Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Whether you're a working stiff or a business owner yourself, this is the place to discuss all aspects of financing your drinking habit ;-)

NO BUSINESS SALES HERE PLEASE, WE HAVE A SECTION FOR THAT IN THE CLASSIFIEDS.
User avatar
whiteribbon
Expatriate
Posts: 666
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:45 pm
Reputation: 252
Contact:
Cambodia

Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by whiteribbon »

Question to all guesthouse/hotel/holiday rental owners/managers here.

How do you deal with guests that are unhappy about a khmer wedding happening close to your place?

Some things are out of our control and last time it happened here my guests demanded a 75% Refund after they left. I couldn't give it to them since they already stayed here but I did give them a 25% refund (mainly because the wedding was indeed close by).
They did give me a horrible review after though. I was in contact with them all the time and tried my best to keep them happy, to no avail. Trying to find a solution for if this happens again in the future.
just noise, white noise
Anchor Moy
Expatriate
Posts: 13458
Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 11:37 pm
Reputation: 3974
Tokelau

Re: Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by Anchor Moy »

Frankly, I'd forget it. Post a reply to their review that Khmer weddings are part of the authentic Cambodian experience and you are truly sorry but they are part of the culture in this country and it is beyond your control.

I had a similar experience, but it was a funeral, so that shut them right up.
User avatar
Cam Nivag
BANNED
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 10:17 am
Reputation: 735
Sao Tome & Principe

Re: Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by Cam Nivag »

whiteribbon wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:17 pm Question to all guesthouse/hotel/holiday rental owners/managers here.

How do you deal with guests that are unhappy about a khmer wedding happening close to your place?

Some things are out of our control and last time it happened here my guests demanded a 75% Refund after they left. I couldn't give it to them since they already stayed here but I did give them a 25% refund (mainly because the wedding was indeed close by).
They did give me a horrible review after though. I was in contact with them all the time and tried my best to keep them happy, to no avail. Trying to find a solution for if this happens again in the future.
Did they complain at the time, and if they had, would you have tried to find them other accommodations elsewhere, or a different room, or anything like that?

I once stayed at a hotel on Lake Malawi. Upon arrival I saw they were preparing for a wedding. Eventually, I realized that I was not just the only white guy staying at the hotel, I was the only guest who wasn't there for this wedding. All the rooms were at ground level and facing a big courtyard and they set the wall of speakers up roughly 15 feet from my room and the noise and thumping bass and shaking of the walls of my room was insane. I had six beers and turned on the rainfall white noise app on my iPhone and turned that all the way up and somehow fell asleep for a few hours.
User avatar
whiteribbon
Expatriate
Posts: 666
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:45 pm
Reputation: 252
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by whiteribbon »

Anchor Moy wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:30 pm Frankly, I'd forget it. Post a reply to their review that Khmer weddings are part of the authentic Cambodian experience and you are truly sorry but they are part of the culture in this country and it is beyond your control.

I had a similar experience, but it was a funeral, so that shut them right up.
True, I told them all that. My reply to their review was probably a bit mean and I shouldn't concentrate on 1 bad review but their review was a personal attack filled with lies so I'm trying to avoid that in the future. I've been doing holiday rentals since 2008, in 10 years I had 2 bad reviews, but first time they attacked me personally for something that was out of my control.
just noise, white noise
User avatar
whiteribbon
Expatriate
Posts: 666
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:45 pm
Reputation: 252
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by whiteribbon »

Cam Nivag wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:37 pm
whiteribbon wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 9:17 pm Question to all guesthouse/hotel/holiday rental owners/managers here.

How do you deal with guests that are unhappy about a khmer wedding happening close to your place?

Some things are out of our control and last time it happened here my guests demanded a 75% Refund after they left. I couldn't give it to them since they already stayed here but I did give them a 25% refund (mainly because the wedding was indeed close by).
They did give me a horrible review after though. I was in contact with them all the time and tried my best to keep them happy, to no avail. Trying to find a solution for if this happens again in the future.


Did they complain at the time, and if they had, would you have tried to find them other accommodations elsewhere, or a different room, or anything like that?

I once stayed at a hotel on Lake Malawi. Upon arrival I saw they were preparing for a wedding. Eventually, I realized that I was not just the only white guy staying at the hotel, I was the only guest who wasn't there for this wedding. All the rooms were at ground level and facing a big courtyard and they set the wall of speakers up roughly 15 feet from my room and the noise and thumping bass and shaking of the walls of my room was insane. I had six beers and turned on the rainfall white noise app on my iPhone and turned that all the way up and somehow fell asleep for a few hours.
Ah yes they did ask me how long the wedding was gonna be. I answered to the best of my knowledge 2 days. I didn't know at all that after that wedding ended another wedding would start the day after. That one was far though, not so loud as the first one. If they would have wanted to leave no problem, I would give back the money. The problem was they stayed the whole time and asked for 75% money back after their stay. I was quite insulted because I spend money (wine, food, free drives) to keep them happy and thought they were. 25% I gave them because I understood their annoyance. But them giving me a 20% review on customer service made me boil over.
just noise, white noise
User avatar
Freightdog
Expatriate
Posts: 4351
Joined: Wed May 16, 2018 8:41 am
Reputation: 3446
Location: Attached to a suitcase between realities
Ireland

Re: Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by Freightdog »

I don’t suppose they are the sort of people who would have sought a refund anyway, and they just happened to be (un)lucky enough to have a wedding that they could blame it on?
User avatar
Cam Nivag
BANNED
Posts: 2511
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 10:17 am
Reputation: 735
Sao Tome & Principe

Re: Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by Cam Nivag »

whiteribbon wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:12 pm I was quite insulted because I spend money (wine, food, free drives) to keep them happy and thought they were. 25% I gave them because I understood their annoyance. But them giving me a 20% review on customer service made me boil over.
What kind of business is this? Is it a hotel, or people stay with you in your house and you ply them with wine and fine foods and drive them around and then they rate you on customer service?
User avatar
fax
Expatriate
Posts: 2426
Joined: Tue Apr 03, 2018 9:28 am
Reputation: 1245
Korea North

Re: Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by fax »

It sounds like he's hosting an Airbnb.
User avatar
whiteribbon
Expatriate
Posts: 666
Joined: Fri Sep 08, 2017 3:45 pm
Reputation: 252
Contact:
Cambodia

Re: Khmer weddings and your hotel guests

Post by whiteribbon »

Cam Nivag wrote: Wed Jan 16, 2019 5:59 am
whiteribbon wrote: Tue Jan 15, 2019 10:12 pm I was quite insulted because I spend money (wine, food, free drives) to keep them happy and thought they were. 25% discount I gave them because I understood their annoyance with a local Khmer wedding. But them giving me a 20% review on customer service made me boil over.
What kind of business is this? Is it a hotel, or people stay with you in your house and you ply them with wine and fine foods and drive them around and then they rate you on customer service?
It's a private holiday villa rental. But I live next door so in order to try keep them happy I offered to drive them where they needed to be since they also found it incomprehensible our local tuktuk driver didn't have whatsapp. I don't mind doing all these things, already hosting a long time, did mind they didn't appreciate a thing I did. Yes on Booking.com guests can rate you on 7 different criteria.
just noise, white noise
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 135 guests