Russian criterion of hotels
Recently I once again went to Turkey. And once again I caught myself thinking that something was wrong. The answer came almost immediately: I again ended up in the “Russian hotel”. By Russians, I’ll immediately note, I mean Russians and Ukrainians, who are very mentally and behaviorally similar as a nation of people.
So what am I talking about? Yes...This situation is reminiscent of the winged and sad aphorisms of Soviet best-selling comedies. It's sad, comrades, to realize...People like you disgrace the republic...It's none of your business, dad! No, ours! And many others…
Behind a number of immortal jokes, one sad trend can be traced. Like jokes, this applies only to our Russian people. I have long understood that when choosing a hotel abroad, the MAIN selection criterion for me is, oddly enough, a hotel WITHOUT RUSSIAN. Sorry, a hotel where there are as few Russians as possible, traditionally non-Russians.
I already feel the angry typhoon of readers, indignantly closing this story or seething with their hearts against me, a Judas-Russophobe. And, oddly enough, I myself understand that I have become a Russophobe. Despite the fact that he is Russian by nationality.
And what, in fact, is the matter, many will ask? So much has been written, but nothing is clear at all. Yes, gentlemen, let's remember, have you ever seen one of the pictures listed below? You walk through the luxurious grounds of the hotel. Dark, but bright spotlights flood the bosom of the tourist mecca. And suddenly, five meters away, a shadow suddenly comes to life. This is a tall fellow in a wrestling suit and short shorts, ending at the bottom with flat slippers. And the tall kid quite clearly relieves himself. Directly 100 meters from the entrance to the hotel, in full view of the public, who had just arrived to check in. "Russian? ' my wife asked me quietly. “Are you still in doubt? ' I retorted calmly.
In confirmation of this, the shadow-creature issued a three-story obscenity with a drunken tongue, as the defecation on the bush suddenly switched to the open slipper of the left foot.
Or another example. You come to a restaurant. At the entrance, on the floor, so as not to pass by without noticing it, there is a huge poster 2x1 meter, on which it is drawn with icons, and below it is BIG written in English, German and Russian: dear tourists! Entrance to the main restaurant is prohibited in pareo, shorts and flip flops. Next, right there, already in the restaurant, there is a company of Soviet tourists (pensioners, a young couple and two children) in an ABSOLUTELY beach masquerade. Apparently, Mr. Fursenko is lying that 100% of our population can read. Judging by how much I have seen Russian tourists (only Russians), the illiteracy of our population even surpasses the most backward Somalia and Mozambique.
The picture is no better in the restaurant.
The buffet of this hotel is designed for hundreds of tourists. But how do these stupid foreigners know that all their calculations are complete profanity and props before the Russian phenomenon called FREEDOM. When I see a table with tourists, filled with dozens of plates overflowing with all kinds of food for a family of 3-4 people, I understand that they cannot handle such a volume of food even if they sit here from 8 am to 12 am! Well, a person cannot eat 5-10 times more than his physical limit at a time. And when the family gets up and leaves, I see that 93-95 percent of what was brought remains intact. And the staff, already accustomed to this, rakes all the leftovers into containers with leftovers.
It is interesting to see our youth (sorry, at 31 I feel like a completely outdated and wise old man with gray hair) coming to fruit. Here are the peaches. A dish of sorts of peaches for 200. A lot? When I return 3 minutes later, the vessel…. empty!
It can't be, I'm shocked! How so? I look around and notice a girl nearby, with great effort carrying a large plate topped with peaches. Fruit tends to fall off, because it is difficult to keep such a number of peaches in such an area. But the girl stubbornly stops and picks up every fallen fruit. Honestly, I went to her table. Assumptions that she scored a dish for a whole company were immediately dispelled: the table was tiny, for two people. “Delicious peaches? ' I asked calmly. “I don’t know yet, ” the girl was sincerely surprised at the question. “Well, try it, please, and then tell it to all the little children who will soon come to dinner and see peaches only at your table. ” Leaving, I heard arrogant splashing in the back with a phrase like “everyone takes so much” ...Not all! Do not eat them at dinner and even for the whole day 30 peaches.
By the way, about “everyone takes so much” ...I remember a slightly indelicate, but accurate anecdote about our tourists abroad. The hotel administrator approaches the Russian tourist and delicately informs him that he is no longer allowed to visit the hotel pool. "Why? "- the tourist is angrily indignant. “You see… You are in the pool… pissing…”, the administrator answered tactfully. “Yes, everyone writes! ”, - cried the Russian. "Yes, but only you - from the springboard. "
Why am I doing this? I very often hear stories about the fact that the Germans drink like horses, and the British and Americans arrange fights. Like, let them look at themselves. Without boasting, I will honestly say that I often go abroad and constantly analyze the behavior of different tourists (a diploma in a psychologist-biologist, presumably, causes such desires). So, I personally did not see Germans drunk in the trash, bawling at the whole hotel and arranging fights with staff or other tourists. NEVER.
I did not see them flopping into the pools, covering all the vacationers lying by the pool with typhoon spray. To carry fruit or food in basins for half the population of their quarter in Germany. Yes, they can drink strong drinks, yes, they amuse with their appearance ...But they NEVER lose their human face. There is nothing monstrous and animal in their deeds.
Panic thoughts come to mind: guys, where are you from? Have they descended from the mountains, have they climbed down from the palm tree? Or thawed like mammoths from their glaciers and permafrost regions? Where did you get this obscenity and selfish lack of culture? Why don't you always flush toilets and wash your hands afterwards? Why do you drink yourself unconscious if you don’t know how to drink, and right on the spot you vomit the contents of your alcohol-poisoned stomachs on the marble floors of restaurants or luxurious leather sofas in hotel lobbies?
Why ELEMENTARY do not greet other people, starting with the hotel staff? Do you not know how to read posters with warnings and prohibitions? You don’t know how to communicate in a normal tone, but you definitely need to yell about your impressions to your neighbor, despite the stroller with the baby standing next to you? Do you sincerely believe that smoking a meter away from children is useful and gives pleasure to the latter? Do you really not know how to THINK what you are doing and how? And what example do you set for your own children, whom you take on vacation with you?
In November 2009, my wife and I went to one of the best hotels in Hurghada (if not the best) Steigenberger Al Dau Beach 5 * Delux. We were overjoyed. The hotel was amazing in every way, but we were pleasantly surprised that there were practically no Russians in it. The hotel guesthouse Adele, who speaks fluent Russian (he studied at the Riga Institute), said that only the first year the hotel was open for Russian tourists.
Prior to that, he worked for Europe, mainly for tourists from Germany. After that trip, my wife and I decided that we would definitely come to this hotel again. And they arrived, after 2 years, in November 2011, already with a one-year-old child. Once again a magnificent hotel, rooms, delicious food and the same impeccable service. But the hotel was completely different. It has become ...painful and unpleasant in terms of tourists. About half of the tourists were Russians.
Today the situation with Russians is such that the Russian factor has become a separate characteristic for hotels. Yes! Along with service or food. This is a separate asset of the hotel. Or rather, passive. The presence of Russians in large numbers a priori lowers the class of the hotel, its star rating, since the quality of rest falls incredibly. If the hotel is considered Russian (more than 50% of vacationers), this is a guarantee of a spoiled holiday and a bad mood.
Coming to rest, I want to plunge into the atmosphere of a new country, gain positive emotions, forget this cultureless and inhospitable Russia with its problems and poor population. But it turns out that there are also Russians here. The same dull and troublesome herd, striving to break away for their money on everything and everyone, to realize any spontaneous desire and need, because hard-earned money is paid (apparently, the Germans spend other people's or donated savings). And then it becomes incredibly ashamed that you are Russian. Because in the eyes of the staff you turn into a new problem, and in the eyes of tourists from the rest of the world - into an uncultured animal that must be avoided, fearing like fire. Not all Russians are like that, but today all Russians are judged by such examples, since they are still the majority among us. It is worth saying that you are from Russia or Ukraine, how an opinion and attitude is instantly formed about you.
As a business person who manages people and business processes, I understand that the factor of Russian influence should (or has already begun) to worry hotel managers. Since in the short term, the benefit from Russian tourists threatens with significant reputational and direct losses in the long term. What today brings a significant profit, tomorrow may bring an unexpected loss. And not only tomorrow, but forever. And I am inclined to believe that top managers are seriously thinking about this problem today. Ban the Russians from their hotels? Or adjust to them? And as without the Russians, they bring the lion's share of sales. But what about tomorrow? As they say, and want, and prickly. The problem is really deep, and there is no immediate way out. Perhaps, successful experience from the banking sector will be adopted. Each tourist will have their own travel story.
If a tourist has done something somewhere, hotels, and perhaps even some countries, will simply refuse such travelers. The tourist will then understand exactly that now his actions will definitely not go unpunished, and will be forced to limit his unbridled fantasies and spontaneous desires. Responsibility is a serious thing when you have to pay bills. I messed up - sorry, I have to answer. Everything is fair.
I am inclined to believe that hotels will begin to experiment, trying to individually find compromise solutions. And positive results will be perceived by other hotels. What kind of "Solomonic solution" will this be? I don't know, time will tell. All that remains is to wait…
As I approach the bar, I say, "two orange juces, please. " And by the respect in the eyes of the bartender, I understand that I am a person. I am not russian.
“Thank you very much, ” I answer the delivered drinks and am glad with a sense of satisfaction that it was not in vain that I studied English after all. I am not russian!