Warning to Thai tourism sector: Unfriendly staff, poor services hit competitiveness

[mayday49]

I have service in Thailand always be found to be excellent but maybe that is because I don't stay in cheap flop houses.

I would say that you are a Very Lucky Man ..... indeed you are Sir ... a very lucky man.

[bunuel]

W

There is certainly room for improvement in the following areas:

1. English speaking skills, as for ASEAN languages I doubt any country will be able to accommodate most or alll of them but its worth a try if it fits your target population.

2. Personal safety. Thai police suck big time and and being of low quality and low pay they will continue to concern themselves with filling their own pockets with bribes instead of protecting the public until they are seriously overhauled.

3. Transportation standards. Thai drivers are reckless, especially those involved in public transportation, eg. vans, buses, taxi's etc. Need to require stricter rules regulating renewal of licenses and punishment of offenders.

4. Tourism related mafias like tuk tuks, jet ski scammers, illegal taxi's etc. A real no brainer here. Problem is Thai authorities are adept at turning a blind eye and acting like its okay to cheat people from time to time.

Having traveled around the world I think every country has it pros and cons. For Thailand, I think we are fortunate that many of the major areas of improvement are attainable as they not part of the culture or nature of the people with an exception being the Thai attitude of sabai sabai and tending to accept the drawbacks of their fellow countrymen too easily, that is why corruption and incompetence still exists at a national level.

Teach your children disclipline and intolerance of corruption and incompetence and maybe we'll have a chance to become a developed nation.

Excellent post. Would just like add my ten baht worth on the subject of drivers. Recently had a good friend

from Belgium staying with us at our house in Jomtien. She was of a certain age, and let us know that Angkor Wat was on her Bucket List, so we found her some Tour Operators in Jomtien sellng packages. She settled on a high end package for about 20,000 baht door to door.

On the day of her departure, there were immediate problems with the driver, who wanted extra money. My Thai wife immediately called the tour operator and read them the riot act. The driver appeared, and I let him

know very gently that I expected him to take very good care of our friend. All went well, but I could not

believe the Thai driver was running his own private operation for a package like this.

As soon as they crossed into Cambodia, a Cambodian tour operator took over, and things improved.

However, on the trip back, as soon as another Thai driver took over, there were major problems.

The driver was rude and aggressive, and when my wife tried to give him instructions to our

home, he insulted my wife and wanted to drop our friend off in the street with her bags!

Again, we had to call the tour operator and raise hell. Eventually, our friend eas delivered to a

place where we could pick her up.

However, had my wife and I not been around to help, and make appropriate threats where necessary, who knows what would have happened. I have written about the travel industry around the world, and in most

countries, people understand that genuine , high-end tourists are a valuable commodity and deserve to be

treated accordingly, because word-of-mouth recommendations are precious.

In Thailand, however, it seems that thuggish drivers can do whatever they want, even though they are

ostensibly working for the tour operator. Since this happened on both legs of the same trip, this

did not seem like an isolated occurrence.

Thai tour operators, please take note!

[Lancelot]

I'm sure the billions of tourists coming to Thailand enjoy rude staff and poor service. T.A.T. will spin this one as usual.

But they continue to vist. Where is the real incentive for improvement?

[drdoom6996]

I've already noticed lots of Philipino service staff in resorts in Phuket recently. They just have better English skills and work ethic.

As many Thais have no English skills and most no Ethics. I ask a Thai male friend in business in Bangkok what ethics were, he said good business. This from a supposedly educated man.

[mayday49]

It's the managements fault for allowing the staff to get away with it.

The management is equally as guilty.

The owners of hotels are more at fault than the management in a lot of cases.

Everything in hotels has to be managed, even to the point of having receptionists stand up every time a guest comes to the front desk, towels being placed and drinks being cleared by the pool or security guards not sleeping on the job. And it has to be done 24 hours a day.

Senior management positions such as EAM and RM are being phased out as the minimum wage increase has forced hotels in areas such as Phuket, Samui, Hua Hin and Pattaya to pay basic members of staff 9,000 per month plus a guaranteed minimum service charge of 3,000 Baht. That's 12,000 Baht for what cost about 5-6k ten years ago or 9k eight months ago. Salaries of those with computer/language skills like Front Office operators and restaurant supervisors must go up proportionally to that. In many cases, that justifies employing Filipino waitresses and so on.

This increase in labour cost has to be balanced somewhere and, with the Baht so strong and with all the negative press over the last decade, they certainly can't rely on the consumer to shoulder this cost increase - so they have to cut budgets elsewhere. They have to make a choice between lowering staff levels or mis-managing their hotels. Most owners choose both. Many hotels are asking Housekeeping Supervisors to perform the Executive Housekeeper role, or Engineering Supervisors to be Chief Engineers, even though they are fully aware that these roles are outside their capabilities and training. Front Office Managers are often having to take care of Human Resources and Housekeeping departments, as well as having the Accounting staff hassle them all day for their revenue reports (which are always wrong because the receptionists aren't being supervised properly - their manager is off doing someone else's job at the request of the GM). F&B Managers can't oversee service levels because they have to do things like their own graphics design and purchasing. Service suffers as a result (e.g. fewer preventative maintenance checks, decreasing cleaning standards, salt & pepper pots not being put out for breakfast).

The owners have been panicking. The only way for them to cover increasing labour costs (and inflation of everything else as a result) has been to increase revenue, often to the point that the increased numbers of consumers cannot possibly be serviced properly by the hotel staff levels both at basic and management level. General Managers are now increasingly expected to do the roles of Marketing Managers as well as being responsible for management of operations, as well as making administrative decisions to increase revenue and cut costs (which is their real job). GMs are often being employed because they have some experience with agencies, even though in many cases they have no idea how to run a resort or even a department.

Oh , Poppycock !

[zydeco]

My experience with customer service in the Thai hotel industry is abysmal. I will qualify this by saying that I spent most of my life in Hawaii working with unions that represented hotel workers. As such, I am very familiar with the standards for customer service expected by the major hotel chains in the US. To put it bluntly, there is no comparison between the levels of service in the US and in Thailand. I will never forget an incident in 1999 when I checked into a four star hotel on Sukhumvit. Upon checking into the room, I went to drink a class of water. One of the glasses was broken. I immediately called housekeeping and asked for the glass to be replaced. No one ever came. When I went to check-out, the hotel clerk wanted to charge me 100 baht for the broken glass! But this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Yes, the US hospitality industry is a leader in service. However, there are major destinations in the USA such as LA & NYC where even a 3* Thai hotel looks like heaven compared to higher end US hotels. I could go on about the filth levels and obnoxious rude staff at major US hotel chains in NYC, but what's the point? A crappy hotel in NYC can get $300 night. A basic Thai hotel in BKK will charge $50. And yet that Thai hotel will usually deliver a superior guest experience. I have stayed in Honolulu at a major chain. Rate was $350 a night. Nasty experience. I stayed in a low end chain hotel in Krabi a few months ago, no comparison. Krabi was a better experience, even in busy season.

I'll admit that costs are more than reasonable in Thailand--but you have to take all the associated risks that come along (room robbery, swan dives off balconies, pickpockets). But when I have stayed at hotels (form me, this usually means outside of Bangkok, where I live), things are S . . . L . . . O . . . W to be fixed. Never the case in Hawaii. I don't know where you were staying in Honolulu, but it sounds like you were robbed. I usually stay at the Hilton Waikiki Beach, which is just a couple of blocks off the beach, for a very reasonable 6000 baht per night or the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which is right on Waikiki beach, for 11,000 baht per night. Maybe you need to find a good Thai travel agent. Because that is one thing I'll say for this country, every travel agent I've ever used gets freebies galore for me and I've never, ever had a problem on the other end, when I arrived at a hotel in another country.

[john baah jumper]

I have service in Thailand always be found to be excellent but maybe that is because I don't stay in cheap flop houses.

I would say that you are a Very Lucky Man ..... indeed you are Sir ... a very lucky man.

yes some people rate snot, disdain and big extra large cockroaches very highly.

Edited August 28, 2013 by john baah jumper

[overherebc]

I've already noticed lots of Philipino service staff in resorts in Phuket recently. They just have better English skills and work ethic.

How do they manage work permits for service work? I thought it was a protected industry...for Thais only.

Quite often add in the WP that the holder will be training locals to do the job

[moe666]

Years ago I was in London one of the complaints there was that most first time tourist to England never returned as the service, weather,and friendliness of England was lacking. These things happen no matter where you travel. If you have a good trip with no downs consider it a great trip. One of the many things I have learned in many years of worldwide travel never leave the success of my trip up to a travel agency.

[Timwin]

high-end tourists are a valuable commodity and deserve to be

treated accordingly, because word-of-mouth recommendations are precious.

You mean that 650 dollar package to Cambodia is "high end"?! That driver probably got 40-50 dollars out of that for the whole trip. The guy is driving 10-15 hours per day and you expect him to be all smiling all the time?! About 300 kilometers of driving while farangs bitching and moaning all the way. How far do you think you can taxi with 50 dollars in Belgium or in US?

Edited August 28, 2013 by Timwin

[Suffinator]

Education is and always will be the key and until they put aside their greed, through corrupt practices, they will never be able to effectively compete.

Thai Tourism in Danger Due to Thai Attitudes of Foreigners

[moe666]

I've already noticed lots of Philipino service staff in resorts in Phuket recently. They just have better English skills and work ethic.

As many Thais have no English skills and most no Ethics. I ask a Thai male friend in business in Bangkok what ethics were, he said good business. This from a supposedly educated man.

Then your knowledge and friendship with Thais is very limited.

[elzach]

In all fairness, half of those Malaysia tourist arrivals are Singaporeans, who consider Malaysia a "weekend getaway".

Having said that, if Malaysia one day manages to attract ONE-THIRD of the Westerners that Thailand does, it would be game over for Thailand. Service, infrastructure, SAFETY, and of course language skills, are out of Thailand's league.

It would be fair to say that Thailand will have to compete with Vietnam, for example, in the near future, if things don't improve.

[lensta]

How about a reality check, please.

I find it puzzling that any foreigner would have the temerity to complain about Thai attitudes in the tourist trade. If one compares to other tourist destinations, despite the shortcomings of Thailand, it still delivers a much better customer experience than in faring land. Perhaps, some of the local Thai tourism critics should visit the EU or Carribean and get a taste of the surly attitudes.

The quality of service at Thai 4 and 5* resorts still is comparable to anywhere else. The service level at the lower end hotels and guest houses still beats the service levels at their counterparts in faring lands. Thailand service levels are Nirvana compared to China.

Why do you have to compare the service in Thailand to other countries, shouldn't the people in the service industries in Thailand just try to be the best at what they do irrespective

of the way "farang land" operates?

[elzach]

I've already noticed lots of Philipino service staff in resorts in Phuket recently. They just have better English skills and work ethic.

As many Thais have no English skills and most no Ethics. I ask a Thai male friend in business in Bangkok what ethics were, he said good business. This from a supposedly educated man.

he he, must have been "Chinese-Thai".

[yooyoo]

"Other issues that foreign visitors are worried about include political stability, travellers' safety, integrated service facilities and Internet services. Cultural tourism should be promoted as foreign visitors appreciate Thai culture and tradition, the centre said."

---Not to mention kidnapping, extortion, robbery, murder, train derailments, floods, poisonings in hotels, and being massacred on the roads.

The list goes on and on.. most tourists will however continue to come.. poontang is king!

[Timwin]

Part of the problem is the white trash from the West. Especially from UK and USA coming to Thailand and start throwing their pennies around and expect everybody to treat them as Kings and Queens.

If you treat Thais with respect and be patient, then they will usually service you quite well. If you are that obnoxious drunken f*** from Birmingham, forget it.

[pookiki]

Yeah, I guess you are right. It was ok to for the hotel staff to come and gas me in my room. I few more sprays and I would have been in the dumpster with the other guests who complained about service! And this was at a hotel chain that does business throughout the country! And I guess you know what they call 'guavas' in Thai. Not sure about pomelos!

No need to agree and then justifying your agreement by disagreeing...

I'm not sure of the hotel chain you're referring to, and I'm guessing that due to "name and shame" laws here you can't reveal the name.

So lets do it the way a certain former DPM solves cases here.

The hotel has the first letter C?

If so, hardly a shining example of hospitality, no matter what they claim!

As for farang and guava, pomelo translates to sôm oh in thai. I hope that doesn't offend you

This is they way I see it for any major hotel chain. There 'should' be a standardized training for employees and a manager on duty at all times to resolve customer complaints. They should be sensitive to sensible customer complaints and, similarly, resolve the issues in a manner that relies on common sense. In most major hotel chains, they are sensitive to return visits and developing customer loyalty. That is why you will see rooms or meals 'comped' when there are serious service issues. When a chain operates throughout the country, I should be able to expect the same level of service whether in be in Mae Sot, Hui Hin, Bangkok, Ubon, or Timbuktu. I hope you agree with that assertion.

Edited August 28, 2013 by pookiki

[slipperylobster]

Unfortunately, a decrease in revenuei from tourism will be a necessary step, and is bound to happen, before Thailand improves its image. I would like to see progress, as I do like to stay. My recommendations are obvious, but I doubt anything immediate will happen.

1. Safe driving courses and drug testing for anyone involved in passenger transportation.

2. Weekly In inspections of rails, especially in the known trouble spots that trains are prone to detrack

3. Tourist Police walking beats at random...not just stationary...and especially at known trouble areas.

4. Trouble Call lines for victims of fraud, scams, threats, etc, Better response times.

5. Monitoring of transportation manipulators, (taxi mafias)

...probably a bunch more, that are obvious

[kirk0233]

Thais seem to be immensely satisfied with their life as it is. Buddha explained everything thousands of years ago; so little need to improve anything apart from marketing purposes. Customers will be serviced, but not at the inconvenience of the server.

[ginjag]

It's the managements fault for allowing the staff to get away with it.

The management is equally as guilty.

And the managements manager is equally responsible

[hansnl]

Thailand unemployment rate is 0.77 percent so obviously low paying tourism industry is not that attractive to Thais.

That number, 0.77%, could have been generated by TAT

You believe it?

[zydeco]

I live in Bangkok, but when I want a week's vacation, I go to Malaysia. English speaking, clean, better stocked (with American items) in malls and grocery stores, receipts in English, almost every shop with signs in Malay and English, and it's really nice to go to a place that, although it may have traffic jams, at least people tend to follow the traffic laws. I was just outside of KL about two months ago. My hotel room suddenly had a power outage. I looked outside and saw it was my room only, reported the incident, and there was somebody to fix the problem literally within two minutes. The downside is Malaysian food is not nearly as good as Thai and it's harder to get a taxi.

[KRaymond]

And again for the benefit for the country, not the tourists...But I suppose it's not for the country but for someone's pocket

[zyphodb]

Why doesn't anybody understand that so many people in this country don't give a sh!t about providing good service or understanding how stuff needs to work.

Or give sh!t about anything at all? It's just laziness. The mak ngai, ya khit maak attitude.

Not saying this is the case with all Thai, but way too many. And trust me, the people who DO care and make an effort to do their best are just as pissed off about this.

Don't forget, you are not getting crap service because you are a westerner. Thai or foreigner same.

i think you've hit the nail right on the head, in my 2 years of living here's experience 90% + of Thai's who work in shops, Hotels or Bars are uninterested in anything other than taking your Money regardless weather you are Thai or Falang, Customer service is virtually non-existent, to try & get something faulty repaired or (god forbid) your Money back is as difficult as they can possibly make it, I usually have to create quite a scene regardless of there being, eg a 2 year guarantee on the product, Of course they generally get away with this as most Thai's are too culturally embarrassed, (read think they lose face) to do this.

Also they seem to have absolutely no concept of customer loyalty maybe because they live in the 'now' & are culturally incapable of looking more than a couple of day ahead, don't get me wrong, I do actually quite like & respect this attitude until I have to get my, say 1 month old faulty mobile phone replaced, then it becomes infuriating. Anyway this is all part of the swings & roundabouts of living I suppose, Must be bloody annoying if you are only here for 2 weeks & have a full on experience with it though...

[trainman34014]

I've already noticed lots of Philipino service staff in resorts in Phuket recently. They just have better English skills and work ethic.

I've known business owners in Cambodia and Vietnam who say the same thing. There is an element of nationalism that needs to be mentioned also. A lot of Thais dislike having to cater to foreigners and specifically Westerners in their own country. This isn't specific to Thailand by any means, but there is a lot of anti-foreign rhetoric drummed up by media outlets and the government -- much more than your average foriegner is aware of.

If they feel that bad about it they should get out of working with tourists and go work in a Tuna canning factory. Nobody makes them work with foreigners.

[ppmacready]

I've already noticed lots of Philipino service staff in resorts in Phuket recently. They just have better English skills and work ethic.

If they have such great English skills how come when I order something in the Philippines 9 out of 10 times I get the wrong order.

You have a lisp?

[ChrisY1]

I had dinner with a few friends a few nights ago and the service was fantastic my beer glass was never empty until I had finished and I never once touched the bottle. Stop complaining service is the same world wide you get good and bad just never go back to the bad and if you do go back stop complaining.

Have to agree with you ......I've been here 10 years now and have enjoyed pretty good service most of the time...especially with service industries ..eg..A/C servicing...vehicle work...electrical..(dodgy, but prompt!)...etc.....

Hotels I have been to have also been equal to the west.....yes..there is the language issue...

To me, France has the one of the worst language issues.....especially in Paris....

[chrisrazz]

My son worked in the Kitchen for a foreign chef, 300 baht a day if lucky. 16hr days, driving to the market for produce, arriving early for service, then leaving late after service. Never saw any share of the tips, was even ripped off on his last pay packet. My fault, as I encouraged him and believed that working for a foreigner would be a stepping stone in an industry in which he was interested.

If workers are treated like shit, then what you get is substandard performance. This is a good lesson for all business operaters everywhere, a happy worker is a good worker that will return loyalty and respect if received. Simple psychology really.

My personal experience with hotels in Thailand has been reasonably good. I mostly try to stay in smaller family run places. I went many times to a place in Samui, helpful and caring people, excellent home cooked food, if I was early enough in the morning I could catch the market run and pre order my dinner, this resulted in others in the restaurant querying the menu as I was having special orders. There was a large resort next door where the buffet food, all prepaid in the package holiday, was so bad that patrons were regularly eating at our place.

[sonar6ca]

1. Hire some personnel with brains

2. Increase their salary