Do you experience clashes in personal space and privacy concepts when you travel?
I agree, in a perfect world they should've given me better service. I just couldn't be upset over a couple of boiled eggs after realizing how gruesome life was over there.
Talking about bad service, I once stayed at this supposedly upscale hotel in India. I was really tired, so I hang the Do Not Disturb sign on the door and went to sleep. A few minutes later they knocked on my door telling me something really unimportant, the spa hours or something of the sort. I asked them to leave and went back to sleep. Next I hear my phone ringing (room phone) and it's the receptionist asking me if I am aware of the DND sign hanging on my door. I tell her I am and ask her to stop disturbing me. I disconnect the phone and you'd think that now I'm all set.....
They did in fact knock again to tell me that my phone was disconnected. Needless to say, I changed hotels within 24 hours :-D
Reply to this LOL
That is exactly like the hotel I stayed in, in India. I dont think the concept of privacy and personal space is widely know there.
First night, I went on the roof of the hotel to sit and just daydream while looking at the view. Within minutes around 6 of the hotel staff were sitting around me asking me questions and if I want tea, food, what my religion is, if I am married..... After around 15 mins I want back to my room to get some privacy. As soon as I went in there somebody knocked at the door asking if I want food or tea. I said no. Then the phone rang and somebody asked if I want food or tea. The knocking at the door and the phoning came at 10 minutely intervals. I took the phone off the hook and then pretended to sleep so the knockers would go away. I was mid sentence in my book when the light went off. The light switches were outside the hotel room doors. I waited for around 5 minutes before going out to switch it on. As soon as I opened the door a guy sitting on the floor in the hall asked me if I want dinner. And there were also people who came around wanting to wash my clothes.
Every other night after that I used to read in the semi darkness from the bathroom light because there was no way I was going to switch on my room light again.
Reply to this LOL
These stories are really funny in hindsight (a tad annoying at the time :-D ).
Reply to this Was the next hotel you moved to an improvement, CosmicTreehouse?
Reply to this What I found is the biggest difference is states of undress, and who its ok to be half dressed in front of. I tend to be pretty modest, but found my fellow hostellers had no issues hanging out around a co-ed room in tiny towels (fresh out of the shower), or a bra and soccer shorts, or just underwear. I have heard of people in co-ed rooms just shucking off, no probs (mostly guys), but this is clearly something that is more of a fluke than a general comfort level thing!! (And I am glad I missed, cause I won't stay quiet about stepping out of line in a communal situation).
Also, on a trip to the great barrier reef, we were totally expected to change into our bathing suits (if you weren't lucky enough to already have one on) in full view of everyone else, in a large, brightly lit room on the main deck. with maybe some tricky towel holding separating your personal bits from 40 of your favorite total strangers. Americans would never expect this to work!!
Reply to this I thought those anecdotes from the Indian hotels were quite funny, although I can definitely see the other side of the coin as well. I'm one of those notorious "DND"-sign placers, sometimes frustrating the poor cleaning staff. Talking about constant phone calls I have been the target of a completely different kind of suggestion. My girlfriend and I were leaving Beijing on different dates and after I had seen her off at the airport in the afternoon the wary reception clerk obviously noticed I was going back to my room alone and so after I had gone to sleep in the evening the phone calls started. Would I be interested in a little... massage? Their persistence was admirable but at least they gave up after I unplugged the phone.
Reply to this 
