Traveller letters: Stop leaving creepy hints about tipping in my hotel room

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This was published 5 years ago

Traveller letters: Stop leaving creepy hints about tipping in my hotel room

Intrusive and creepy? Swans shaped out of towels.

Intrusive and creepy? Swans shaped out of towels.Credit: Shutterstock

GO THE SWANS

I have found the tip-soliciting efforts of some housekeeping staff at hotels and on cruise ships to be intrusive and creepy.

There have been towelling swans and other creatures left on my bed, origami toilet-paper animals on the cistern, toilet seats left up to prove they were in the bathroom (doing what?) and my PJs arranged in dead-body pose on my bed.

A cruise of the Greek Islands got so bad I was prepared to tip just so they would leave my things alone. I then learnt that the purser's office had already deducted €60 from my credit card to cover gratuities.

What cheek.

Gillian Scoular, Annandale, NSW

IT'S A LIVING THING

While many of us may detest tipping, surely if you have the means and opportunity to travel, you can pay the people who provide you service, especially in countries where the minimum or living wage is not protected.

To travel is to explore other cultures and experiences, and hopefully add understanding and learning. Applying Australian cultural/economic norms is nonsense. If you do not know the local tipping protocol, check your guide book or get an app.

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Service personnel in these locations do not make the rules and have little power to address their economic circumstances.

If you want to complain about tipping, speak with the hotel/cruise/restaurant/tour operator – it is their employment practices which create the tip requirement.

Andrew Edsor, Brisbane, QLD

LETTER OF THE WEEK: STRUNG OUT

I had an unforgettable experience in Phoenix, Arizona. Having a spare day before a conference, I asked the cabbie, "What is one place I must see?" He replied: "The Musical Instrument Museum".

The next afternoon, as I was getting my ticket, I wondered why the museum offered three-day passes. Once inside, I knew.

Wow. One entire floor was devoted to individual artists, from Pablo Casals to Bernstein to Elvis. The other covered every country and culture, including Australia, with music triggered to play as you approached the display.

I ran out of time but had just enough to buy my husband a T-shirt with the famous 1958 Harlem Jazz portrait and the fridge magnet "Music is the Language of the Soul."

An experience not to be missed.

Joy Heads, Wollstonecraft, NSW

HATS OFF

I recently travelled to Paris, Venice and the Greek Islands with my husband, celebrating 30 years of marriage. I bought a beautiful, expensive sunhat in Venice. I decided not to pack it, in case it ruined the shape, so I wore it on the trip home.

After boarding our last flight at Doha Airport I realised I did not have my hat. I was devastated. Between security checks, coffee shops and a four-hour sleep in a hotel suite outside the airport to break the nine-hour layover, I could not remember the last time I had my hat.

When I got home I emailed both Doha Airport and hotel. Within hours the Doha Airport lost property department had found my hat and were sending it back to Sydney Airport with Qatar Airways.

After three weeks and a mere $20 courier charge, I have my hat with all the precious memories of that holiday.

Leanne Steinbeck, Wamberal, NSW

ROUGH JUSTICE

I recently led a small group of six on a tour around Vietnam, travelling mainly by train and coach.

Tragically, while on tour, our coach hit and killed an old tribal man who, without looking, ran out straight in front of the vehicle.

Our driver could do nothing to avoid the man but not every country has our justice system. He was detained at the local police station until he paid a debt to the man's family of about $1800 – a fortune for our young, faultless, Vietnamese driver.

I was so proud to have the Aussies on board who spontaneously and generously contributed to our young driver's debt (as did the boss back in Sydney).

After three days and when our money arrived in his bank account, he was allowed to return to his own family and home. Between us all, we gave back something to a people who had been such a joy to be among.

Hayley Anderson, Balmain, NSW

CRUEL WORLD

In Anthony Dennis' review of his Air Canada flight the verdict at the conclusion includes the comment about "the reserves of goodwill that Canada attracts from much of the civilised world…"

My question is, Anthony, in 2018 what is the civilised world? Nowadays the term may be slightly out of date and certainly ambiguous.

Janet Wilson, Montrose, VIC

SHIP OF FOOLS

When my family and I visited Stockholm's Vasa museum years ago there were computers that enabled visitors to choose the quantity of ballast, and the number of cannons (and their size) to be installed on the two decks.

By varying these quantities, it became obvious that the Vasa stood no chance against a crosswind as its centre of gravity was at (or very close to) the waterline, with maximum ballast and no cannons on the upper deck.

Brian Johnston makes no mention of the computers – it may be because they have been removed, which would be a great pity, as they were a good analytical tool for young and old.

David Gordon, Cranebrook, NSW

WAY TO GO

I wonder how many readers have heard of Cobbold Gorge? And how many have actually visited?

Cobbold Gorge Village, one of outback Australia's best-kept secrets, is an oasis off the Savannah Way in outback Queensland and the Gorge itself is, well, gorgeous. It's not easy to get to, but that's half the fun of it.

Kirsten Walla, Vaucluse, NSW

LAP OF THE GODS

When I became seriously ill in Lapland, we called Insure and Go and were given "permission" to see a doctor; they provided no help at all in finding a doctor or any other assistance.

After finding and attending a medical centre with the assistance of the hotel owner, the doctor arranged a 4½-hour taxi trip to hospital in Rovaniemi. I was admitted immediately and spent the next five days on an IV drip, having been diagnosed with sepsis.

In desperation after promised emails and calls from Insure and Go did not eventuate, we called the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Only after DFAT called Insure and Go did their attitude change.

Feeling completely abandoned and requiring DFAT to intervene will ensure that if you don't have a medical condition prior to dealing with this callous company, you certainly will afterwards.

Linda Hughes, Greensborough, VIC

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