Americans are ruder than the French, survey finds

Who are the world's rudest tourists ? According to a new global survey of hoteliers, they are .....the Americans. This is a little surprising since the cliché would suggest that this prize might go to the French or possibly the Russians.

The French did come second to the Americans in the least polite category of the Expedia-Harris poll of more than 4,000 hotel managers around the world. The travel firm's survey set out to find the best tourists based on their travel traits and habits.

The Japanese are the world's easiest and most delightful tourists for hotel managers. The bottom of the 30-nation list were the Chinese (full list below). The Indians came second to bottom, followed by the French. The Americans came mid-way.

I was surprised to see the British tying for second place along with the Germans. In 2002, the British ranked in a similar poll as the world's worst tourists. It's interesting that the British reputation is raised by their conduct outside Europe. In their own continent, they are ranked much lower.

The nationality that complains most about accommodations are the Americans. The Germans follow and the French are the third worst complainers. The Americans are the worst dressed, while the Italians are of course rated the most stylish with the French just behind.

The French top the list for financial meanness, followed by the Germans and the Dutch. There is an explanation. West Europe does not have a culture of tipping like, say the United States. In France and many other European countries a 15 percent service charge has long been automatic in restaurants, bars and cafes.

The French are also rated bottom in the list of tourists' willingness to attempt a foreign language. As le Parisien newspaper said today: "The French remain convinced that the language of Molière is universal and that it is up to the country they visit to fit in with this."

The French, surprisingly, are among the most adventurous about trying local cuisine.

Don't forget that these are views that hotel managers have formed from dealing with their clients. I suspect that public opinion in the visited countries would differ.

There are also factors that might have an impact. The French, for example, take vacations far less outside their own country than many other nations, especially their fellow Europeans. More tourists come to France than any nation in the world, including the United States. And I know that a couple of regulars here will point out that these findings are suspicious since it was apparently an internet survey carried out by an American firm.

Best tourists according to Expedia survey of hotel managers: 

1. Japanese

2. German/British (tie) (The Germans were considered

the tidiest of all nationalities.)

3. Canadian (The most popular tourists in their own

country were the Canadians as well.)

4. Swiss

5. Dutch

6. Australian/Swedish (tie)

7. Belgian

8. Norwegian

9. Austrian/Danish/Finnish (tie)

10. New Zealanders

11. U.S. American/Thai (tie)

12. Irish/Czech/South African/Portugese (tie)

13. Brazilian

14. Italian/Greek/Polish (tie)

15. Turkish

16. Spanish

17. Mexican

18. Russian

19. French 

20. Indian

21. Chinese

Comments

[JJ]

The least willing to attempt to speak in a foreign tongue are surely the Americans - not without some excuses - closely followed by the English, not least those resident in France.

[Mary Fernandez]

Rudeness seems to correlate with complaints about the accomodations and this is a survey by hotel managers.

It may be that the Americans and French (nos. 1 and 2) expect a tidy room and efficient service and when they don't get it perhaps get a little miffed.

[qwerty]

When Americans complain they really mean business - they sue. Les français ne font que râler.

On a scuba-diving boat in a Bahamas resort, the nice South African skipper refused priority to another boat from the same resort, but there was no collision. An American on the boat (must have been an attorney) made sure his ass was on the next flight to Miami to be fired by the resort's headquarters.

I'm surprised the French experiment with foreign food when abroad- they always seem to complain especially about American and English food when they get home. And repeat at length how good it is to get back.
However, my local Indian restaurant was full the other night.

[azloon]

doesn't surprise me about americans in this poll (world-class ethnocentrists, and language-impaired). finally we understand the strained relations among french and americans on this blog: 'birds of a feather' barely tolerate each other.

french, being the maniacs they are about fresh food, do complain about american food (i've eaten with them), probably not without some justification. you have to spend serious money here to get the type of food the french are used to everyday for much less.

and if you like tourists who flock together (speaking of 'flocking' tourists :)) and cluck endlessly about god-knows-what, you'll love the japanese, chinese and les francaises.

[JJ]

Americans can't hop across the Channel on a day trip, which is why I feel they have less excuse than the English for not bothering with foreign languages.

[dot king]

JJ - the French who cross the Channel towards the UK, they all speak perfect English then, do they? Or perfect Spanish, Italian, or German, when they cross one of those borders?
Should one only travel to countries where one speaks the language?

[Dominique]

Since when do hotel managers know more about being rude or being polite than the average guy in the metro? Many of them are themselves very rude to customers!

This rudeness/politness issue was already discussed on this blog and it turned out to show that both rudeness and politness are very cultural. What is polite here might be rude in some other country and vice versa.

This kind of international polls are therefore completly pointless. A waste of time, money and energy organized by some tourist industry lobbies trying to make people feel guilty. Both : tourists and people who welcome them.

I am afraid hotel managers will always considere customers who pay more to be the most polite. Is Madonna polite in a hotel?

[Maggie]

In my experience, the French complain FAR more about the British not speaking French than about the Americans not speaking French.

Of course that must be partly because there are more British around here than Americans, but that's not the only reason.

Once I was talking to the man who was fixing the washing machine, and he complained about the British in Antibes always expecting him to speak to them in English. I said, "What about the Americans -- they don't speak much French either", and he immediately replied, "The Americans don't expect us to speak English; the Americans will go and find a translator."

A lot of French get quite indignant about the number of British who live here and don't speak French. One of the ladies in my chorus told me she wasn't going to speak English anymore with a lady who lived near her and sometimes stopped to chat when she was passing by (commenting on her flowers etc). She said, "She's lived here for twenty years! It's inexcusable!"

[Joan Arles]

As an American who has lived for 15 years in France, I'd say that neither the French nor the Americans are the rudest. As you suggest, this survey sounds a bit fishy. Or maybe times are changing and I haven't noticed. In my experience, Americans, at least those over about 35 or 40, are very polite. And the same goes for the French. Watching tourists passing through this area -- the central bit of the French Mediterranean -- I'd say that the Brits are pretty awful.

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

The language barrier is probably the biggest barrier of all and the biggest cause of rudeness by French to Americans, by British to French etc. I have been constantly amazed by telling English residents that such and such a film is on TV that night and they say: "Is it in English?" Yet no Frenchman would ask that in England or America. They e x p e c t English to be spoken everywhere. It is a throwback from the days of Empire.
I have been banging on for years about the Dutch method of teaching foreign languages. Many Dutch people speak four, five, or six languages. Can not the arrogant British, French and Yanks climb down and study how they do it and c o p y them!

[Don]

This survey should be given very little credibility because it contradicts an earlier, much larger survey of 15,000 hoteliers, by the same Expedia group in 2007. In the earlier study of 28 nationalities the French were found to be the worst tourists in Europe and the Japanese the best with the Americans second best. The French site that had an article on this survey has taken the article away. I saved a copy and have pasted it in below.
====================
Société
Le Français, élu pire touriste en Europe
Les Japonais seraient les touristes les plus appréciés par les hôteliers européens... et les Français les moins aimés !
Discrets, polis, respectueux, curieux… voilà l’image des Japonais auprès des hôteliers européens.. Ils les ont élus les champions du « savoir-voyager » en Europe. Un exemple : les Japonais laisseraient leurs chambres d’hôtels aussi propres qu’ à leur arrivée ! En 2nde place du classement arrivent les Américains : ils seraient ainsi très ouverts sur la gastronomie européenne, s’évertueraient à apprendre la langue du pays visité, et surtout laisseraient de généreux pourboires : les hôteliers, restaurateurs et chauffeurs de taxis les apprécient particulièrement. Les Français, eux, arrivent en queue de peloton des 28 nationalités examinées. Ils peineraient à utiliser le trio « Bonjour/ Merci/Au revoir » dans la langue du pays et arrivent en 4ème position du Top 28 des « jamais contents ». Peu chaleureux, peu ouverts sur la cuisine et la langue des pays, plutôt radins, les Français n’ont obtenu qu’une seule bonne note : ils sont après les Italiens, les plus élégants… Maigre consolation !

* Etude européenne Expedia réalisée du 10 au 24 avril 2007 auprès de 15 000 hôteliers, prenant en compte 10 critères : attitude générale, politesse, volonté de parler la langue locale, intérêt pour la cuisine locale, propension à la dépense, générosité, propreté, discrétion, élégance, forte tendance à se plaindre….

[Don]

In my previous post on this topic I included an article in French on a 2007 survey (by Expedia) of 15,000 hoteliers that says the French were judged to be the worst tourists in Europe and the Americans the second best (after the Japanese). For those of you whose French is a bit rusty, here is the translation of that article. As you can read, the French were considered very resistant to trying the cuisine of other countries. This survey is almost 4 times as large as the one just done.

=================================

The French, chosen the worst tourists in Europe.

The Japanese would be the most appreciated tourists by European hoteliers … and the French the least liked.

Reserved, polite, respectful, curious .. that’s the image of the Japanese in the eyes of European hoteliers. They chose them to be the champions of the “savoir-traveler” in Europe. One example: the Japanese would leave their hotel rooms as neat as upon their arrival! In second place in the ratings are the Americans: they would be very open to European cuisine, would try to learn the local language, and especially would leave generous tips: the hoteliers, restaurateurs and taxi drivers especially appreciate that. The French are in last place in the group of 28 nationalities examined. They would have trouble using the words “Hello, Thank you, Goodbye” in the local language and were in 4th position of the 28 nationalities in terms of never being happy. Showing little friendliness, not open to cuisine and language of the local country, rather miserly, the French only obtained one good grade”: after the Italians, they are the most elegant. Meager consolation !

European study conducted by Expedia from April 10th to April 24th 2007 – included 15,000 hoteliers taking into account 10 criteria: general attitude, politeness, willingness to speak the local language, interest in the local cuisine, propensity to spend, generosity, propriety, discretion, elegance, strong tendency to complain.

[Daniel Strohl]

Peter Kinsley,

"Can not the arrogant British, French and Yanks climb down and study how they do it and c o p y them!"

I agree totally with you regarding the French. Our Education Nationale tries endlessly to "reinvent the wheel" with a very modest success up to now, instead of making a good copy and paste of the Dutch methods, provenly very successful (and as far as I know, the Dutch do not spend more money over all per capita as we do in their equivalents of our écoles primaires, collèges & lycées).

"The French remain convinced that the language of Molière is universal and that it is up to the country they visit to fit in with this." (quote of Le Parisien by Charles)

This may indeed be the opinion of a fraction of French who still did not notice that we are no more in the "Grand Siècle". But most of the French, English "trained" by our Education Nationale, have a rather modest level, so modest that they hardly DARE to speak English...

PS : this is NOT an attack against our English teachers. I am sure that they do their best with the means they have. But language teaching has always been taken by politicians and highest level brains of our Education Nationale as "la cinquième roue du carrosse". Let us hope that things are improving rapidly. A simple (simplistic?) and cost free method to improve things would be to increase drastically the "coefficient" of languages (and especially of English) at the various exams.

[richard jones]

This issue of languages and traveling where one speaks them not was bound to arise, I suppose.

First, within reason, it is up to the hotel or resort to accommodate the tourist as well as they can linguistically, for the tourist is the customer and pays.

Second, Americans generally (as already said) have to travel a long way before they get a language change, although the southern Spanish boundary is rapidly moving north and by 2030 the USA will be a de facto bilingual nation, English and Spanish.

Thirdly, the Brits (40 kilometers from another language) are not good at languages because they don’t see much logic in learning another language when their’s is the first language of some 500 million people and the second language for another nigh on billion (Valentin will give you the Wikirefs for this).

Fourthly, the French, although to be fair this attitude is changing and rapidly, are not so good at languages because they feel they should be in the language situation that English (well an Americanised version of it) has today.

Fifthly, tourist complaints, in my long experience of overseas travel are normally about ‘la cuisine’ from francophonic guests, room and board and room service from the Germans or Brits or Americans. The Swiss complain about both but not very often.

Not speaking the language where you are going should not be an impediment to travel but the linguistic welcome you get can mar or marvel the trip.

Capital cities seem to be the worst and are often the antithesis of other cities in the same country. The English (and French speakers from elsewhere – Belgium or Switzerland are often put off by the snotty linguistic snobbism of ‘les parisiens’) but often quite enamoured of their welcome in Lyon or Marseille or Toulouse.

Montréal and Québec seem to make an effort too! Unfortunately, I with my plodding Genevois, need a subtitle machine attached to each Québequois(e).

I think the best attitude is ‘I do not speak …. but I will try, as long as you laugh WITH me not AT me’. This works wonderfully well in many European countries. An Italian or a Spaniard or a Portuguese or a Greek (or any Balkan), Czech's, Slovaks, Poles,in my experience, genuinely takes it as a compliment if you try their language and will help you through the day.

The polyglottedness of this blog is expansive which made me wonder how the blog would respond to the following fantasy.
1)The new-found EU tourist
commission will only allow
resorts/hotels/theme parks etc.
etc. a licence if services are
provided in FOUR ‘major’ EU
languages. What choice should the
EUTC make and why?
2)All the tourist traps complain and
the EUTC has to prioritize the
languages. What should the EUTC
priorities be and why?

[richard jones]

Mr. Kinsley,

Could u tell us more or direct us to some source of information on the Dutch language learning method.

[hygienist]

Does France have a cultural code educating all men to sit while urinating?

[Kyle]

We're "U.S. American" now?
I'd feel worse about the U.S. being "worst dressed" if we had better bodies to show off in them.

[David]

"Thirdly, the Brits (40 kilometers from another language) are not good at languages because they don’t see much logic in learning another language when their’s is the first language of some 500 million people and the second language for another nigh on billion (Valentin will give you the Wikirefs for this)."

This is very true. I think that Brits should learn another language if living in another country, but as a friend of mine, who was asked by a Czech in Prague why the British don´t learn another languge, replied "which one".

[quentin]

This survey does not reflect the touristic reality at all: how about the hordes of British (and also German) who colonise holiday resorts during the summer and display the rudest and most uncivil behaviours ? I suppose these are not counted in the survey...
But please watch at Falaraki etc. on TV to see what bad tourists really are !

[valerie]

Being badly dressed is surely not rude, unless, of course, one goes into a church in a bikini.

After many years in France, it is true that Brits are often lacking in social skills when there. But I have seen French tourists, both in France and abroad, make me cringe at their incivility.

As for Americans and their alleged lack of foreign languages, I doubt that this is very true... Most Americans I know or have ever known, had a second language at school, very often French or Spanish, or have some family connection to a foreign language like German. And when they get a chance to use it, they do their best.

As for hotel managers and rudeness, well, I agree with the comment above. LOL Surely the Japanese are so appreciated because they are so passive! Americans travel far, too, and spend lots of money, so expect a minimum of service in return and are not shy about it. The Japanese just won't complain, period.

[remy]

English have good reputation? what a joke. I m sure some eastern european coutries will probably not agree. And for not trying the local food the english are not known for being specially advanturous, if it s not burn, deep fried with chicken, pork and potatoes it s nt food.

[dot king]

"Mr. Kinsley,

Could u tell us more or direct us to some source of information on the Dutch language learning method."
(Richard Jones)

When I first got to know the younger daughter in a Dutch family who are friends of mine, she spoke only Dutch and we talked through one of her parents or older sister acting as interpreter.
One year I noticed that she was speaking perfect English with hardly any accent and at an adult level (aged 12). She was doing this so naturally that it took me a while to notice.
When I did, I remarked upon it and asked how it had happened. The parents explained (one an international lawyer the other a judge) that in Holland nearly ALL TV is in English with subtitles and that, per force, one day, sooner or later, something clicks.
They said it had very little to do with teaching methods, but that the English gleaned from music and TV somehow added to what is being taught in school, and Hey Presto.
Now there has to be more to it than that. Both parents speak fluent English and they have lots of English-speaking colleagues, friends and acquaintances, so there is a certain level of "immersion" there too. But none of it was put donw to any school-based language teaching method.
A couple of years ago I had two Dutch brothers in school whom I was meant to be teaching French to, they had very poor English and hardly any French ever permeated the outer layers, in either of them, but their father spoke English fluently - theit mother spent most of her time in tears, they have now gone back to holland with two sons who are three years behind in an education of any sort in any language.
I have come across a taxi-driver in Greece who spoke very good English and said he'd learned it by talking to his customers (whether this was entirely true I have no way of knowing), and I have a Russian friend who speaks excellent English and more than adequate French - and these she learned at university before she'd ever left Russia.
I think someone mentioned on another thread that the Russian education system came out best or very well in language learning?

[peter kinsley www.peterkinsley.com]

Long before TV with sub-titles I was in Amsterdam (1954) and a group of schoolchildren at a bus stop gave me directions and told me they knew five languages: Dutch, German, English, French, Spanish. In each class the teacher spoke only one of these languages and they followed suit -- no Dutch allowed. I believe it is that simple.*** The parents, of course w a n t their children to be linguists ("Nobody speak Dutch!"), whereas many English parents don't give a damn. French teachers just want the kids to pass exams for their own kudos. My stepson (English) started at the Alliance Francaise in Ibiza. Youth Hostelling on the Continent with a pal (also English) they spoke German, Russia, French and Spanish with others of their age. He now speaks fluent Dutch, builds websites and is a sculptor (M.A., Edinburgh) with a globe of the world in beaten copper which spins, floodlit at night, on the banks of the Rhine in The Hague; whereas the English barman in Ibiza, who married a Dutch lady from a village where they spoke no English, just could not learn Dutch, but soon had the whole village speaking English!!
*** I shall make enquiries.

[richard jones]

Hi Dot,

The Dutch language garnering is I suspect rather more a question of 'immersion' and 'exposure' than an innovative teaching method, although I'm sure foreign language teachers in Holland are less didactic and grammar obsessive than teachers in other large countries.
I suppose by the same token this is why our Nordic, Baltic and Balkan cousins grasp English or German or French quite quickly, although for some nations in these groups their diasporic penchant would contribute largely.
So in the end it comes down to econo-culturism. Most of these countries have relatively small populations and the TV audience is not of a size to merit 'voice over' so it's subtitles and most of the films are products of the leviathan US film industry, similarly most 'teenage music' is from the same source (sauce ;-)) and is not translated into Estonian etc. etc.
I remember after the G8 fiasco in Evian which left the nearest city of any size - Geneva - carrying the bill for 'manif. damage', the Swiss wanted some remboursement from France which was not forthcoming and a diplomatic spat ensued in which the French said they would no longer
'voice over' US films for the Swiss market. I had no idea that the Swiss 'out-sourced' this but was very happy when the Swiss intimated that they thought they could probably manage for a while without this particular French 'cultural service'.
Finally folks from Holland, Denmark, Lithuania, Slovenia, Greece etc. etc., need these other languages for their professional lives. As I said the Brits and the French feel they do not. German speakers probably do not need other languages either but have a much more open attitude to knowledge than some other nations.
The Spanish, Italians and Portuguese are also fairly open, in my experience, to French, which with all the Latin roots is not a hard study and English because it is ubiquitous.
I suspect we are heading towards an EU with mother tongues and three or four other lingua franca.

[Daisy]

"The French remain convinced that the language of Molière is universal and that it is up to the country they visit to fit in with this."

The problem with this mentality is that if you wait for people to come to you, you may find that they don't.

[Glenorchy]

I am an American who has lived in Scotland for 13 years ( and have been visiting Scotland since just prior to WWII) Upon occasion I have asked hotel owners in Scotland who their worst behaved guests were. All said --"The English by far", and would give me examples of extreme conduct. In my travels around the Continent, I have confirmed this, and do my best to avoid English tourists. In England they are great, but when they leave England they mostly seem to turn into loud, foul-mouthed drunks.

[Robert Guttman]

Anyone who has ever ridden on the New York City subway train is aware that Americans can scarcely be considered mono-lingual. On any given day in any given subway car one can easily hear a dozen languages spoken other than English, and not by tourists. As things stand today the country is becoming virtually bi-lingual. However, it is becoming bi-lingual in English and SPANISH, not English and FRENCH. It isn't the fact that Americans don't understand one or more other languages that makes them seem so provincial to Europeans, it is simply that the foreign languages they speak do not tend to include FRENCH. French is a language that is rarely heard in the United States because there isn't much need for it, apart from ordering dinner in certain pretentious restaurants. There simply don't happen to be many French-speaking people in North America outside of the Province of Quebec and some of the remoter corners of the State of Louisiana, and the natives of La Belle France don't even consider the provincial dialects spoken in those locales to be French.

[John Styx]

Command of English varies a lot in France. I remember seeing a lot of British tourists in the tube during the last Rugby World Cup -- especially at station La Défense, where I work. A lot of young Brits cracked (rather friendly) jokes about France and the French. As often as not, people would smile and someone would eventually say: "you know, some of us actually understand English". About everyone in the subway wagon, actually :-)

I spent a week in Madrid some months ago. It seems very few Madrileños can speak or understand even the most basic English. Even museum guards at the Prado didn't seem to understand words such as "toilets". Most of the times, people would answer me in Spanish and repeat the same sentence over and over. The dreadful part is that I would understand them most of the times, Spanish and French being Romance languages, but I wouldn't be able to answer. I had to resort to Italian to make myself somewhat understood.

[JJ]

Dear Dot K.,

Actually, I do think the French make a much greater effort at speaking English than the British do - and the teaching of foreign languages as living rather than dead ones is generally better too.
Should one only travel to countries of which one knows the language? Well, I'm no George Borrow but I think one should at least learn a few basics and not presume everyone speaks English.

[dot king]

"Actually, I do think the French make a much greater effort at speaking English than the British do -" JJ

Well, the British already speak English, but I think I get the general idea of what you're trying to say.

You seem to have some prejudice about non-Francophone British, which I could only answer anecdotally and you would answer with as many anecdotes, and so it would go on. I do know British people who live here who speak French at all sorts of levels from "nervous attempt" to "fully fluent" passing through "adequate" and "reasonably competent" on the way. I know of only one person who actually boasts that he's been here over 20 years and can't speak a word of French - but he's strongly outnumbered.
I mean, have you any proofs of your claims, or opinions, or are they locally-based and empirical?

Where I lived in England before, the French population was pretty much non-existent as far as I could tell, so I can hardly comment at that level.
And on the whole, I can't much see the point.
If you're saying that foreigners should try and speak the language of the country they're going to, then why does it apply to the British rather than any others?
Or is it just Anglo-French relations you're concerned about?
But even so, so what?

[JJ]

Dear Dot,

You're too aggressive and presumptive for my taste - though I must thank you with all due humility for pointing out my linguistic error with such pertinence - so I shan't bother to answer.

[dot king]

JJ BTW, who's George Borrow?

[dot king]

"The least willing to attempt to speak in a foreign tongue are surely the Americans - not without some excuses - closely followed by the English, not least those resident in France."

JJ

Nowthen, as an english person, resident in France, I asked you to justify that opening salvo, which I judged as being quite aggressive and anti-British, and up to here you haven't.
Now you're telling me I'm "too aggressive and presumptive" (BTW that should be "presumptious" - do try to learn the lingo, dear :)) so you won't answer.

Sulkpot!

[richard jones]

George Borrow was a writer and linguist of around 1880 who specialised in visiting way off places that spoke strange languages - the last Cornish speakers, the last (in the UK anyway) speakers of fully-inflected Welsh, various gypsy and similar tongues across Europe. He wrote a wonderful book called (if my memory serves me as it should) 'The Tin Man ' about Connemara and other places.
He was accredited with 40 or so language fluencies - obviously English, French and the usual cabal but also Basque, Hungarian, Finnish and Ladino.
Valentin will give u a Wikiref that tells you much more.

[richard jones]

Dot,

I honestly believe JJ meant
"Actually, I do think the French make a much greater effort at speaking English than the British do AT SPEAKING FRENCH"
At least that was the way this old fart read it.

[V]

I'm here Richard :)
Glad my refs made such an impression on you. Coming from someone your erudition and experience, I'm simply flattered!
:)

[richard jones]

JJ and Dot - Good people there is not need to engage in ire and wrath for no reason.

I assume JJ means that Dot makes to many presumptions in her responses and in forming counter-arguments - thus is 'presumptive'.

Dot clearly feels JJ is easily irked and this is owing to her sometimes, perhaps, being rather forward - thus presumptuous - unfortunately mistyped as presumptious (the letters i and u are adjacent) sur le clavier!!

I don't think either of you are either of these words. Why don't we just blog on. Regardless.

[Vinay Mehra]

Via this survey, the hoteliers are saying that they do not want their guests to complain. In other words, the hotels should be allowed to get away with bad service.

[Chris]

So, as an American am I wrong for wanting a clean room and clean plates to eat dinner off of. Wow, I guess I am asking for too much after spending 2000$ on the trip to have clean sheets. Maybe the rest of Europe is just full of scummy people.

[azloon]

we (the u.s.) tied with thailand at #11..

i wonder in what other areas thailand is tied with some other nation.

perhaps with mexico in the percentage of adult men who wear ties.

thailand leads of course in the percentage of adult males who are thais.

[azloon]

[as an American am I wrong for wanting a clean room and clean plates to eat dinner off of] Chris

no, certainly not, but please don't end your sentences with prepositions. our language skills are already suspect in britain.

try 'clean plates on which to eat dinner.'

or to avoid infinitives altogether, simply 'clean dinner plates.'

the only country that used to use dinner plates for anything other than 'eating off of" was greece, where for the cost of the plate, guests could hurl them into the fireplace after becoming wildly intoxicated on ouzo.

in that case, you could have said, 'am i wrong for wanting clean plates to hurl into the fireplace?"

and i would have replied, "what difference does it make?"

Worse dressed?

Let me tell you something. All these European men coming to our beaches in the US wearing speedos (also known here as "meathangers"). How about Europeans as the worst UNdressed. I cant take it anymore! Suffer with Americans in sneakers and baseball caps, I say.

I found it true that Americans probably complain a lot about the accomodations. Small rooms are very expensive in Europe and very meager. The bathrooms are not always very clean. And we don't particularly like sharing our bathroom with Frau Krauss down the hall. And, another thing, we Americans our a bit round if you havent noticed. For $300 dollars a night, you can put out more than some old croissants and jam on the breakfast table. So, yeah, you're gonna hear some complaints, Mr. Hotel Manager.

[Jollyswagman]

Surprising to see New Zealanders rate below us Aussies - most Aussies admit that our cousins across the Tasman Sea are much nicer and more polite than us rough, tough Aussies -- yet they come several places below us... (although when Russell Crowe chucks a wobbly we regard him as a Kiwi again!)
or is it because they don't tip as much (their economy isn't as strong as ours!)

[qwerty]

Re Chris and clean sheets: I remember a phase of the cold war between France and the US (when the US invasion of Irak was imminent): that winter Roissy airport was snowed out and we're not used to that type of weather here so the airport authorities couldn't entirely cope (they did their best). A snooty female New Yorker commented on LCI that "I'm an American citizen and [I expect service] [I expect things to work wherever I go]".

Not sure about the end of the sentence but the stress is on "I'm an American citizen" (so the rest of you are just incompetent monkeys, I have special rights as an American to be treated as such in the entire world, we're the uber-race, f**k the rest of you...)

[rocket]

When my mother in law 82 (years old at the time) came to visit us a few years ago with one of her daughters they reserved a 4 star hotel at the Opera for about 300USD a night. When they got to check in, they found that the only room that was available was one with one double bed so they had to sleep in the same bed in spite of the fact they had reserved a room with two beds.

The response of the hotel manager was the infamous Gallic shrug. So I guess for that particular manager when we complained about the room and asked for some kind of restitution we became the ugly Americans.

Different strokes for different folks.

Bref! I don't put much credence in this type of poll.

What may be considered "chiant" behavior in France for example is considered normal customer rights in the US.

I've seen Americans in the US go ballistic (controlled) in front of sales personnel, managers etc and these people responded in a controlled fashion without the need to "tenir tete". Unfortunately in some countries in Europe south of 50' longitude people find it necessary to argue back just to prove they are right.

Step back people! Do your job, serve the public and get over it. If you think serving people is subservient, find a nice job in the administration.

There's a joke down in Fort Lauderdale concerning the Quebecois who descend in droves for the winter. On their Licence Plates is written "Je me souviens". Many Americans think this means " I am cheap" as they don't leave tips.

[christopher muir]

I could only agree with Paul Theroux when he said, "Tourists don't know where they've been, travellers don't know where they're going."

Anyhow, tourism will change because of oil prices and carbon taxes.

[dot king]

Richard Jones: how kind of you to be a referee. : )
Before you start flashing red and yellow cards about, please note that I had indicated that I knew what JJ meant, also that I replied to his "aggressive and presumptive" with humour - and even a smiley (that's how lovely I can be even in the face of hardship, Ref).
(Though if JJ is French, as I suspect, there could well be a humour-gap.)

I will always blog on relentlessly, and so I reiterate, JJ still hasn't justified his opening salvo. Shirley (;-)) it's reasonable to ask him to come up with an explanation?

Thanks also for telling me about George Morrow (JJ took ages to explain "infy" on another thread, I'd've got tired of waiting) - obviously someone I ought to know about, but didn't. I will look him up, but you've given me enough passing knowledge to be able to break the ice at parties: "By the way, did you know about old George Morrow, terribly clever chap
. . . etc" :-)

Just on the "tourism" point, I would be reluctant to pronounce on who are the best/worst tourists. It depends where you go and what kind of people flock there. And what criteria you judge by.
And no, to our trans-Atlantic cousins, I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a clean room and efficient pleasant service, but PLEASE, NEVER split an infinitive! (Azloon is well-travelled, he knows the dangers!)
I've travelled to many European countries where I don't speak the language, but I doubt I'd be considered a "bad" tourist. Well, so far so good, at least.

[John Styx]

In Paris it's sometimes best to pass as a tourist. I often go to restaurants which happen to be selected by Zagat or Time Out, so there are a lot of upper-middle class tourists who leave nice tips. Parisian waiters being what they are, it's sometimes a lengthy process to place your order or to get the bill. I find speaking English or speaking French with a heavy Anglo-Saxon accent is a very efficient way to get service.

Regarding tips, service in France is included in restaurant prices. This may be the reason why hotel managers find French tourists to be cheap.

[richard jones]

Dot,

Here is a Wikedwiki on George Borrow as in lend not as in ToMorrow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Borrow

As you will see my memory is not what it was George was nigh dead in 1880 and the 'Tin Man' is not on the book list.
He's never mentioned today but in the 1930's was a popular travelogue type author and the sort of chap whose work was discussed on the 'steam' radio (Third Programme).

[Maggie]

Re wanting a clean plate to eat dinner off of.

It's okay in English to end a sentence with a preposition, isn't it?

Isn't that another of Churchill's famous quotes? When told, "Don't use a preposition to end a sentence with", he replied, "This is the kind of nonsense up with which I will not put".

I'm sure everyone has heard that before, but I'm putting it anyway.

Personally, I think having to share a double bed is no big deal. If that's all that's left, and the sheets are clean, and the room is clean, then I wouldn't consider that poor service. I think it's just a cultural difference -- Americans just aren't used to the idea.

In our hiking group, I've shared a bed with all the girls except Mary.