Originally Posted by
MSPeconomist
Partly due to tradition and partly because wage levels are lower, many Asian hotels have excess staff compared to most other regions. In fact, I sometimes think that people believe it's luxurious to have lots of staff just standing around waiting for something to do. (One similarly finds that Asian airlines have more FAs per passenger on average than USA and European carriers.)
^
Agreed. I get the sense that many people who knee-jerk claim that the service is better in Asia enjoy the feeling of hierarchy of being a master amongst staff (which personally makes me uncomfortable) whereas in Europe and North America, it's more like being a guest in someone's home.
I remember the first time a friend of mine from Asia dined with me in the US and she was shocked that the waitress introduced herself and was being so personable with the diners, since in so many places in Asia the wait staff just
wait beside the table until you're ready to order.
And a bit off topic, but despite all the claims about how great Singapore Airlines service is, it still drives me crazy that 6 different flight attendants asked me separately what I wanted to drink in business class as opposed to the 1 fantastic Delta business class flight attendant who was capable of looking after me for my entire flight herself. #firstworldproblems
While I do feel that the sense of hospitality is greater in some Asian destinations (like Bangkok or Bali) versus some destinations in North America, in general I think the actual quality/level of service in NA is pretty good and deserves its fair share of credit. Also, to be fair it's impossible to compare all of Asia, encompassing as many countries and cultures as it does, with NA, which has its own mix.