SINGAPORE: If you’ve ever wondered what hotel staff secretly think about their guests, a viral X post might have some answers, though whether they’re accurate is another story.
Shared by X user @quiet_corner26 on Thursday (Jul 23), the post claims to summarise the characteristics of different Asian guests based on the experiences of accommodation staff, and has since attracted millions of views.
According to the user, Korean guests tend to keep their rooms clean but “subtly expect to be treated well.” They were also described as people who “eat a lot of stuff in the room.”
Japanese guests were described as tidy as well, but supposedly very “stingy” when it comes to reviews and particularly “sensitive to noise.”
For Chinese guests, the post claimed they often leave rooms messy but leave positive reviews, while also frequently asking, “No discounts?”
Meanwhile, Taiwanese travellers were said to generally keep their rooms clean and have no requests, although the writer added that the occasional unreasonable guest could do things that are “beyond imagination.”
The descriptions became more controversial with the remaining groups. Indian guests were portrayed as leaving rooms untidy and making “tons of requests,” with the post also alleging that if “they’re even slightly dissatisfied, they pull the ‘Isn’t this racial discrimination?’ card.”
Finally, for Singaporeans, the post claimed they tend to “mess up the room, ask a bombardment-level number of questions, and keep asking for discounts” as well.
“Singaporeans don’t ask for discount”
At the time of writing, the post had amassed more than 2.9 million views, over 10,000 likes, and around 1,100 reposts.
The post was later shared on the r/AskTheWorld subreddit, where Reddit users discussed the various stereotypes. Among the responses were a handful of comments from Singaporeans, who had mixed reactions to the description of their own nationality.
One Singaporean said he could believe the part about asking lots of questions, but not the claim about bargaining for discounts.
“I can understand messing up the room, and asking a lot of questions seems very Singaporean, but I’ve never seen a Singaporean ask for discounts before in my life?”
Another Redditor, who identified herself as a Singaporean millennial, also disagreed:
“Singaporeans don’t ask for discounts lol. But they will take like the mini travel size bathroom stuff from the hotel (youre not supposed to but it’s so common I legit grew up thinking it was ok, but realised it wasn’t only as an adult!!!)—probably the reason why some hotels worldwide have dispenser (instead of travel size) shampoo/conditioner/body wash . I mean it could be true of any nationality but I think SG definitely included haha.”
Over on X, one user pointed out, “I’m Singaporean, but that place is a multi-ethnic nation, with Malays, Chinese, and Indians all thoroughly mixed together. For your reference.”
Beyond debating the original list, some users came up with their own humorous stereotypes.
One user compared different Asian nationalities in the workplace rather than as hotel guests.
“So the Asian anime IP industry likes to hire Singaporeans as middle-level leaders to handle detail-related tasks; they are meticulous and strict in controlling details without getting tired of it, but they don’t easily turn it into personal emotions.”
“Chinese people are casual and rough, yet they tend to take work issues as personal attacks. Japanese people are irritable, quickly getting impatient and seeing it as a matter of personal laziness, stirring everyone up to tough it out. Taiwanese people generally follow the rules, but they don’t stand out in various aspects. Haven’t encountered others yet.”
Another user also shared a light-hearted list based on her experiences staying at budget hostels.
According to her, Koreans are always “grilling yakiniku for self-cooked meals, Japanese travellers are way too early risers, Chinese guests are quick to suggest sharing things and almost always travel with carry-on suitcases, Taiwanese visitors are extreme cost-performance obsessives., Indians are constantly on the phone in the dorm and sometimes help themselves to other people’s belongings, while Singaporeans stand out for having insanely strong social skills.”/TISG
Read also: International student with just S$100 left receives an outpouring of support from Singaporeans
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