other 10% takes advantage of them. Foreigners are expected to join the 90%.

It's important to keep calm and rational but do confront them. Unless you are fortunate enough to meet someone willing to help, you will be lied to and stonewalled. They are prepared to use up more energy doing that than it would take to deal with your complaint. If you're getting nowhere, ask for the manager. You will probably told that he's out. Persist and wear them down. They want you to give up and go away. stay out and keep them engaged.

[Keith67]

Go and find another hotel, there are usually no shortage of good available rooms, let the know why you are moving out when you settle the bill, no confrontation required and they find they have lost money at the same time.

[lemoncake]

I am a hotel owner in Thailand, hands on owner who works 16 hour days.

Firstly you need to remember that sadly many staff do not care and most importantly do not remember to pass on the messages

I know it sounds far fetched, but it is a fact here, they simply forget to let the manager/owner/maintenance know about the problem

Secondly (not saying it is your case) but many times guests can be very unreasonable with requests, time frames and actual times.

Example being, if problem arises at night, there really is not much can be done, unless you are staying in a 5 star hotel with 24 hours maintenance staff and even then, they may not have the tools or parts needed to fix.

Weekends also pretty hard, as most trades people in Thailand, simply turn off their phones or promise to come, but not show up

I know from personal experience, majority of things are easily fixed, but easily fixed for me, not my Thai staff.

Examples

TV not work, just need to check the arial connection, the "source" and as silly as it sounds if its plugged in

Show leaking, just a simple change of shower head.

I can only suggest, asking to speak with a manager and "ask" if he/she was aware of the problems in the room. In many cases, as i said, staff forgets to pass on the message or just forgets all together.

I must though say(again may not be the case with OP) but if the guest is a real ass in a number of ways, including the tone, the manner and a cheap charlie who does not tip or even says a thank you, staff will simply ignore anything and everything NOT ONLY because they do not care, but as a way of "pay back" for guest being an ass.

Edited April 15, 2013 by lemoncake

[Goong Chae Nam Pla]

I am a hotel owner in Thailand, hands on owner who works 16 hour days.

Firstly you need to remember that sadly many staff do not care and most importantly do not remember to pass on the messages

I know it sounds far fetched, but it is a fact here, they simply forget to let the manager/owner/maintenance know about the problem

Secondly (not saying it is your case) but many times guests can be very unreasonable with requests, time frames and actual times.

Example being, if problem arises at night, there really is not much can be done, unless you are staying in a 5 star hotel with 24 hours maintenance staff and even then, they may not have the tools or parts needed to fix.

Weekends also pretty hard, as most trades people in Thailand, simply turn off their phones or promise to come, but not show up

I know from personal experience, majority of things are easily fixed, but easily fixed for me, not my Thai staff.

Examples

TV not work, just need to check the arial connection, the "source" and as silly as it sounds if its plugged in

Show leaking, just a simple change of shower head.

I can only suggest, asking to speak with a manager and "ask" if he/she was aware of the problems in the room. In many cases, as i said, staff forgets to pass on the message or just forgets all together.

I must though say(again may not be the case with OP) but if the guest is a real ass in a number of ways, including the tone, the manner and a cheap charlie who does not tip or even says a thank you, staff will simply ignore anything and everything NOT ONLY because they do not care, but as a way of "pay back" for guest being an ass.

So you're saying that storming around saying 'Do you know who I am' and 'I'll have the Embassy and the Consulate down here within 15 minutes' won't work?

[lemoncake]

I am a hotel owner in Thailand, hands on owner who works 16 hour days.

Firstly you need to remember that sadly many staff do not care and most importantly do not remember to pass on the messages

I know it sounds far fetched, but it is a fact here, they simply forget to let the manager/owner/maintenance know about the problem

Secondly (not saying it is your case) but many times guests can be very unreasonable with requests, time frames and actual times.

Example being, if problem arises at night, there really is not much can be done, unless you are staying in a 5 star hotel with 24 hours maintenance staff and even then, they may not have the tools or parts needed to fix.

Weekends also pretty hard, as most trades people in Thailand, simply turn off their phones or promise to come, but not show up

I know from personal experience, majority of things are easily fixed, but easily fixed for me, not my Thai staff.

Examples

TV not work, just need to check the arial connection, the "source" and as silly as it sounds if its plugged in

Show leaking, just a simple change of shower head.

I can only suggest, asking to speak with a manager and "ask" if he/she was aware of the problems in the room. In many cases, as i said, staff forgets to pass on the message or just forgets all together.

I must though say(again may not be the case with OP) but if the guest is a real ass in a number of ways, including the tone, the manner and a cheap charlie who does not tip or even says a thank you, staff will simply ignore anything and everything NOT ONLY because they do not care, but as a way of "pay back" for guest being an ass.

So you're saying that storming around saying 'Do you know who I am' and 'I'll have the Embassy and the Consulate down here within 15 minutes' won't work?

saying that you are a well connected mafia works , the embassy does not work, though have heard it a few times

[smokie36]

Being polite works mostly. Getting your Thai partner to sort it is even better. Failing that an irate smokie can work wonders!

[lemoncake]

Oh i should also mention that an ass, never really thinks he/she is an ass, so makes it rather hard to identify the problem for the ass why he/she is treated differently.

One example.

Guest tipped staff 25 satang and told them they can go shopping. Joke or not, the rest of his stay was made very unpleasant, no matter how hard i tried to calm the staff down.

Another one, tipped bellboy 4 baht for carrying 3 bags, naturally his stay was very unpleasant

Edited April 15, 2013 by lemoncake

[yoslim]

choose the right hotel and you wont have any issues

[Goong Chae Nam Pla]

Oh i should also mention that an ass, never really thinks he/she is an ass, so makes it rather hard to identify the problem for the ass why he/she is treated differently.

One example.

Guest tipped staff 25 satang and told them they can go shopping. Joke or not, the rest of his stay was made very unpleasant, no matter how hard i tried to calm the staff down.

Another one, tipped bellboy 4 baht for carrying 3 bags, naturally his stay was very unpleasant

C'mon now,spill the beans,we want to hear the nationality of the Cheap Charlies in the above incidents!

[lemoncake]

choose the right hotel and you wont have any issues

how to choose the right hotel? and what is the right hotel?

Just read some reviews say for Hilton

One says everything was great, comfy bed etc

The next one says, everything was bad, no good beds etc

[lemoncake]

Oh i should also mention that an ass, never really thinks he/she is an ass, so makes it rather hard to identify the problem for the ass why he/she is treated differently.

One example.

Guest tipped staff 25 satang and told them they can go shopping. Joke or not, the rest of his stay was made very unpleasant, no matter how hard i tried to calm the staff down.

Another one, tipped bellboy 4 baht for carrying 3 bags, naturally his stay was very unpleasant

C'mon now,spill the beans,we want to hear the nationality of the Cheap Charlies in the above incidents!

It could be understood as racist(against forum rules), though the same nationality/region is usually involved

Edited April 15, 2013 by lemoncake

[OldChinaHam]

Agreed, to make an ass of oneself is embarrassing to all involved, and should be avoided, but it would be nice if there was more accountability.

Sometimes after making a suggestion or valid complaint there is no follow through on the hotel's part. Any followup by the guest often is made to seem pushy.

In many cases one is damned if one pursues the issue, and also plagued by the problem if one gives up.

I guess you are right. Many of the people providing service just wish to outlast the complaining guest while doing nothing.

Then the question still becomes how far should one push it while still trying to be reasonable and not give anyone a hard time.

It would be so much easier if guys would just hop to it like they seem to do in Hong Kong. (And many other places, too.)

[GooEng]

keep calm. be sure of your facts. keep calm. demand to see someone with actual authority to deal with your complaint. keep calm. don't give up and be prepared to move out if you don't get satisfaction - keep calm and remember that there are almost certainly hotels within walking distance that will happily take your custom and delight in going and collecting your bags from the place you are leaving.

Edited April 15, 2013 by GooEng

[FunFon]

Only if you want to do management a favour in giving feedback should you even bother, and then only directly to the owner or top manager, as a casual comment on your way out.

Don't expect any results or to be thanked for going to the trouble.

Definitely not worth bothering about during your actual stay if that's your objective much easier to just change hotels.

[bermondburi]

1)have a few comments with other guests at reception as they are checking in .

2) if that fails durian taped under the bed ( when in season )and check out .

[MrHammer]

Sounds like you need to upgrade. The only bad or rude behavior from staff in Thailand I have encountered has been in sextourist areas in Bangkok. Anywhere else the staff is always very helpful and corteous, smiling and willing to go the extra mile.

[jackr]

Oh i should also mention that an ass, never really thinks he/she is an ass, so makes it rather hard to identify the problem for the ass why he/she is treated differently.

One example.

Guest tipped staff 25 satang and told them they can go shopping. Joke or not, the rest of his stay was made very unpleasant, no matter how hard i tried to calm the staff down.

Another one, tipped bellboy 4 baht for carrying 3 bags, naturally his stay was very unpleasant

So you operate your hotel based on how much a guest tips and you describe those who do not tip, or not tip enough, as an 'ass'? What's the name of your place? This is Thailand, not Kansas, whatever happened to providing a 'service'? You're in the hotel trade, right, thus the guest is your bread & butter and should probably be afforded some sort of respect, even if they don't tip. Geez!

Op: forget the phone, keep showing up at reception. Just be persistent, but don't worry about not raising your voice if you keep getting fobbed off, many Thais do. Or, if you're staying in the above hotel, I would suggest moving to a real one.

[lemoncake]

Oh i should also mention that an ass, never really thinks he/she is an ass, so makes it rather hard to identify the problem for the ass why he/she is treated differently.

One example.

Guest tipped staff 25 satang and told them they can go shopping. Joke or not, the rest of his stay was made very unpleasant, no matter how hard i tried to calm the staff down.

Another one, tipped bellboy 4 baht for carrying 3 bags, naturally his stay was very unpleasant

So you operate your hotel based on how much a guest tips and you describe those who do not tip, or not tip enough, as an 'ass'? What's the name of your place? This is Thailand, not Kansas, whatever happened to providing a 'service'? You're in the hotel trade, right, thus the guest is your bread & butter and should probably be afforded some sort of respect, even if they don't tip. Geez!

Op: forget the phone, keep showing up at reception. Just be persistent, but don't worry about not raising your voice if you keep getting fobbed off, many Thais do. Or, if you're staying in the above hotel, I would suggest moving to a real one.

Perfect example of how an ass would think.

It's not how I operate hotel , it is how staff in hotels work .

If you do not want to tip- do not tip, but do not insult staff with 1-2 baht tips for what should be a 20,

If you do not want to tip- do not tip, but then do not expect any special treatment.

Edited April 16, 2013 by lemoncake

[Keith67]

Oh i should also mention that an ass, never really thinks he/she is an ass, so makes it rather hard to identify the problem for the ass why he/she is treated differently.

One example.

Guest tipped staff 25 satang and told them they can go shopping. Joke or not, the rest of his stay was made very unpleasant, no matter how hard i tried to calm the staff down.

Another one, tipped bellboy 4 baht for carrying 3 bags, naturally his stay was very unpleasant

Reading this and don't take this the wrong way, reads if your staff are not tipped with a reasonable sum for services they provide they make your stay unpleasant, granted no tip atall would be better than an insulting tip.

Staff in alot of tourist areas have seemed to come to think a tip is compulsary in most cases, wheras the reality is tips are optional and even excellent service for some would still not result in a tip. As most say on here tipping for the worth of service is the right way in my opinion, but this is your livelyhood and your staff could be doing you more harm than good.

It's a true saying "a bad experience with a hotel will result in 100 poeple hearing about it, a good experience will result in maybe 5 people hearing about it."

Edited April 16, 2013 by metisdead
30) Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording.

[lemoncake]

Oh i should also mention that an ass, never really thinks he/she is an ass, so makes it rather hard to identify the problem for the ass why he/she is treated differently.

One example.

Guest tipped staff 25 satang and told them they can go shopping. Joke or not, the rest of his stay was made very unpleasant, no matter how hard i tried to calm the staff down.

Another one, tipped bellboy 4 baht for carrying 3 bags, naturally his stay was very unpleasant

Reading this and don't take this the wrong way, reads if your staff are not tipped with a reasonable sum for services they provide they make your stay unpleasant, granted no tip atall would be better than an insulting tip.

Staff in alot of tourist areas have seemed to come to think a tip is compulsary in most cases, wheras the reality is tips are optional and even excellent service for some would still not result in a tip. As most say on here tipping for the worth of service is the right way in my opinion, but this is your livelyhood and your staff could be doing you more harm than good.

It's a true saying "a bad experience with a hotel will result in 100 poeple hearing about it, a good experience will result in maybe 5 people hearing about it."

Spot on. It's not only my staff but staff across hotels in Thailand .

It's better not to tip at all than to tip an insulting amount, ie rate per bag is 20 baht? Tipping 3 baht for few bags is insulting.

Tipping maid rate is either 20 per day or 100 for the stay, tipping maid 5 or so baht is insulting.

Naturally some think its up to them what they tip etc etc etc, I am just telling how it is perceived from the other end

[FDog]

Don't the staff get paid? Why tip at all. I don't expect special treatment. I expect them to do their job.

I once checked into a hotel and 3 people were hovering to 'assist' me and my one bag to my room. I told them not to take my bag, I can carry it myself. They insisted on taking it, all 3 of them going to my room.

Get into the room and the guy holds his hand out for a tip, I shook his hand. He and his 2 assistants were not impressed.

Of course when I needed something they weren't at all keen to help me. I then got the manager and told him the staff were not doing their job. The manager gave them a bollocking.

Since when do staff only do their job if they receive a tip.

All I expect is for staff to actually do the job they get paid to do.

[Keith67]

Don't the staff get paid? Why tip at all. I don't expect special treatment. I expect them to do their job.

I once checked into a hotel and 3 people were hovering to 'assist' me and my one bag to my room. I told them not to take my bag, I can carry it myself. They insisted on taking it, all 3 of them going to my room.

Get into the room and the guy holds his hand out for a tip, I shook his hand. He and his 2 assistants were not impressed.

Of course when I needed something they weren't at all keen to help me. I then got the manager and told him the staff were not doing their job. The manager gave them a bollocking.

Since when do staff only do their job if they receive a tip.

All I expect is for staff to actually do the job they get paid to do.

Your senario is however a little different, you stated clearly you would carry your own bag so if they insist on taking it yes it is done at their own inconvenience, as i said tips are most certainly optional, the downside to the hotel industry worldwide is low salaries for staff as hoteliers be them large chains or singly owned know staff recieve tips from most guests and take this into account when deciding upon salary rates, a few years ago in the UK i heard a story of the government trying to tax employees of some of the leisure industries based on an anual amount recieved in tips, it would also include tour bus drivers and coach drivers i don't know what happened in the end.

[Goong Chae Nam Pla]

Sounds like you need to upgrade. The only bad or rude behavior from staff in Thailand I have encountered has been in sextourist areas in Bangkok. Anywhere else the staff is always very helpful and corteous, smiling and willing to go the extra mile.

You've obviously never been to Koh Phi Phi then?All hotels' attitude towards any tourists there are nothing short of disgraceful!

[IMA_FARANG]

Perfect example in my personal experience.

I am staying in a smallhotel with a "free" breakfast included in the room rate.

Now, during Sonkkran, the hotel is completely full.

There is a few tables downstairs in the lobby for "breakfast".

I normally get a cup of coffee, and take one of those tables, for my computer for my morning computer sign on daily blog checks (including ThauVisa).

Yesterday, because there were so many guests people were waiting to get a table for their breakfast,

So, I was asked politely, if i would please refrain from using my computer until the breakfast service was done so hotel guests could get breakfast.

Sounded reasonable to me, so I agreed to wait ubtil after the breakfast service was finished,

I went back to my room.

About 10:30 the receptionist called my room, and told me that the maids had just finished cleanimg up from breakfas, and if I wanted to there was now a table for me to use for my computer if i wanted to.

Moral of the story: sometimes you get more by being polite than by being confrontational.

Especially in Thailand.

On my first day in this hotel, during a thunderstorm, a tree branch fell on the local power lfeed line and shorted out power to this hotel for 3 hours.

It was repaired by the city electric power repair crew.

I COULD have complained to the hotel, because there was no power to my room, including no air conditioning.

But what would be the point of complaining .... the hotel staff had to wait for the repair crew to arrive.... the same as I did.

My complaints weren't going to get the repiar crew form the city there any quicker.

So I went out and had a cold beer and a meal.

[BookMan]

I always find that being polite and friendly goes a long way in Thailand. I have only had minor issues with various Hotels in Thailand. The hotels have been from 2 star to 5 star.

They have included:

• No Hot water (pilot light re-lit in ceiling)
• Excessive mold on ceiling or in bathroom. (cleaned in both occasions)
• Unsatisfactory room (Twice - both times a strong mould smell - I am very susceptible) [room changed both times]
• Room smelt of smoke in a 5 star Hotel non smoking room (it was deodorised with some machine - was fine after that)
• wi-fi passwords not working (new passwords)
• No room safe (as requested on booking) [room was changed]
• Forgot to clean room (room cleaned)
• A coupe of times requested paperwork was not supplied, but I realised it was because the person I asked didn't know how to provide it, so I asked someone else.
• Hired motorcycles unacceptable. (replacements organised)

I have always asked politely for the problem to be fixed and I have not needed to raise my voice or act indignant. I might have had to ask twice sometimes but it was no big deal. There might be some occasions where issues have not been rectified but I cannot think of any so it couldn't have been that important.

Frankly, back in Australia I have found the accommodation, service and rectification of issues to be of a much lower standard than Thailand.

Edited April 16, 2013 by BookMan

[Kitsune]

I hear you, Thailand is victim of its own success.

Hordes of tourists are flocking every year.

Some hotels just don't make the effort anymore, they fill up rooms anyway.