Foreigners at hotels in Shanghai

[889]

"No, because I book ahead  Come to 2018, 889."

 

Did you actually read what I wrote above:

 

"Getting turned away from hotels has been a constant for decades. It's simply become more constant in recent years. Though conversely a bit easier to avoid by careful use of the booking sites (e.g., check for recent English reviews)."

 

But as said, you still can have problems booking online: nothing like getting an SMS from ctrip telling you the hotel won't take you just as you're walking into the place.

 

You seem oddly blind to a widespread and longstanding problem.  Do some travelling in China and you'll begin to understand it. Either that, or you're just trolling for the sake of it.

[DavyJonesLocker]

Its the difference between looking at the world throw rose tinted glasses and reality of the situation. 

 

People need to realise that they are traveling throw a developing country and what should be and what is will be different. Try going across Cambodia and see how many made up rules and fines there are because  you're foreign.

 

Russia many years ago was the same. If that author acted like that is small  city he could be looking at a beating. 

[889]

"It's the difference between looking at the world through rose-tinted glasses and reality of the situation."

 

You're absolutely right! On Taobao you should easily find some new specs to get rid of those rose-tinted ones.

 

[DavyJonesLocker]

29 minutes ago, 889 said:

 

You seem oddly blind to a widespread and longstanding problem.  Do some travelling in China and you'll begin to understand it. Either that, or you're just trolling for the sake of it.

 

 

Relax I'm not trolling. I've been coming to China for more than 10 years and traveled extensively across it. What can I say , I just didnt have that experience.  Never once been refused from any hotel and I guess I stayed in at least 50.

[DavyJonesLocker]

1 minute ago, 889 said:

 

You're absolutely right! On Taobao you should easily find some new specs to get rid of those rose-tinted ones.

 

Calm down. Its just differences in opinion and it seems to me here a serious lack of world experience.  I've been to a vast number of countries (and yes to a pile. of places in China). I  think I have build up enough street sense by now. Someone expecting to go into a hick village, especially in China  and telling people "how things should be" is niave (I'm referring to the blog here not the OPs post). 

 

[ZC]

17 hours ago, DavyJonesLocker said:

 

I fail to see the problem here, if you can't stay at that hotel just choose another one. There are thousands and thousands on Crip

 

Call me a prude, but don’t feel comfortable booking through the Crips. 

[889]

" . . .and it seems to me here a serious lack of world experience."

 

Of course you're trolling with those sorts of attacks. I'll stop feeding you,

[imron]

6 hours ago, DavyJonesLocker said:

then he acts like an arrogant foreigner telling the staff he knows more about their procedures than they do

*she.  It also seems that she *does* know more about their procedures than they do.

 

5 hours ago, anonymoose said:

you're carrying 15 kg in a rucksack

I see you travel with double the luggage 889 does

[Tomsima]

I booked the reservation using my wife's id. Because the system is built for a chinese id. And the rhetoric of progress and 改革開放 has had me waiting for years until I can do things properly and easily on my own with my passport. Train tickets we can do. Taobao we can do. Mobike and 小黃車 we can do. Why is it so difficult to understand I felt surprised I wasn't able to stay at a hotel? I would like to be able to do that, why is that a problem? I would like chinese people to be able to come to my country and travel freely too. Not need to be apologetic for the system.

 

[889]

"Train tickets we can do."

 

But we can't pick them up using those handy kiosks. We have to wait and wait and pick them up at the counter, usually behind folks buying tickets to Urumqi via Xiamen.

 

Then there's Wechat and Alipay. Getting your bank account linked can be an insurmountable problem.

[Tomsima]

So so true. Big tip for train stations for any who don't know, you can (with a smile) go to any booth and pick up tickets even if it's assigned for 'cancel tickets'. This can literally save 30 minutes of controlled breathing exercises as 爺爺 in front of you decides whether he wants to travel to the big city or not next week

[roddy]

Man, I wish I could judge people so quickly from a couple of blog posts.

 

There’s a reasonable chance anyone blogging this kind of stuff is already aware of our site, and indeed in this case already has an account and may well already be reading. It’d also be nice to be able to contact people and ask them to come along and contribute without feeling a need to apologize. 

[DavyJonesLocker]

1 hour ago, roddy said:

Man, I wish I could judge people so quickly from a couple of blog posts.

 

There’s a reasonable chance anyone blogging this kind of stuff is already aware of our site, and indeed in this case already has an account and may well already be reading. It’d also be nice to be able to contact people and ask them to come along and contribute without feeling a need to apologize. 

 

 

Maybe my words are too harsh but aren't we allowed to express our opinions even if they are not popular?. I think what  blogger is doing she needs to have a  good look at herself. she is rubbing people like hotel staff up the wrong way. Putting cash in the drawer and walking into the room I think they should indeed have kicked her out.

she  posts stuff publically so has to accept criticism too, right?

 

Anyway if you feel my posts are detracting from the forum overall, you can delete them. I am fine with whatever you feel best

 

 

5 hours ago, imron said:

*she.  It also seems that she *does* know more about their procedures than they do.

 

It's the arrogant part I am referring to Imron.  I can understand why the staff get annoyed, some foreigner coming into their hotel telling staff how to do their job and by her own admission loving an argument. She doesn't seem to have realise that she is in China and for better or worse that is  "just the way it is". 

[Jim]

50 minutes ago, DavyJonesLocker said:

She doesn't seem to have realise that she is in China and for better or worse that is  "just the way it is".

Bit of a defeatist attitude . It can be a different way if you make the effort to change it and willing to bet plenty of front desk staff would happily register the next foreigner guest now they know how (sure some would stick to the old 'computer says no' routine too, of course). Not like other aspects of service culture haven't changed dramatically over recent decades.

[roddy]

I’d just try and bear in mind (and I fail myself sometimes) that people we’re talking about may also be listening, and in very small ways we create a general impression of the site. 

[陳德聰]

14 hours ago, Tomsima said:

 

I booked the reservation using my wife's id. Because the system is built for a chinese id.

How long was the stay? The last few years I’ve gone back I have just let my partner get the room while I wait downstairs and then he comes to get me when he has the room key. Haven’t been kicked out of a hotel yet but maybe with the growing surveillance capabilities and my resemblance to a certain persecuted minority this method will be less viable in the coming years.

 

I’ve been turned away in Shanghai and Guiyang, both are definitely not hick towns. It’s super annoying regardless.

 

I think that the idea of an “arrogant foreigner” wanting to work within the system that actually exists rather than the made-up system in people’s heads is quite admirable. I am all for 有理取鬧.

[Lu]

42 minutes ago, 陳德聰 said:

The last few years I’ve gone back I have just let my partner get the room while I wait downstairs and then he comes to get me when he has the room key.

I wonder if it helps that you look pretty East Asian (judging by your profile pic), and your foreignness is easier to overlook?

[陳德聰]

You’d think that, but face to face they spot me 9 times out of 10.

[DavyJonesLocker]

10 hours ago, roddy said:

I’d just try and bear in mind (and I fail myself sometimes) that people we’re talking about may also be listening, and in very small ways we create a general impression of the site. 

 

Yeah good point Roddy, noted. 

I am emotionally retarded so nothing really offends me but others may well be put off. 

 

 

[happy_hyaena]

3 hours ago, 陳德聰 said:

 

I think that the idea of an “arrogant foreigner” wanting to work within the system that actually exists rather than the made-up system in people’s heads is quite admirable. I am all for 有理取鬧.

 

I love the idea too but reading the person's blog they're either exaggerating what happened, lacking a sense for self-preservation or in possession of some 关系 she can fall back on. I'm going with the last since she works as a "government translator", so she could call for judicial support from the police station who could actually come and argue for her in a position of Chinese authority. Anyone who doesn't work with the government, i.e. random foreigners like myself, would have to rely on consular services, bringing its own set of issues.