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.”
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
The guy sounds like he needs to titrate back his testosterone dose hence the overly aggressive personality. Latest I have heard that he continues to bother the staffs at Amanoi weeks after he has left. Amanoi is my all time favorite Aman property and we have been back there three times and a fourth one has been booked. The staffs are beyond amazing. One asshole guest can put a damper on the entire front office...
The guy sounds like he needs to titrate back his testosterone dose hence the overly aggressive personality. Latest I have heard that he continues to bother the staffs at Amanoi weeks after he has left. Amanoi is my all time favorite Aman property and we have been back there three times and a fourth one has been booked. The staffs are beyond amazing. One asshole guest can put a damper on the entire front office team and suck the life out of my peaceful place. Whenever anyone said money is not an issue, it’s likely an issue. He’s probably over stretched his budget trying to impress his young girlfriend, otherwise he could easily book one extra night and checkout at 9pm.
This is in total defense of Amoni. I have traveled to numerous Aman Resorts around the world including all three in Vietnam. My girlfriend is Vietnamese, and I am an American twice her age. We have never had any type of discrimination from any of our Aman visits. Our last trip to Amoni was this last February and Joy upgraded us to the most beautiful Villa in the world. Failure to read and know the...
This is in total defense of Amoni. I have traveled to numerous Aman Resorts around the world including all three in Vietnam. My girlfriend is Vietnamese, and I am an American twice her age. We have never had any type of discrimination from any of our Aman visits. Our last trip to Amoni was this last February and Joy upgraded us to the most beautiful Villa in the world. Failure to read and know the hotel's policy in advance is the fault of this guest. It is certainly NOT the fault of the Resort.
Koreans in southeast asia act like they own the world, if you asked any Vietnamese what they think about Koreans, 9/10 will tell you that they are unreasonable demanding with superior complex. I’m not surprised by this act, totally inline with how they act in SEA.
He sounds over-privileged and under-scolded... 9pm is another night , not a late checkout, typically anywhere. And as much as he says he's spending, why is he so upset at a marginal increase that they offered him? It's certainly easy enough to pack up for 4pm instead of 9pm and hang around the resort facilities...
Seems like he considers himself over-important.
And does he not think his girlfriend is beautiful lol? When english...
He sounds over-privileged and under-scolded...
9pm is another night , not a late checkout, typically anywhere. And as much as he says he's spending, why is he so upset at a marginal increase that they offered him?
It's certainly easy enough to pack up for 4pm instead of 9pm and hang around the resort facilities...
Seems like he considers himself over-important.
And does he not think his girlfriend is beautiful lol? When english is everybody's 2nd or 3rd or 4th language, nuance and tone aren't going to come across the same way. "lovely lady" could be a nice compliment or complete sarcasm- just take it at face value and move along if it's not egregiously inappropriate.
He asked the hotel about their policy but it seems to me that the hotel message answered his question . Late checkout to 4pm only which I think is reasonable . Late checkout to 9pm was offered at 50% discount , also reasonable . He needs to start respecting hotel staff who are only doing their job .
This man is ridiculous. General Manager Joy runs an beyond excellent operation at Amanoi, and demanding that the staff provide a 9 PM checkout is simply unreasonable.
Having visited the property three times myself and booked dozens of clients there as an advisor, I can confidently say the guest is being difficult and unfair. I genuinely feel bad that the staff had to endure this kind of behavior. It was disrespectful and completely out of...
This man is ridiculous. General Manager Joy runs an beyond excellent operation at Amanoi, and demanding that the staff provide a 9 PM checkout is simply unreasonable.
Having visited the property three times myself and booked dozens of clients there as an advisor, I can confidently say the guest is being difficult and unfair. I genuinely feel bad that the staff had to endure this kind of behavior. It was disrespectful and completely out of line. In my opinion, this type of conduct should not be tolerated at Aman properties.
I am amused with the "late checkout" comments. Anyone who travels in Asia and the middle east knows that a great percentage of flights leave after midnight (because of temperature vs lift relationships). So a comped late checkout of 9 PM in a luxury resort is not unreasonable. Our flights from Bali almost always leave at 01:00 so leaving after happy hour in the lounge is the norm.
Nowhere in the article does it say that the guest was Korean. It only mentioned that he claimed to have Korean girlfriend. There's a lot of interspecie dating, so he could be from any ethno-racial group. The only reason why he wanted to check out so late is most likely because he was on one of those cheap tourist charters that depart in the middle of the night to save on airport utilization fees.
Wow. First of all hotels are in business to sell room nights. Unless you are in a city wide sell out, cleaning and selling a room at 9:00pm is a stretch and asking for a complimentary check out at that hour is way over the top.
Second, the hotel in it's communication with this guest clearly indicates his rudeness to staff.
Sir, you are IMHO, clearly out of line and quite likely an asshole. Bless your heart .
Clearly the complaining party is Korean who’s huge about respect as he had mentioned about his age which is odd unless you are Korean and feeling disrespected by someone younger. They are a huge stickler for that kind of things. Go figure. Anyways, unless he’s staying at a Peninsula hotel, he can’t possibly expect to get a free 9pm check out. I have a flight coming up in India that flies out very late at...
Clearly the complaining party is Korean who’s huge about respect as he had mentioned about his age which is odd unless you are Korean and feeling disrespected by someone younger. They are a huge stickler for that kind of things. Go figure. Anyways, unless he’s staying at a Peninsula hotel, he can’t possibly expect to get a free 9pm check out. I have a flight coming up in India that flies out very late at night as well and I just went ahead and book the night so I don’t have to worry about vacating my suite and sit in the lobby waiting for a driver to come pick me up to airport. If you can afford to stay at Amanoi, you can afford to pay one extra night. What I would had done is ask for the cheapest room they have and move to that room and pay for it to avoid this situation. Or another option is just go to the spa and get some treatments between 4pm-7pm and then get dinner afterwards. Easy peasy. Amanoi is a lovely resort. Everyone I met was polite and kind. I think this guy has some anger issues.
So, "this issue is not fundamentally about money", yet he goes on to bicker about money. If you knew you weren't departing for the airport until 2100, you should have paid for an extra night to ensure that your departure was stress-free and comfortable for both you and your escort. This is the same problem as turning-up before dawn, ten hours prior to check-in, and expecting to waltz straight upstairs to a room. Money talks,...
So, "this issue is not fundamentally about money", yet he goes on to bicker about money. If you knew you weren't departing for the airport until 2100, you should have paid for an extra night to ensure that your departure was stress-free and comfortable for both you and your escort. This is the same problem as turning-up before dawn, ten hours prior to check-in, and expecting to waltz straight upstairs to a room. Money talks, bullshit walks; and then complains about it on the internet when they get home.
So 1% er wannabe from underdeveloped Asian country goes to undeveloped Asian country which is also a communist dictatorship and demands unreasonable special treatment? Ha ha ha. I hope he at least got all the hot water he wanted to drink, because that’s what those people do. He was probably Thai or Laotian.
Most comments here so far seems to really not get it. I'm with this middle age guest with a K-Pop girlfriend. After paying outrageous Aman rates, he has to deal with this stupid BS pulled on him?
This is no different than cabin crew or agents on a powertrip. It's like dragging Dr. David Dao and citing only ambiguous "internal policy". Or making up bogus "FAA regulation" and demand compliance.
These front...
Most comments here so far seems to really not get it.
I'm with this middle age guest with a K-Pop girlfriend. After paying outrageous Aman rates, he has to deal with this stupid BS pulled on him?
This is no different than cabin crew or agents on a powertrip.
It's like dragging Dr. David Dao and citing only ambiguous "internal policy".
Or making up bogus "FAA regulation" and demand compliance.
These front line employees needs to be accountable.
Aman is a disgrace. This is like doing a Dr. Dao but when he's flying Polaris and being GS.
I now wonder how many Koreans have this Aman extort "name your own fees" by citing vague "internal policies".
If there is no policy, then don't make one up.
I agree. This issue is not fundamentally about money.
People trying to tie this with 9pm or the fees will never get it.
And paying top dollar means your expectations are higher and should be held to a higher standards not lower. So low to a point of making up policies thinking guests are just going to suck it up.
Demanding such expectations might rub people in the wrong way.
Remember that puppet who came in and ask for money and military aid but dress and talk disrespectful to the office.
Compare to the other war hunger extremists but being respectful (and a Nobel endorsement). He got money and aid right away and we're been fighting his new war every 60 days since.
They offered him 4 PM with the spa available for shower and he could relax and have tea. That’s seems incredibly generous. I think 9 PM is a little ridiculous unless you are on a private island and the hotel arranged the transport.
You're also missing the point. All of you.
This isn't about leaving 9pm. It's about the Aman employee on a powertrip making up charges and can't even back up their bullsh*t.
This is Aman pulling a Tim Dunn then being called out for it. But the response you get is still exactly like what Tim Dunn would say rather than what JonNYC would clarify.
If you mean by puppet the person currently in the White House and kissing Putin’s ass, then yes, this person seems as boorishly rude and entitled like the orange turd in the White House. Also seems the orange turd continues to be a puppet for Israel in a stupid war over the Hormuz.
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.
When you begin to make an exception for one guest, you must be prepared to extend the same courtesy to all others. Where do you draw the line and put your foot down? Do you expect hotels to hire extra housekeeping staff on standby for night shift? That is not American capitalism.
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.
Most helpful comments ( as chosen by the OMAAT community ).
The comments on this page have not been provided, reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any advertiser, and it is not an advertiser's responsibility to ensure posts and/or questions are answered.
PeterGuest
May 27, 2026, 5:01 pm
NINE PM?!?! Uhhh if the sun has set and you are still in the room, that's not just a "late checkout".
This guy lives on such a different planet that I'm a little impressed. How does one even depart this far from normal reality?
8
GrayGuest
May 27, 2026, 12:27 pm
When I saw "late checkout", I was thinking that this was over 4 PM.
Asking for 9 PM is just...not something I can imagine doing. I'd presume I was buying the room for that night at that point.
(I do think the "internal policy" thing feels like a bit of a fudge, but that's more due to seeing lots of BS at e.g. Marriott over the years.)
7
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.
The guy sounds like he needs to titrate back his testosterone dose hence the overly aggressive personality. Latest I have heard that he continues to bother the staffs at Amanoi weeks after he has left. Amanoi is my all time favorite Aman property and we have been back there three times and a fourth one has been booked. The staffs are beyond amazing. One asshole guest can put a damper on the entire front office...
The guy sounds like he needs to titrate back his testosterone dose hence the overly aggressive personality. Latest I have heard that he continues to bother the staffs at Amanoi weeks after he has left. Amanoi is my all time favorite Aman property and we have been back there three times and a fourth one has been booked. The staffs are beyond amazing. One asshole guest can put a damper on the entire front office team and suck the life out of my peaceful place. Whenever anyone said money is not an issue, it’s likely an issue. He’s probably over stretched his budget trying to impress his young girlfriend, otherwise he could easily book one extra night and checkout at 9pm.
This is in total defense of Amoni. I have traveled to numerous Aman Resorts around the world including all three in Vietnam. My girlfriend is Vietnamese, and I am an American twice her age. We have never had any type of discrimination from any of our Aman visits. Our last trip to Amoni was this last February and Joy upgraded us to the most beautiful Villa in the world. Failure to read and know the...
This is in total defense of Amoni. I have traveled to numerous Aman Resorts around the world including all three in Vietnam. My girlfriend is Vietnamese, and I am an American twice her age. We have never had any type of discrimination from any of our Aman visits. Our last trip to Amoni was this last February and Joy upgraded us to the most beautiful Villa in the world. Failure to read and know the hotel's policy in advance is the fault of this guest. It is certainly NOT the fault of the Resort.
Koreans in southeast asia act like they own the world, if you asked any Vietnamese what they think about Koreans, 9/10 will tell you that they are unreasonable demanding with superior complex. I’m not surprised by this act, totally inline with how they act in SEA.
He sounds over-privileged and under-scolded...
9pm is another night , not a late checkout, typically anywhere. And as much as he says he's spending, why is he so upset at a marginal increase that they offered him?
It's certainly easy enough to pack up for 4pm instead of 9pm and hang around the resort facilities...
Seems like he considers himself over-important.
And does he not think his girlfriend is beautiful lol? When english...
He sounds over-privileged and under-scolded...
9pm is another night , not a late checkout, typically anywhere. And as much as he says he's spending, why is he so upset at a marginal increase that they offered him?
It's certainly easy enough to pack up for 4pm instead of 9pm and hang around the resort facilities...
Seems like he considers himself over-important.
And does he not think his girlfriend is beautiful lol? When english is everybody's 2nd or 3rd or 4th language, nuance and tone aren't going to come across the same way. "lovely lady" could be a nice compliment or complete sarcasm- just take it at face value and move along if it's not egregiously inappropriate.
I stopped reading where he loudly proclaimed that his girlfriend is a famous Korean actress and pop star...
He asked the hotel about their policy but it seems to me that the hotel message answered his question . Late checkout to 4pm only which I think is reasonable . Late checkout to 9pm was offered at 50% discount , also reasonable . He needs to start respecting hotel staff who are only doing their job .
Entitled guests, stupid management.
Btw here's a list of non-Whites:
- The French
- Poles
- Africans
- Indians
- Arabs
- East Asians
- Anyone south of america
Great to see you commenting again, Adolf. How was the cross-burning last night?
This man is ridiculous. General Manager Joy runs an beyond excellent operation at Amanoi, and demanding that the staff provide a 9 PM checkout is simply unreasonable.
Having visited the property three times myself and booked dozens of clients there as an advisor, I can confidently say the guest is being difficult and unfair. I genuinely feel bad that the staff had to endure this kind of behavior. It was disrespectful and completely out of...
This man is ridiculous. General Manager Joy runs an beyond excellent operation at Amanoi, and demanding that the staff provide a 9 PM checkout is simply unreasonable.
Having visited the property three times myself and booked dozens of clients there as an advisor, I can confidently say the guest is being difficult and unfair. I genuinely feel bad that the staff had to endure this kind of behavior. It was disrespectful and completely out of line. In my opinion, this type of conduct should not be tolerated at Aman properties.
I am amused with the "late checkout" comments. Anyone who travels in Asia and the middle east knows that a great percentage of flights leave after midnight (because of temperature vs lift relationships). So a comped late checkout of 9 PM in a luxury resort is not unreasonable. Our flights from Bali almost always leave at 01:00 so leaving after happy hour in the lounge is the norm.
Unless that same room is booked for that night of course.
No, it's common to book another night for flights that late, not receive late checkout at 11pm.
Nowhere in the article does it say that the guest was Korean. It only mentioned that he claimed to have Korean girlfriend. There's a lot of interspecie dating, so he could be from any ethno-racial group. The only reason why he wanted to check out so late is most likely because he was on one of those cheap tourist charters that depart in the middle of the night to save on airport utilization fees.
I really don't think interspecie is the right word here...
Wow. First of all hotels are in business to sell room nights. Unless you are in a city wide sell out, cleaning and selling a room at 9:00pm is a stretch and asking for a complimentary check out at that hour is way over the top.
Second, the hotel in it's communication with this guest clearly indicates his rudeness to staff.
Sir, you are IMHO, clearly out of line and quite likely an asshole. Bless your heart .
NINE PM?!?! Uhhh if the sun has set and you are still in the room, that's not just a "late checkout".
This guy lives on such a different planet that I'm a little impressed. How does one even depart this far from normal reality?
Clearly the complaining party is Korean who’s huge about respect as he had mentioned about his age which is odd unless you are Korean and feeling disrespected by someone younger. They are a huge stickler for that kind of things. Go figure. Anyways, unless he’s staying at a Peninsula hotel, he can’t possibly expect to get a free 9pm check out. I have a flight coming up in India that flies out very late at...
Clearly the complaining party is Korean who’s huge about respect as he had mentioned about his age which is odd unless you are Korean and feeling disrespected by someone younger. They are a huge stickler for that kind of things. Go figure. Anyways, unless he’s staying at a Peninsula hotel, he can’t possibly expect to get a free 9pm check out. I have a flight coming up in India that flies out very late at night as well and I just went ahead and book the night so I don’t have to worry about vacating my suite and sit in the lobby waiting for a driver to come pick me up to airport. If you can afford to stay at Amanoi, you can afford to pay one extra night. What I would had done is ask for the cheapest room they have and move to that room and pay for it to avoid this situation. Or another option is just go to the spa and get some treatments between 4pm-7pm and then get dinner afterwards. Easy peasy. Amanoi is a lovely resort. Everyone I met was polite and kind. I think this guy has some anger issues.
He lost face in front of his GF, a self-inflicted injury which could have been easily avoided.
So, "this issue is not fundamentally about money", yet he goes on to bicker about money. If you knew you weren't departing for the airport until 2100, you should have paid for an extra night to ensure that your departure was stress-free and comfortable for both you and your escort. This is the same problem as turning-up before dawn, ten hours prior to check-in, and expecting to waltz straight upstairs to a room. Money talks,...
So, "this issue is not fundamentally about money", yet he goes on to bicker about money. If you knew you weren't departing for the airport until 2100, you should have paid for an extra night to ensure that your departure was stress-free and comfortable for both you and your escort. This is the same problem as turning-up before dawn, ten hours prior to check-in, and expecting to waltz straight upstairs to a room. Money talks, bullshit walks; and then complains about it on the internet when they get home.
its always about money.
Sounds exactly like the type of people that would stay at an Aman hotel
So 1% er wannabe from underdeveloped Asian country goes to undeveloped Asian country which is also a communist dictatorship and demands unreasonable special treatment? Ha ha ha. I hope he at least got all the hot water he wanted to drink, because that’s what those people do. He was probably Thai or Laotian.
Did you not read the article or having trouble to fully understand it may be ?
When I saw "late checkout", I was thinking that this was over 4 PM.
Asking for 9 PM is just...not something I can imagine doing. I'd presume I was buying the room for that night at that point.
(I do think the "internal policy" thing feels like a bit of a fudge, but that's more due to seeing lots of BS at e.g. Marriott over the years.)
Most comments here so far seems to really not get it.
I'm with this middle age guest with a K-Pop girlfriend. After paying outrageous Aman rates, he has to deal with this stupid BS pulled on him?
This is no different than cabin crew or agents on a powertrip.
It's like dragging Dr. David Dao and citing only ambiguous "internal policy".
Or making up bogus "FAA regulation" and demand compliance.
These front...
Most comments here so far seems to really not get it.
I'm with this middle age guest with a K-Pop girlfriend. After paying outrageous Aman rates, he has to deal with this stupid BS pulled on him?
This is no different than cabin crew or agents on a powertrip.
It's like dragging Dr. David Dao and citing only ambiguous "internal policy".
Or making up bogus "FAA regulation" and demand compliance.
These front line employees needs to be accountable.
Aman is a disgrace. This is like doing a Dr. Dao but when he's flying Polaris and being GS.
I now wonder how many Koreans have this Aman extort "name your own fees" by citing vague "internal policies".
If there is no policy, then don't make one up.
I agree. This issue is not fundamentally about money.
People trying to tie this with 9pm or the fees will never get it.
And paying top dollar means your expectations are higher and should be held to a higher standards not lower. So low to a point of making up policies thinking guests are just going to suck it up.
Demanding such expectations might rub people in the wrong way.
Remember that puppet who came in and ask for money and military aid but dress and talk disrespectful to the office.
Compare to the other war hunger extremists but being respectful (and a Nobel endorsement). He got money and aid right away and we're been fighting his new war every 60 days since.
What a disjointed, winding, completely unhelpful, pointless comment. Thanks for contributing.
Anthony doesn't get it.
Thank for being the average human stool for other better people to step on you.
They offered him 4 PM with the spa available for shower and he could relax and have tea. That’s seems incredibly generous. I think 9 PM is a little ridiculous unless you are on a private island and the hotel arranged the transport.
You're also missing the point. All of you.
This isn't about leaving 9pm. It's about the Aman employee on a powertrip making up charges and can't even back up their bullsh*t.
This is Aman pulling a Tim Dunn then being called out for it. But the response you get is still exactly like what Tim Dunn would say rather than what JonNYC would clarify.
If you mean by puppet the person currently in the White House and kissing Putin’s ass, then yes, this person seems as boorishly rude and entitled like the orange turd in the White House. Also seems the orange turd continues to be a puppet for Israel in a stupid war over the Hormuz.
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.
Probably not getting any special treatment from his k-pop escort, either.
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.
Actually, I agree that the manager should not have commented on the appearance of his girlfriend, one way or the other.
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.
When you begin to make an exception for one guest, you must be prepared to extend the same courtesy to all others. Where do you draw the line and put your foot down? Do you expect hotels to hire extra housekeeping staff on standby for night shift? That is not American capitalism.
Aman is not supposed to be American capitalism.
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.