New Delhi: There was outrage after a hotel in Switzerland displayed a notice urging Indian guests not to “take away anything”.
It has renewed debate about travel etiquette, public conduct and whether the behaviour of a handful of travellers influences how an entire nationality is perceived.
It started after industrialist Harsh Goenka posted a picture of the notice from Hotel Arc-En-Ciel in Gstaad, Switzerland. Addressed directly to “Dear guests from India”, the message listed a number of requests concerning behaviour within the hotel, including buffet etiquette, dining practices and maintaining quiet in common areas, as reported by The Tribune.
“Everything you will find on the buffet is freshly prepared and comes from local producers. Please do not take anything with you, the food is for breakfast only,” the notice stated that guests who needed food later could purchase a packed lunch from the hotel. The hotel also requested that guests use the designated serving utensils rather than personal cutlery while helping themselves at the buffet.
“There are other guests from all over the world in the hotel. They also appreciate the peace and quiet and therefore we ask you to be quiet in the corridor and not speak too loud on the balcony,” Hotel Arc-En-Ciel in Gstaad said.
“A Swiss hotel once displayed a list of special rules exclusively for Indian guests which I personally saw and was appalled,” Goenka wrote, sharing the image on X.
“Our civic sense seriously needs to be upgraded,” he concluded.
In the recent past, Indian guests were caught trying to sneak away items from a hotel in Bali. These included bath robes, towels, a hair dryer and even a doormat.
A study conducted by Hotels.com revealed that Indian tourists rank third in the world, when it comes to taking away non-complimentary items from hotel rooms. Columbia tops the list and Mexico ranks second.
But then, even guests from France, Canada and the United States are known for taking away hotel items.
