#  >  > Travellers Tales in Thailand and Asia >  >  > Thailands Travellers Tales >  >  > Thailand Hotels, Resorts and Guest Houses >  >  Rude Hotels: Hotels From Hell

## Mid

*Rude Hotels: Hotels From Hell*
Vir Sanghvi
 October 04, 2013


_Columnist Vir Sanghvi_

         Here  is a story about a hotel I stayed in last week. I write this in  Thailand where I am shooting a new show. As part of the schedule, we  went to Koh Chang, one of the most beautiful and relatively undiscovered  parts of the country. The production company booked us all into a  resort run by a                   leading Thai chain. Clearly, the management had been told to accord good treatment to a  TV crew that might end up featuring the hotel and, therefore, give it  some free publicity. We were tired after an eight-hour journey from the  south of Thailand when we checked in and though I was led to what I  imagined was one of the hotel’s better suites, I asked if I could have a  room instead. The suite was only accessible through a spiral staircase  which had got slippery with the rain. No problem, they said. So, I put  my bags down in the one-room cottage they shifted me to and we went off  to dinner at an open-air buffet restaurant on the property.

 The buffet did not look exciting so I asked to see the menu. No  problem, they repeated smilingly. But as the steward arrived to take my  order, I noticed with mounting horror that a stray cat had jumped on to  the buffet table and was going from one serving dish to the other.  Obviously, it was more excited by the buffet than I had been.

 I drew the manager’s attention to the rapid conversion of his buffet  into cat food. He went and shooed the cat away. Then, he declared he was  ready to take my order. But what about the plates that the cat had  snuck its mouth into? Wasn’t he going to replace the food? Oh no, he  said, he was sure the cat hadn’t eaten very much. With mounting unease, I  ordered my meal. I got even more uneasy when I noticed that he was  refusing to write anything down. “Oh, don’t worry, I remember,” he  assured me.

 
_The coffee shop theorist: ITC’s Nakul Anand  (above) reviews sales figures at coffee shops at his hotels to check  whether standards have fallen_

  You can guess what happened. He got the order completely wrong. When I  pointed this out, he got aggressive. “Yes, you did order it,” he said  angrily. I tried remonstrating and explaining that not only had I not  ordered some of the things he thought I had, he had also forgotten to  bring two dishes that I had actually asked for. Finally, somebody senior  from the management came along and stopped him and we ate our meal in  peace, keeping a watchful eye for any feline diners who might choose to  join us.

 I returned to my room and tried the DVD player. After failing to get  it to work for 20 minutes, I called for help. The technician spent  another 10 minutes and gave up. He went off and returned with a new  player. This didn’t work either. So, he wandered off to find a third  player. And so on. By then, I was ready to sleep anyway. It must have  rained heavily that night because when I woke up I found that the roof  had leaked and my handbag, clothes and iPod were all soaked. After I had  tried to wipe off the water and set them out to dry, I called room  service for a coffee and something to eat. “No sir,” said the lady at  the other end. “Our waiters are very busy till 11am. So, we don’t serve  anything in the rooms.”

 I was already late for a shoot so I threw my wet clothes into a  suitcase and checked out. I met two other members of my crew at  reception. One of them said that his air-conditioning hadn’t worked and  in two rooms, the power had failed for three hours at night. (No  generators had kicked in.)

 The general manager then arrived, mortified that a TV crew which he  had hoped might feature his hotel, was leaving in disgust. What could he  do to make up? Would we like a free massage? We made our excuses and  left.

 So, what is it that you think went so wrong? By the standards of the  hotel industry, we were high-profile guests marked out for special  attention because it was important to impress us. How could they have  screwed up so badly? Perhaps if I had taken the luxury villa they  originally offered, the roof may not have leaked. But everything else  was just an example of utter incompetence. If this is how they treat  high-profile guests booked in by TV companies, what happens to the  average punter?

 I have a theory, which applies equally to restaurants and hotels. It  is possible to have a bad experience at a good hotel. Remember that in  the average hotel, 200 different guests have individual experiences  every day in rooms and restaurants. The law of averages suggests that at  least some of these guests will be the victims of screw ups. In very  good hotels, there will be very few screw ups. But nothing in life is  absolutely perfect, so yes, some people will be disappointed. The test  of a good hotel is how it makes up for its mistakes.

 But, you can never ever have a good stay at a bad hotel. No matter  whether your name appears on some VIP list or whether the general  manager arrives at the porch to open your car door and greet you at  check-in, a bad hotel will always screw up. The staff will be poorly  trained (like the guy who refused to write down the order, got it wrong,  and then got aggressive), hygiene standards will be poor (God alone  knows how many guests found cat whiskers in their green curry),  maintenance will suck (the leaking roof), nobody will check the room  fittings (the faulty DVD  players) and staff will be lazy (the general  manager assured me that they do actually serve breakfast in rooms – when  the staff can be bothered to). No amount of sucking up can mask sheer  incompetence.

 So, what do guests do? How do we choose hotels to avoid being  subjected to screw up after screw up? Some people use the Net and check  guest comments. This may work for some of you but in my experience it  has never served as a reliable indicator. There has been controversy  over the way in which some such advice sites operate but what you need  to remember is this: the people to whom these comments should matter the  most – hotel managements at up-market properties – don’t worry too much  about them. The bulk of their business is corporate and corporate  clients rarely go on the Internet to complain about service.

 _
Pristine paradise: Koh Chang is one of the most  beautiful parts of Thailand. The production company booked us into a  resort run by a leading Thai chain_ 

Another method is to trust media reviewers. This makes  some sense but is subject to an obvious handicap. When I visit a  restaurant or a hotel, I am often conscious of not getting the same  experience as other guests because I have been recognised. The same, I  imagine, is true of other travel and food writers. On the other hand, if  I have a really bad experience despite being recognised, then it does  tell you something about the calibre of the establishment.   

 
_High standards: The Grand Hyatt in Bangkok; in  recent years, I’ve been impressed by the consistency in service and food  at the Hyatt_ 

  These days, when I am travelling abroad and do not know individual  properties well, I tend to rely on the reputations of the big American  chains. Not every Starwood property is perfect but I still pick Starwood  hotels because the chances of things going wrong are relatively  minimal. In recent years, I have been impressed by Hyatt (this column is  being written in the excellent Grand Hyatt in Bangkok) where the  service and food are consistent.

 The only reliable method, of course, is to ask locals. They always  know, better than anyone else, what the best hotels in their cities are.  They will tell you if standards have dropped or if a hotel is living  off a reputation based on past glories. ITC’s Nakul Anand, the most  cerebral hotelier I know, always reviews sales figures at coffee shops  at his hotels. His reasoning is that the coffee shop is the hotel’s link  with the local community. When coffee shop sales fall, it means that  locals are giving up on the hotel. Because Nakul understands numbers  better than the rest of us, he has worked out a formula to demonstrate  how a drop in coffee shop sales always, but always, leads to a drop in  room occupancy with a time lag of a few months.

 But of course, there is no surefire prescription. Sometimes you will  have wonderful experiences at cheap, out-of-the-way hotels that nobody  has ever heard of. And sometimes the world’s greatest hotels will  relieve you of your money and then treat you like dirt. Sadly, that is  the way of the world.

hindustantimes.com

----------


## terry57

Well written story.

As far as the Hotel on Koh Chang goes, anyone who knows Thailand will have a little giggle .

Typical Thai incompetence at its best.   :Smile:  

I must add, its never happened to me though, the exact opposite really.

The vast majority of my stays have been blinding value and vastly enjoyable so there you go.

----------


## Albert Shagnastier

^It's in the mindset Tel - I mean, what's wrong with the cat having a little chow down eh? - no need to be kee Niew  :Smile:

----------


## metisdead

> I  ordered my meal. I got even more uneasy when I noticed that he was   refusing to write anything down. “Oh, don’t worry, I remember,” he   assured me.


The typical ignorant, arrogant, delicate Thai.

Writing down an order would be a declaration that they are not intelligent enough to remember it.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## ENT

Not writing down an order is the norm for a semi-literate Thai.

Many can only read the pictures.

----------


## DrAndy

^ ^^  oh dear

whilst that guy may have had a bad experience, the fact he mentions the Grand Hyatt as having high standards gives the game away

Does he expect the normal mass tourist resort to be as well run as one of the most expensive international chains?

whilst they do try, the money for the best staff and good training is not there. It didn't sound like a "hotel from hell", just one that did not match up to his spoiled-baby high standards

----------


## Wizard of Oz

After being a hotel manager for about 30 years I can truly state that Indians are by far the worst guests. Over demanding, discount seeking lot they are. I could write numerous stories about Indians in hotels.

In India they burn and bury people in the Ganges, only to wash and drink the water a few meters/miles downstream, people use the streets as toilet, hardly any clean drinking water and he is worried about a cat on the buffet table....

They wanted special treatment, most likely a discount too and "maybe" featuring the hotel in "his" show..... That too I have heard many times, never materialised. 

In the end he probably got what he paid for, not much!

----------


## DrAndy

^ nothing like a bit of racism in a thread

he was just a spoilt little princess seeking a freebie and not getting it

----------


## Wizard of Oz

Got nothing to do with racism, just 30 years of experience!

----------


## Kurgen

> we went to Koh Chang, one of the most beautiful and relatively undiscovered parts of the country


built all over and crammed with Russians last time I went.

----------


## DJ Pat

The Nasa Vegas hotel in Bangkok may well be a bit sneered at but the lobby bar and restaurant was one of the best run places I've been to, and I've drank in many hotel lobbies. The food is very good too, the staff never got any order wrong and were friendly. Room service was prompt and all that I ordered was very decent and well priced. 

Goes to show that many of these high end places feel they don't need to bother being efficient or friendly, usually trading on past glories or reputations.....

----------


## Morden

The resort is probably recognisable from the image and so has effectively been named. If my understanding of the relevant Thai law is correct, the author could be sued for defamation. I'm not sure what the law says about public forums that publish it.

----------


## DJ Pat

I always found that the small local run beach bungalows offered much better service and availability of good local food. Not run by uppity staff but just locals

----------


## ENT

> After being a hotel manager for about 30 years I can truly state that Indians are by far the worst guests. Over demanding, discount seeking lot they are. I could write numerous stories about Indians in hotels.
> 
> In India they burn and bury people in the Ganges, only to wash and drink the water a few meters/miles downstream, people use the streets as toilet, hardly any clean drinking water and he is worried about a cat on the buffet table....
> 
> They wanted special treatment, most likely a discount too and "maybe" featuring the hotel in "his" show..... That too I have heard many times, never materialised. 
> 
> In the end he probably got what he paid for, not much!


Indians can be the most obnoxious of demanding guests in all of the world!!!

They can also be the most ameliorating visitors you may receive.

Others,(of whom  I have met some of the worst specimens of humanity), are total claptrap,...boasting a large family/clientel base to decide a tarrif at an hotel/guesthouse i in Asia, yet still abuse my staff because they think tjat their high status as rupee or baht or any other Asian currency status allows "favourable status" !!!!!   WTF!!!

----------


## Kurgen

> ameliorating


on a Sunday morning, bastid!

----------


## ENT

Heh heh, come visit me in CM in 6 wks. .... :Smile:

----------


## charleyboy

> The only reliable method, of course, is to ask locals. They always know, better than anyone else, what the best hotels in their cities are.


Why would the locals know?

----------


## jamiejambos

Should of stayed at ''Paddy's Palms'' is all I can say.

----------


## Ronin

A cat stuck it's nose in the food and he didn't bother to get rid of it?  Give me strength the stupidity that goes on in Asia really does have me wondering?

----------


## patsycat

Cats are very fussy eaters, so if the cat was enjoying the food then it must have been good.

----------


## Ronin

Send for Sontamslap chief cat exterminator...... :Smile:

----------


## SpicyMartin

Terrific thread for some lazy Sunday morning light entertainment! Love the bit about "Koh Chang, one of the most beautiful and relatively undiscovered parts of the country!" Bloody hell!

----------


## MeMock

My worst hotel was in Perth. This was my review: Is the Red Castle Motel the worst hotel in Perth? | Family life in rural Thailand & Australia

----------


## Necron99

Cant have a good stay at a bad hotel? I beg to differ.
Plane problems caused my flight from HK to Darwin on Brunei Air to stop overnight in Bandar Seri Begawan for two nights.
They put us in a cheap ass shit hotel in chinatown, the rrooms were dirty and smelly  but it did have a bar at night time and in the day time served beer in coffee pots in the restaurant.
Some (most?) complained about the standard of the rooms and they moved us to a hotel outside of chinatown that was marginally better but dry.
I moved back the same day.

Thai resorts are hit and miss and anyone who has been to one knows generally to not expect "hotel" quality service and standards.

----------


## DrAndy

> Got nothing to do with racism, just 30 years of experience!



I don't think this was necessary or relevant




> In India they burn and bury people in the Ganges, only to wash and drink  the water a few meters/miles downstream, people use the streets as  toilet, hardly any clean drinking water and he is worried about a cat on  the buffet table....


the people who need to live like that are forced to by poverty, nothing to do with Indians being unhygienic

----------


## kingwilly

> The resort is probably recognisable from the image and so has effectively been named. If my understanding of the relevant Thai law is correct, the author could be sued for defamation. I'm not sure what the law says about public forums that publish it.


The article is not in thailand.

----------


## terry57

> The Nasa Vegas hotel in Bangkok may well be a bit sneered at but the lobby bar and restaurant was one of the best run places I've been to.




The good old Nasa Vegas EH Pat,  I must say I liked it there as well.

 A million dollar lobby and mickey mouse rooms.

Typical Thailand insanity,  brilliant value and top Location on the sky train. 

For some reason I think about your cousin when the Nasa is mentioned.  :Smile:

----------


## DJ Pat

> Originally Posted by DJ Pat
> 
> 
> 
> 
> The Nasa Vegas hotel in Bangkok may well be a bit sneered at but the lobby bar and restaurant was one of the best run places I've been to.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I liveded there for 6 months long before the skytrain went there back in the day (4500 a month). I remember romantic nights sitting outside putting coins on the track (the main line to Chachongsao runs outside the front) and then battling an hour of traffic just to get to PhraKanong. 

Their beef stroganoff was fabulous, one evening I saw the reception staff lads finished their shift and were across the road at family Mart sharing whisky and soda. They recognised me and insisted I sit with them and drink a couple. 

Me and the cousin stayed in a junior suite for 3 days. I shagged that German backpacker there, who was astonished I could pay 990 for the junior suite and it had a sofa area, hot water in it's own bathroom and a city view. She'd been slumming it in some place in soi Rambutree for half that cost but with the usual Kao San Road backpacker 'The Beach' romantic attitude. 

My worst experience ever in London at the Pavilion Hotel near Paddington. film themed rooms, luxury bedding, great website, and when I arrived I was told the bathroom and toilet was down the fucking hall! It was pissing in the sink time of course.
Worst in Thailand? I'd have to go through my blacklist.

----------


## Gazza

> The Nasa Vegas hotel in Bangkok may well be a bit sneered at but the lobby bar and restaurant was one of the best run places I've been to,


When you say 'run', is that as in 'managed'?

Or is it 'one of the best run places' as in 'one of the best places to run from without paying for your meal'?

 :Smile:

----------


## beerlaodrinker

Gotta agree with me mock the red castle in Perth is an absolute shocker, but it does come with hot and cold running whores, pass on that.

----------


## DJ Pat

> Originally Posted by DJ Pat
> 
> The Nasa Vegas hotel in Bangkok may well be a bit sneered at but the lobby bar and restaurant was one of the best run places I've been to,
> 
> 
> When you say 'run', is that as in 'managed'?
> 
> Or is it 'one of the best run places' as in 'one of the best places to run from without paying for your meal'?


Unless you manage to run off I suppose.

----------


## Wizard of Oz

"the people who need to live like that are forced to by poverty, nothing to do with Indians being unhygienic"

Rich and poor get burned and tossed in the Ganges, rich and poor bath in the Ganges.

The essence of my initial reply was that Indians are horrible guests, they have nothing at home, but expect everything in a hotel, preferably at discounted rates.

In Australia I had a tour company send a request to accommodate a group of Indians, "sorry, fully booked", its not worth the hassle. 

No, I'm not a racist, just a very good (now retired) hotel manager.

----------


## kingwilly

You mean you broke the law.

----------


## Yasojack

wizard of Oz is correct in the Indians are very demanding and want everything for nothing, many Thai bars in BKK, not want there custom.

Not racist at all more like choose your customers, that are going to spend and not be a pain in the arse.

----------


## DrAndy

I understand that many Indians are lousy guests; they are usually from the richer classes and tend to be arrogant and a pain

It was the accompanying sentences that were unpleasant and unnecessary, never mind not actually contributing anything

----------


## ENT

I agree with you there, rich Indians on tour are a pain in the ar*e, even in India.

----------


## DJ Pat

I remember seeing a group of Indian tourists on Sukhumvit flooding into a 7-11 to buy food and munching away like there was a famine. No doubt this was cheaper than sitting in a restaurant and enjoying a meal rather than walking along the street at 1am munching on taro buns and cheap mama cup noodles. After all they were meant to be on 'holiday' right? 

I think I heard that a group of Indian men were asked to leave a gogo bar because they all ordered bottles of water

----------


## xanax

was told by more than one Hotel manager in Bkk that they don't like Indians cos they often cook their own food in the rooms, damaging carpets and stinking the place out, were they being 'racist' or just honest?

----------


## DJ Pat

^I'd certainly say honest!!

Dunno why Indians bother taking holidays if they are going to take their thrifty no-fun attitude with them and not make use of their shower facilities

Chaleena Hotel was popular with Indians, cheap and nasty like them.

----------


## Wizard of Oz

Stayed a few weeks in Pattaya a month or so ago, I come there quite a bit, just for fun and sea with wife and kids.

All! Girls I spoke to, absolutely hate Indians, the ones I talked to would not go with them. 

As I am a bad sleeper and not sleep much I sit outside on the balcony, overlooking "coconut bar" quite a bit. There you see those Indians trying to coach a girl back to their hotel where they will be greeted by another 4 or so Indians, all wanting to have a go, for the one price! 

Talking about hygienic....... (And cheap!)

And as an ex hotel manager I can add, cooking rice in the electric water kettles is the way to go, eating food on the floor, with a large amount of alcohol is nature to them, leaving me to toss out the water kettle and call the carpet cleaners in. Like I said before, they are not worth the hassle, cost more than it will make me.

----------


## cdnski12

My hotel from hell was in Phonsovan, Laos near the famous (overdone) Plain of Jars. We booked an all inclusive trip from Luang Prabang c/w Mini Bus, Hotel & Tour of the Plain of Jars. I normally prefer to do it myself, but travel from LP=>Phonsovan was a bit iffy. We arrived in Phonsovan after an tough trip from LP. Our booked hotel was over booked by busloads of Vietnamese Tourists. The Hotel didn't bother to phone our Tour Director, although I doubt there was any Cell coverage in that part of Laos. We arrived @ around 9:00pm to find the hotel full and no rooms for the 3 foreign couples. Our driver found us an alternative hotel; which I later found was a local "Short Time" Hotel. Evidently we got the worst room, even though I was with my Thai GF, who obviously spoke decent Lao. I told her to go rip a piece off the Hotel Manager, which she was reluctant to do, being a very rib Roy Thai Lady. I told her to forget the politeness, we needed a better room. They refused, but at least they did give the Room & Bathroom a thorough cleaning, changed the grimy Shower Curtain and installed a new mattress & bedding. The tour director was very apologetic, but I noticed he stayed @ the original hotel. I didn't think Phonsovan was worth the effort. We should have spent more time in Luang Prabang, a beautiful small city.

----------


## DJ Pat

Aana resort, Koh Chang.

9.30am I'm still drunk with my GF, and the phone rings.

''You have to check out now sir''

I had booked a 4pm check out so to catch the ferry back to the mainland.

''We have student group check in now''

''But I booked a late check out''

''You have check out now sir''

In the typical 'this is Thailand, take it or leave it' attitude.

Luckily it was an outside type resort and we were able to get out into her car and bugger off without paying. Got a call threatening me with the tourist police.

----------


## dantilley

> Originally Posted by Morden
> 
> 
> The resort is probably recognisable from the image and so has effectively been named. If my understanding of the relevant Thai law is correct, the author could be sued for defamation. I'm not sure what the law says about public forums that publish it.
> 
> 
> The article is not in thailand.


Neither is the hotel named in the text, and the name doesn't appear in the picture.

----------


## DrAndy

> I didn't think Phonsovan was worth the effort.


I loved it; whilst Phonsavan was a bit boring, the locals were really nice and we had a big meal with them each evening. Our hotel was very cool and tiled all over, which was a shame as it was bloody cold and they did not have any more blankets

The Plain of Jars was really great, worth all the effort, fascinating

----------


## Namdocmai

Welcome to Thailand. This is how it goes in every hotel, cheap or expensive that doesn't matter.  Personell don't have any education and have never been a hotelguest themselves so how should they know to be professional?

These days hotels in Thailand cost about the same as the ones in western country's but don't deliver the same quality and services.

After staying here some years i got used to it. I prefer buffets so i don't have to conversate with waiters (who even don't speak english). The best way to find a decent hotel is to read many reviews on sites like tripadvisor. Especially reviews from western clients have my interest.

Compared to India Thailand is still a paradise. I will never go back to India because of the lack of hygiene there, i had a triple darminfection after a month and that was terrible. Also the fact that i was followed by 100 beggars all day long made me decide to never go back there.

----------


## DJ Pat

I trawled through 11 pages on booking.com for a 4 star hotel for 3 nights in London in 2 weeks time.

Every single one of them had mostly negative reviews mainly about rude staff, cleanliness, noise, awful breakfasts and generally being overpriced. Some rooms had no windows, most had no balcony. These are places all over at least £90 a night.

You should think yourselves lucky. London, apart from the major 5 star chains, don't do hotels very well. One at £120 a night was just two Victorian houses knocked together and you had to share the bathroom (what the hell)

The best one I stayed at was the Pavilion, at £70 a night, worth it for the themed rooms and decor, and the balcony. 

But you still had to share the bathroom. Luckily the room had a washbasin to piss into.

----------


## dantilley

Service levels in Thai hotels are generally very good, it's one thing Thais really excel at. Service staff are normally very efficient, courteous and friendly in all areas of the hotel (front desk, waiters, management, etc.). The poor service mentioned in the OP is very unusual in a mid-to-high end hotel and is certainly the exception rather than the norm.

The main exception to this is in cheap backpacker places and the like. However there you'll be paying next to nothing - 500 Baht perhaps, or even less. I'm not sure a hotel exists in the UK which charges 10 quid a night, let alone less than this.

----------


## Cujo

> You mean you broke the law.


Yes.
Boo, fucking, hoo.

Of course you've NEVER broken the law.

----------


## Cujo

> Originally Posted by Morden
> 
> 
> The resort is probably recognisable from the image and so has effectively been named. If my understanding of the relevant Thai law is correct, the author could be sued for defamation. I'm not sure what the law says about public forums that publish it.
> 
> 
> The article is not in thailand.


Yes it is you dopey tit.
The hotel is in Thailand.



> Here is a story about a hotel I stayed in last week. I write this in Thailand where I am shooting a new show. As part of the schedule, we went to Koh Chang, one of the most beautiful and relatively undiscovered parts of the country. The production company booked us all into a resort run by a leading Thai chain.


And the article is on the internet.
(Is that in Thailand)

----------


## Morden

> Originally Posted by kingwilly
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Morden
> ...



Thank you! I hoped someone would pick up on that. Have you noticed how some posters don't read posts properly before replying - or engage the thinking part of their brains, come to that?

----------


## MeMock

> These days hotels in Thailand cost about the same as the ones in western country's but don't deliver the same quality and services.


Not even close.

Compared to Australia, most hotels in Thailand offer better service, a cleaner hotel, the same or better facilities for between 1/5 and 1/2 of the price.

----------


## dantilley

> Originally Posted by kingwilly
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Morden
> ...


I think what he meant was the article wasn't written by a Thai publication and isn't hosted in Thailand, therefore Thailand's defamation laws don't apply.

----------


## Morden

> Originally Posted by Koojo
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by kingwilly
> ...


But it's an hotel in Thailand and the article is now published on a Thai forum website.

----------


## dantilley

> But it's an hotel in Thailand and the article is now published on a Thai forum website.


True, not sure how the law applies in this kind of case. Although the fact that the hotel isn't named or the name isn't even hinted at probably means it's a moot point anyway.

----------


## Necron99

> Originally Posted by Morden
> 
> 
> But it's an hotel in Thailand and the article is now published on a Thai forum website.
> 
> 
> True, not sure how the law applies in this kind of case. Although the fact that the hotel isn't named or the name isn't even hinted at probably means it's a moot point anyway.


TD is about Thailand, it is not hosted there.
Judging by some of the pap posted here, they could give a fuck about libel laws in Thailand.
LM laws are enforced to stop the site being blacklisted.

----------


## harrybarracuda

> After being a hotel manager for about 30 years I can truly state that Indians are by far the worst guests. Over demanding, discount seeking lot they are. I could write numerous stories about Indians in hotels.


I had the misfortune to sit next to one on a night flight to London. I normally choose an aisle seat so I can get in and out easily, and normally expect to get some sleep.

However the wobbly next to me decided he wanted absolutely everything that every other passenger requested (except the duty free, obviously, because that involved spending money). On about the eighth attempt at him trying to grab something from a stewardess, this time a kids colouring book and pens, I basically turned to him and growled "SHUT THE FUCK UP I'M TRYING TO SLEEP".

At which point he hid under a blanket and remained well behaved for the rest of the flight.

A mate of mine is flying Jet Airways to BKK via Delhi this week. I think I might have a couple of valium waiting for him when he arrives in Pattaya.

 :rofl:

----------


## Simon43

> I  ordered my meal. I got even more uneasy when I noticed that he was    refusing to write anything down. Oh, dont worry, I remember, he    assured me.


When I opened my first little hotel at Phuket Airport around 2005, I hadn't got a clue....  

Some of our first guests were 20 aged female cyclists from Holland.

At their first breakfast, my new Thai staff tried to take all the orders without writing it down.  There was every combination of fried egg, soft-poached egg, hard-boiled egg, lightly-toasted bread, crispy bacon, not-crispy bacon etc.

Of course, we totally fcuked it all up and forgot the order details - so just gave them all the same type of omelette.

They never complained..... nice people the Dutch.

As for Indian customers, they are generally a hassle.  I've learnt to charge out extra pillows because they always demand an extra half-dozen.  I have to hide the free tea and coffee supplies because they will grab the lot.

Best hotel customers?  Swedes, Norwegians, Dutch and Ozzies are always easy-going.

The best customers are definitely Americans...

The worst customers are definitely Americans, especially loud, obese women from New York.....

Simon

----------


## baldrick

> my handbag





> he was just a spoilt little princess


obviously

----------


## Ronin

> Best hotel customers?  Swedes, Norwegians, Dutch and Ozzies are always easy-going.
> 
> The best customers are definitely Americans...
> 
> The worst customers are definitely Americans, especially loud, obese women from New York.....
> 
> Simon


Nothing to say on the British Simon?  :Shock:   Oh hang on maybe that's just as well....

----------


## charleyboy

> I hadn't got a clue....


Fook all has changed then!

Simon, I'm sorry but, I've read all your posts and there must be something not quite right in your head!

----------


## Gazza

Never had any real problems with places I've stayed at. Before paying I check the room out with a quick look-over to see if it's worth the price.

I've stayed at resorts, guest-houses, overnight in short-time motels and all ranges of hotels (up to 1200b) and as long as I can get a good nights sleep and have got somewhere safe to park my bike then I'm basically a happy bunny.

Sure, some motels don't have a porno channel or two, or some do but nobody has realised that the pornos have finished and it's time to put in a new one. 
In some hotels you can look through the air vents while showering and see other stayers walking passed your room. Like wise, whilst walking down the corridor I can look into other people's bathrooms while they're showering too. Some bathroom doors in hotels don't close properly leaving a gap to peer through at someone showering if someone had voyeuristic tendencies. 

I've forgotten the amount of times there's been faulty showerheads that leaked more water than it sprayed or, only 5-6 nozzles were working as the rest were blocked up. One Chinese run hotel didn't even have a mirror anywhere in the room but luckily I've got a good memory for faces. Then there's the high end hotel in Aranyaprathet that thinks they can get 15 cups of tea out of one Liptons teabag floating in a hot water jar.

Some border area hotels have so many tv channels that by the time you've flicked through them all, the channel that seemed the most interesting has already finished by the time you get back to it. Another place in Aran has Cambodian staff who always seems to give me Sprite whenever I ask for Coke.

Then there's the beach-view rooms that requires you to stand on the air-con unit to enable you only a glimpse of a small patch of sea water or, in the case of a room with a balcony, you can lean over the low balcony rails precariously to get an unobstructed view of the beach whilst trying desperately not to raise the Pattayanese suicide statistics because the hotel, and it's beach-view rooms, are actually facing the hotel next door.

All in all, just a few little issues that makes staying somewhere a little bit more memorable.

----------


## Bettyboo

> Well written story.


Sorry, Tel - can't agree with that. The writer comes across as an utter prick, imo.




> Indians are by far the worst guests


Lots of Indians here in Oman. I'm sorry to say that my impression of the fellas I work with is not good. I've always had good experiences in the UK, never worked with Indians educated in India before...  :Sad:

----------


## Namdocmai

> Originally Posted by Namdocmai
> 
> 
> 
> These days hotels in Thailand cost about the same as the ones in western country's but don't deliver the same quality and services.
> 
> 
> Not even close.
> 
> Compared to Australia, most hotels in Thailand offer better service, a cleaner hotel, the same or better facilities for between 1/5 and 1/2 of the price.


Yeah right, check the websites for good hotels in Phuket on A-locations and you will not find a good one under 10000 baht a nite outside the wetseason.

Personell barely speaks english, nightguards sleeping behind the desk, showerhead to low and jammed, tv channels not programmed, aircon makes noise, very hard matresses, green pools, nails coming out of the deck at the pools etc etc.

When i pay prices like 200 pound a nite or more everything should be perfect.

----------


## Lostandfound

Thailand has no world class hotels.

The top end offerings where I've stayed, paying from 7-50k a night, like the Oriental, Peninsula, Sukhothai, Amanpuri, Banyan Tree, Sheraton et al are generally very good five star properties with lots of smiling, wai-ing staff who add a certain finesse, but rarely genuine hospitality or much else beyond the superficial.

When things go wrong, as they can do anywhere, what separates an excellent hotel from the mediocre is the way in which it is dealt with. With the sole exception of the Peninsula in Bkk, where they had  a world class GM a few years back (Ian Couglan), Thai hotels fall short, IME

The other hotel across the river is nothing more than a pose joint for hiso Thai weddings with big face and naive once in a lifetime trippers.

That said, the massage therapist at the London Dorchester never offered me a BJ for an extra 60 quid, as has happened in one lovely hotel on Sathorn.

On that alone, Thailand still has a USP

----------


## kingwilly

> Originally Posted by dantilley
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  Originally Posted by Morden
> ...


A bit of a tricky point for some people to process, it seems... just like the somchai, this website about Thailand, must belong Thai, say bad thing then we ca block.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## kingwilly

> ]
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you! I hoped someone would pick up on that. Have you noticed how some posters don't read posts properly before replying - or engage the thinking part of their brains, come to that?


 ::doglol:: 

TD is not hosted in Thailand.

----------


## Cujo

> Originally Posted by Morden
> 
> 
> ]
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you! I hoped someone would pick up on that. Have you noticed how some posters don't read posts properly before replying - or engage the thinking part of their brains, come to that?
> 
> ...


Oh, thats ok then.
So they won't prosecute anyone in thailand for posting LM on TD then because TD is hosted outside Thailand. :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic): 
It doesn't matter where it's hosted. If the posters of LM or owners of the site displaying LM are in Thailand they can be prosecuted.

----------


## kingwilly

It's not LM either.  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## ENT

If yr posting from Thailand it could be awkward.

My lady in Chiangmai told me not to post any political stuff there, too many spies around.

If you do, change computers, locations etc and use proxies, never give away who you are.

----------


## geoff

All you people spend time slagging off the Thai's and Thailand......If you don't like it why don't you f**k of and find somewhere else to live.   Or are you too frightened to go elsewhere ???. :kma:

----------


## Yasojack

Geoff not all slag off just the idiots, that not even stay here.

----------


## Bettyboo

> All you people spend time slagging off the Thai's and Thailand......If you don't like it why don't you f**k of and find somewhere else to live. Or are you too frightened to go elsewhere ???.


Thanks for that Geoff.

Folks who live in America, Americans or other, should they fuk off out of the country if they mention that taxes are rising, the school system is inadequate or the local community offices are closed at inconvenient times? The same for Europe, Aussieland, anywhere else?

Out of interest, why would posters be frightened to live somewhere else? Please advise as I don't understand your comment.

----------

