U.K. to Hotels: Lighten Up, Please!

Travel Blog  •  Alexander Basek  •  01.26.09 | 2:11 PM ET

Fawlty TowersPhoto by B10m via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Recently a report in the U.K. stated that upwards of 50,000 jobs at hotels and restaurants are in jeopardy there. Why, pray tell? “Surliness and shoddy service.” Of course, this is not endemic to the United Kingdom; it’s easy to find cranky hotel staffers just about anywhere.

During my 2008 trip, I managed to maintain a zone of pleasantry around most of my hotel staff interactions (special commendation must be given to the staffer at the Hotel Császár in Budapest who refrained from laughing at me after I traipsed through the lobby in impulse-purchased Hungarian swimsuit to use the thermally-heated outdoor pool. In January). Alas, this is not always the case, and dealing with cranky staff after all the effort of travel can cut the legs out from any vacation.

Anyway, to counteract the problem, the British tourism board intends to launch a $10-million campaign promoting Britain’s qualities as a “value destination.” Might we suggest: “Britain: who cares if they treat you like dirt when it’s dirt-cheap” as the tagline?

Tags: Hotels, Nation Branding, Europe, England, Hungary, News and Briefs

Alexander Basek is a food and travel writer based in New York City. He is the Best Deals reporter for Travel + Leisure. His writing has also appeared in the New York Post, Time Out New York, and Fodor's.


1 Comment for U.K. to Hotels: Lighten Up, Please!

Vipin Singh 01.27.09 | 3:40 AM ET

nice article .

me gonna bookmark this page

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