I get a lot of messages from people about their travel frustrations. Often people will directly ask me for help, which I try to provide when possible, assuming their complaint is reasonable (after all, consumers often feel powerless in the travel industry, when things go wrong). Other times I’ll just be CC’ed on complaints to travel providers.
Well, here’s a complaint that’s sort of leaving me speechless, and not because of what the hotel did…
In this post:
This absurdly overblown Aman complaint is too much
I woke up this morning to an email with the subject line “I Denounce the Disgraceful Service at Amanoi,” and I think half the world is CC’ed on this email, from the webmaster of Vietnam’s Tourism website, to ABC News, to Rosewood’s general email inbox. For those not familiar, Amanoi is the Aman brand’s highly regarded resort in Vietnam.
Okay, I must admit, I was mighty curious based on that subject line. Just how much of a mistake did the hotel make? Well, let me just share the entire complaint, because it’s quite something:
To: Aman Resorts Headquarters, Global Luxury Hospitality Professionals, Travel Media, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism
I am publicly documenting the following experience regarding Amanoi Resort in Nha Trang, Vietnam after staying four nights at the property and spending approximately USD 11,700 in total.
This issue is not fundamentally about money.
I repeatedly asked Amanoi to clearly explain what Aman’s official late check-out policy actually was.
However, Amanoi never once properly explained it.
Instead, the handling was completely inconsistent between Aman properties:
Amanpuri: Complimentary late check-out
Amandari: Complimentary late check-out
Amanoi: Full nightly charge initially demanded
Amanoi never presented any clear standard or policy regarding why this difference existed.
Instead, Amanoi continued insisting only that it was “internal policy,” while attempting to charge me USD 2,590++ for late check-out.
At the same time, my acquaintance Mr. [redacted], a 26-year-old guest who stayed only one night at Amanoi during the same period, was charged approximately USD 1,000 under nearly identical overnight Korea departure conditions.
I was 42 years old, stayed four nights, and spent substantially more money at Amanoi.
Yet I was charged 2.6 times more.
When I repeatedly asked why this difference existed, Amanoi never once provided any rational explanation beyond repeating the words “internal policy.”
Throughout the process, Amanoi’s handling became increasingly defensive and emotionally aggressive toward me.
One staff member became visibly angry during our conversation, and I also received written messages warning me not to be “disrespectful” toward the team instead of receiving proper explanations.
In one official message, Amanoi staff even wrote the phrase “for your beautiful girlfriend.”
This is an inappropriate and unprofessional expression completely inconsistent with modern luxury hospitality standards.
My girlfriend is a former famous Korean idol pop star and is currently a well-known actress in Korea.
Considering the context and tone of the conversation, the remark felt sarcastic and mocking rather than respectful.
Luxury hospitality should be based on consistency, discretion, fairness, professionalism, and respect toward guests.
Instead, this experience became increasingly inconsistent, defensive, emotional, and revenue-driven.
Even until the very end, Amanoi never provided a clear explanation regarding:
why the late check-out charge difference became 2.6 times higher,
why Aman properties handled late check-out completely differently,
or what the actual “internal policy” truly was.
To all travel industry professionals, journalists, and tourism officials reading this letter,
I sincerely ask you to consider whether it is truly appropriate for a luxury brand such as Aman, charging tens of thousands of dollars for a stay, to provide this level of service and guest handling.
I believe the global luxury hospitality industry should seriously consider whether this reflects the values Aman claims to represent as one of the world’s leading ultra-luxury resort brands.
A traveler wasn’t happy with his Amanoi experience
I can appreciate the frustration, but this seems unreasonable
To this person’s credit, I don’t disagree that consistency and clearly defined policies are important in luxury hospitality. However, that’s roughly where my agreement with him ends…
The first issue, which is somehow completely overlooked (but is clear based on the WhatsApp message) is that the hotel offered the couple complimentary late check-out until 4PM, and then they could have tea, shower in the spa, etc. If you ask me, that’s very generous in the first place.
When you get to the point where you want to stay in your room until 9PM, it’s not unreasonable that policies would differ between hotels, or even differ at the same hotel based on the night, factoring in things like occupancy. Some hotels will change you for an entire extra night, some will charge you for a portion of a night, and some won’t charge you at all.
Personally, I don’t think there’s any one standard that’s reasonable. I think it’s nice when hotels offer very late check-out for free, but I also don’t hold it against hotels if they try to charge for an entire extra night — that’s up to them, and it’s a business decision.
He points out how someone staying for one-night was allowed late check-out for around $1,000, but then he insists that he was being charged $2,590++, even though the WhatsApp message suggests they were offering him 50% off that amount? I also find it noteworthy how he specifically mentions his age and the age of the other guest — does he think there was ageism here, or…?
But what stands out to me the most here is how in the WhatsApp message, the hotel representative (presumably some sort of a manager) writes “if you keep insulted our team like your message and in person, it is definitely not helping to provide the solution for you and your beautiful girlfriend.”
Folks, this is an Aman, and people working at Amans have a lot of patience, and are used to dealing with difficult guests. But how rude was this guy getting over a late check-out request? He accuses the hotel of being “defensive and emotionally aggressive.” That last descriptor is an interesting one…
Anyway, while Fox, ABC, and NBC, are all CC’ed on the email, I doubt they’ll be running a headline news story later today about this Amanoi late check-out scandal. But who knows…
It sounds like this dispute got emotional
Bottom line
A guest at Aman’s resort in Vietnam is angry after the hotel tried to charge him for late check-out. They offered him 4PM late check-out for free, but said he’d have to pay if he wanted to check-out at 9PM. He wasn’t happy about the amount being charged, especially in comparison to someone else.
This caused a dispute where the hotel accuses him of insulting staff in person and via message, and he accuses hotel staff of being “emotionally aggressive.”
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Sounds like a self-entitled twatwaffle who got offended when he didn't get special snowflake treatment. Oh, and the "it's fundamentally not about money" comment? Sure Jan, sure.
Fox, ABC and NBC may not run this story, but I'll bet the Korean tabloids will be very interested in the identity of this girlfriend about whom he goes into far greater detail than he ought to.
Anyway, 9 PM isn’t “late checkout” anymore. At that point you’re tying up a room that will almost certainly not be able to be sold. They won’t be able to turn over that room until 10PM at least, and generally guests aren’t arriving that late. It’s entirely reasonable for the hotel to charge a night’s cost, and they were generous by offering 50% off.
Regarding the mentioning of the age of those involved, it is common in some asian cultures, and especially in Korea, that those older than oneself should be treated with a greater degree of respect. This doesn't only apply to those of retirement age, but between people of any age, even when the age difference is relatively small. It is even reflected in the way they are spoken to, which vocabulary is used etc. One's age...
Regarding the mentioning of the age of those involved, it is common in some asian cultures, and especially in Korea, that those older than oneself should be treated with a greater degree of respect. This doesn't only apply to those of retirement age, but between people of any age, even when the age difference is relatively small. It is even reflected in the way they are spoken to, which vocabulary is used etc. One's age will come up very early on in conversation, when meeting someone new. So it probably stung a bit when someone younger seemingly got a better deal, under nearly identical circumstances.
Well if the room was available they should have given it to him at that level.
It clearly wasn’t sold to anyone else.
No excuse to get ‘emotionally aggressive’. He could have easily had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Funny how he mentions at the beginning it wasn’t about money but clearly he could have just paid!
But I do think when paying this much it shouldn’t be such...
Well if the room was available they should have given it to him at that level.
It clearly wasn’t sold to anyone else.
No excuse to get ‘emotionally aggressive’. He could have easily had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Funny how he mentions at the beginning it wasn’t about money but clearly he could have just paid!
But I do think when paying this much it shouldn’t be such a hard ask unless it means other paying guests don’t get their rooms. Clearly they wouldn’t be offering the room for any amount of money in this case anyway.
Have to say this doesn’t look good on Aman.. there are plenty of difficult guests, but isn’t the point of being at the top; as Aman wants to be - being able to deal with them?
Just because the room is available that evening doesn't mean it's ready to be used by him. Maybe they have it allocated for an early arrival the next day, with a guaranteed early check in. It's always a massive puzzle and you have no idea. But 9pm is not "late checkout" anymore. That's booking a room for the night. A generous offer at that time is a half rate. It's extremely rare that you'll...
Just because the room is available that evening doesn't mean it's ready to be used by him. Maybe they have it allocated for an early arrival the next day, with a guaranteed early check in. It's always a massive puzzle and you have no idea.
But 9pm is not "late checkout" anymore. That's booking a room for the night. A generous offer at that time is a half rate. It's extremely rare that you'll get a 9pm check out comped. This guy is clearly awful and looking for free press.
Ok but Aman should be able to clean a room quickly at any hour.
We’re not talking about Four Seasons, or even Peninsula (which do offer 10pm checkout), when charging Aman prices they should have the means to accommodate.
If they physically cannot - ie another guest is arriving - fine. If they want to charge, also fine $1200 is fair and he should pay.
For him to say it’s not about...
Ok but Aman should be able to clean a room quickly at any hour.
We’re not talking about Four Seasons, or even Peninsula (which do offer 10pm checkout), when charging Aman prices they should have the means to accommodate.
If they physically cannot - ie another guest is arriving - fine. If they want to charge, also fine $1200 is fair and he should pay.
For him to say it’s not about money then not wanting to pay kills the whole argument.
Not taking sides. Just making it clear if Aman wants to differentiate themselves they should agree. Especially when cheaper brands do.
Assuming the guest is from Korea, that’s a place that is highly hierarchical and defer to elders, not only to the eldlies, but if one is couple of years older, the person should command respect and receive favorable treatment. I think that’s why he mentioned age couple of times. He is upset because he felt disrespected. It’s not only about money.
Underneath the courtesy and service culture of east Asia, there is a lot going...
Assuming the guest is from Korea, that’s a place that is highly hierarchical and defer to elders, not only to the eldlies, but if one is couple of years older, the person should command respect and receive favorable treatment. I think that’s why he mentioned age couple of times. He is upset because he felt disrespected. It’s not only about money.
Underneath the courtesy and service culture of east Asia, there is a lot going on in these countries tradition and social norms. Hard to outsiders to understand and comment on.
East Asian countries share similar cultures. It is not difficult to understand --only if Americans and other westerners accept and respect them. Do not try to assimilate other people and their cultures but do integrate. Their cultures ae the most tolerant and peaceful compare to all other Western, African and Latin American cultures. But it is a tall order for American to take a baby step. When you are incapable to understand, refrain from spewing insinuation.
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DTDiamond
May 27, 2026, 7:43 am
The guy sounds unhinged.
Anyway, 9 PM isn’t “late checkout” anymore. At that point you’re tying up a room that will almost certainly not be able to be sold. They won’t be able to turn over that room until 10PM at least, and generally guests aren’t arriving that late. It’s entirely reasonable for the hotel to charge a night’s cost, and they were generous by offering 50% off.
1
EricSchmidtMember
May 27, 2026, 7:20 am
"It's not about the money."
Lol, of course it is.
And who cares what the other hotels charge, and "what my 28 year old friend was charged at a different property". What's here is here.
1
globetrotterGuest
May 27, 2026, 11:20 am
East Asian countries share similar cultures. It is not difficult to understand --only if Americans and other westerners accept and respect them. Do not try to assimilate other people and their cultures but do integrate. Their cultures ae the most tolerant and peaceful compare to all other Western, African and Latin American cultures. But it is a tall order for American to take a baby step. When you are incapable to understand, refrain from spewing insinuation.
Sounds like a self-entitled twatwaffle who got offended when he didn't get special snowflake treatment. Oh, and the "it's fundamentally not about money" comment? Sure Jan, sure.
Complimentary late checkout at Aman is at 4pm. But when Entitlement is in the mix, it may be pushed out to 9pm in this guest's case.
Okay, well, now I have to see what this guy's "beautiful girlfriend" looks like. You know, for research purposes.
Bottom line: a jerk stayed at the Aman
Fox, ABC and NBC may not run this story, but I'll bet the Korean tabloids will be very interested in the identity of this girlfriend about whom he goes into far greater detail than he ought to.
The guy sounds unhinged.
Anyway, 9 PM isn’t “late checkout” anymore. At that point you’re tying up a room that will almost certainly not be able to be sold. They won’t be able to turn over that room until 10PM at least, and generally guests aren’t arriving that late. It’s entirely reasonable for the hotel to charge a night’s cost, and they were generous by offering 50% off.
Totally agree with DT.
Copying you on the email sure got his issue some publicity. So, maybe one of the news outlets will fall for it too.
Regarding the mentioning of the age of those involved, it is common in some asian cultures, and especially in Korea, that those older than oneself should be treated with a greater degree of respect. This doesn't only apply to those of retirement age, but between people of any age, even when the age difference is relatively small. It is even reflected in the way they are spoken to, which vocabulary is used etc. One's age...
Regarding the mentioning of the age of those involved, it is common in some asian cultures, and especially in Korea, that those older than oneself should be treated with a greater degree of respect. This doesn't only apply to those of retirement age, but between people of any age, even when the age difference is relatively small. It is even reflected in the way they are spoken to, which vocabulary is used etc. One's age will come up very early on in conversation, when meeting someone new. So it probably stung a bit when someone younger seemingly got a better deal, under nearly identical circumstances.
"It's not about the money."
Lol, of course it is.
And who cares what the other hotels charge, and "what my 28 year old friend was charged at a different property". What's here is here.
Well if the room was available they should have given it to him at that level.
It clearly wasn’t sold to anyone else.
No excuse to get ‘emotionally aggressive’. He could have easily had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Funny how he mentions at the beginning it wasn’t about money but clearly he could have just paid!
But I do think when paying this much it shouldn’t be such...
Well if the room was available they should have given it to him at that level.
It clearly wasn’t sold to anyone else.
No excuse to get ‘emotionally aggressive’. He could have easily had a nice dinner in the hotel restaurant.
Funny how he mentions at the beginning it wasn’t about money but clearly he could have just paid!
But I do think when paying this much it shouldn’t be such a hard ask unless it means other paying guests don’t get their rooms. Clearly they wouldn’t be offering the room for any amount of money in this case anyway.
Have to say this doesn’t look good on Aman.. there are plenty of difficult guests, but isn’t the point of being at the top; as Aman wants to be - being able to deal with them?
Just because the room is available that evening doesn't mean it's ready to be used by him. Maybe they have it allocated for an early arrival the next day, with a guaranteed early check in. It's always a massive puzzle and you have no idea.
But 9pm is not "late checkout" anymore. That's booking a room for the night. A generous offer at that time is a half rate. It's extremely rare that you'll...
Just because the room is available that evening doesn't mean it's ready to be used by him. Maybe they have it allocated for an early arrival the next day, with a guaranteed early check in. It's always a massive puzzle and you have no idea.
But 9pm is not "late checkout" anymore. That's booking a room for the night. A generous offer at that time is a half rate. It's extremely rare that you'll get a 9pm check out comped. This guy is clearly awful and looking for free press.
Ok but Aman should be able to clean a room quickly at any hour.
We’re not talking about Four Seasons, or even Peninsula (which do offer 10pm checkout), when charging Aman prices they should have the means to accommodate.
If they physically cannot - ie another guest is arriving - fine. If they want to charge, also fine $1200 is fair and he should pay.
For him to say it’s not about...
Ok but Aman should be able to clean a room quickly at any hour.
We’re not talking about Four Seasons, or even Peninsula (which do offer 10pm checkout), when charging Aman prices they should have the means to accommodate.
If they physically cannot - ie another guest is arriving - fine. If they want to charge, also fine $1200 is fair and he should pay.
For him to say it’s not about money then not wanting to pay kills the whole argument.
Not taking sides. Just making it clear if Aman wants to differentiate themselves they should agree. Especially when cheaper brands do.
Assuming the guest is from Korea, that’s a place that is highly hierarchical and defer to elders, not only to the eldlies, but if one is couple of years older, the person should command respect and receive favorable treatment. I think that’s why he mentioned age couple of times. He is upset because he felt disrespected. It’s not only about money.
Underneath the courtesy and service culture of east Asia, there is a lot going...
Assuming the guest is from Korea, that’s a place that is highly hierarchical and defer to elders, not only to the eldlies, but if one is couple of years older, the person should command respect and receive favorable treatment. I think that’s why he mentioned age couple of times. He is upset because he felt disrespected. It’s not only about money.
Underneath the courtesy and service culture of east Asia, there is a lot going on in these countries tradition and social norms. Hard to outsiders to understand and comment on.
East Asian countries share similar cultures. It is not difficult to understand --only if Americans and other westerners accept and respect them. Do not try to assimilate other people and their cultures but do integrate. Their cultures ae the most tolerant and peaceful compare to all other Western, African and Latin American cultures. But it is a tall order for American to take a baby step. When you are incapable to understand, refrain from spewing insinuation.
Anything involving hotel fees is a disaster . Beware anything involving Vietnam .
"Beware anything involving Vietnam ."
You are ridiculous.