Throughout my years in this hobby, this was the first time I felt compelled to share my experience with the crumbling Asiana Airlines (OZ). For the longest time, I have treated this airline as a reliable transportation option—an ordinary, business-as-usual carrier where I would be informed, educated, and treated fairly.
Travel is such an interesting endeavor where unexpected things are bound to happen, and this incident was one of them. I was fortunate to book a last-minute flight from Ottawa to Incheon via London at the regular Aeroplan points rate. From Incheon, I had a separates ticket operated by Shandong Airlines (SC) to Qingdao. Since I couldn’t book the final leg through Aeroplan, I had to purchase two separate tickets.
After a 12-hour flight from London to Incheon, I waited about two hours to recheck my bag and obtain my boarding pass for the last segment. The ticket I purchased was in business class, which included lounge access. While waiting for the check-in counter to open, I noticed an announcement from the airline stating that passengers could pay a certain amount to upgrade to business class and use the Asiana Lounge.
At this point, nothing seemed unusual—I had been to Asiana’s lounges many times before. After completing check-in and the usual formalities, I headed toward the lounge. Shandong Airlines uses the N counters at the west end of Incheon Terminal 1, and after passing through customs, you arrive near Gate 43, close to the Asiana West Lounge. Unexpectedly, I made a mistake that led to an unpleasant experience with both airlines.
Shandong Airlines is a subsidiary of Air China, a Star Alliance member, which may explain why SC contracts Asiana Airlines’ ground services at Incheon. My flight departed from Gate 16, and I assumed I should go to the closest lounge. Having been to Incheon many times, I knew there were three Asiana Lounges spread throughout the terminal. The airport map showed that the Central Lounge was the closest to my gate, so I decided to head there.
After a long walk, I arrived at the entrance bridge to the Central Lounge and noticed that my lounge invitation card had a small star mark indicating the West OZ Lounge. I grew a little concerned, since that usually means the operating airline expects you to visit a specific lounge. However, based on my prior experience with other Star Alliance and partner airlines, I had always been allowed to use any available lounge within the same alliance. So, I thought this would be another business-as-usual situation—it was, after all, an Asiana Lounge.
Confidently, I approached the attendant at the entrance. However, upon seeing my invitation card, she refused my entry and asked me to go to the West Lounge instead. I politely explained that I had just walked all the way from the west side of the terminal and that my boarding gate was 16. She remained firm and continued to deny entry. I tried to reason with her—explaining that I am a Star Alliance Gold member, that I had just arrived on an OZ long-haul business-class flight, and that I had been traveling nonstop for more than 20 hours. None of this changed her mind.
While I understand she was simply following policy, I was left confused. Why is there such inconsistency between lounges operated under the same airline, offering the same class of service?
In the end, I didn’t go to any lounge. Instead, I found a quiet spot near my boarding gate to write this post. I just hope anyone transiting through ICN doesn’t make the same mistake. At the same time, I believe the current arrangement between Shandong Airlines and Asiana Airlines is poorly designed and frustratingly inconsistent. Next time I need to transit through ICN, I’ll likely stick with SkyTeam instead.
As of now, the strike has ended — but those two and a half days felt like an eternity for passengers stranded overseas. I was only mildly affected, thanks to my network of PM-status friends who offered moral support about my premium economy booking — one that likely would’ve e-upgraded to business class. Still, let me be clear: I fully stand with the flight attendants.
Flying for Service, Staying for the Crew
Why do I stick with Air Canada? Not for the points. Not for the lounges. But always for the crew. Over the past 15 years, on every trans-Pacific or trans-Atlantic trip, I’ve encountered flight attendants who feel more like close friends — attentive, warm, and unafraid to recommend that hidden wine or go the extra mile.
Once, heading to Seoul from Vancouver, I asked for extra butter for a Korean BBQ dinner later — because I had no time to shop locally, my friend needed to open his bar. Embarrassingly, the service director brought me a whole bag, saying, “Take the leftovers — they’d go to waste otherwise.” I used almost every spread. That kind of heartfelt service is rare, and deeply human.
The Unpaid Time Issue
As many of you know, flight attendants aren’t paid when the cabin door is open — an outdated custom that should be scrapped, just like North America’s tipping culture. And although they receive generous benefits, offering standby flight tickets hardly counts as a true perk — especially when you’re not allowed to board your own airline as a civilian in shorts. Happened to me—thankfully, I had pants in my bag.
Bad-Faith Negotiation & One-Sided Power Plays
I’m convinced Air Canada negotiated in poor faith. They invoked a vague “Section 107” to force the union’s hand — a tactic they didn’t need with the pilots when the government was in election mode. It’s transparent: they saved that card for when they’d face real pushback. Meanwhile, management failed to foresee both the union’s resilience and the public’s powerful surge of support.
Leadership Missteps and Fallout
In a recent interview, the CEO admitted he didn’t expect the union to defy Section 107 — nor did he anticipate the widespread support from unions and the Canadian public. Eventually, the government “read the room” and stopped enforcing the injunction. And yet, this same CEO pocketed a $12 million bonus in 2024. It’s a painful juxtaposition between privilege and hardship.
Mishandling Passenger Disruption
Given months of negotiation, a strike was all but inevitable. Yet Air Canada’s only consumer move was a token goodwill gesture: options to cancel or rebook far in the future. Not enough. Passengers, including unaccompanied minors and those stranded in Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and Asia, were left scrambling for solutions — often at steep costs and high emotional tolls.
Had management proactively engaged passengers — asked what options they preferred — they could’ve arranged smoother alternatives, secured competitive flights in advance, and significantly reduced stress. Instead, thousands still haven’t made it home.
Final Word
I’m not looking for perfection. But I do expect respect, empathy, and preparedness when a strike is looming. Air Canada’s failure to anticipate and plan — combined with questionable negotiation tactics and an underplay of passengers’ needs — underscores why I support the flight attendants unconditionally. They deserve far better — as we all do.
Travel often brings unforgettable experiences, but sometimes, those memories can turn into nightmares. In a high-profile case that has gripped Chinese social media, a guest at Capella Tufu Bay (Previously known as Capella Sanya before the incident), found herself not only the victim of theft but also unwittingly holding counterfeit currency, which led to her arrest in Macau and a permanent criminal record. This incident, which began with a seemingly routine hotel stay, quickly spiraled into a complex dispute involving theft, international legal complications, and intense online backlash. In this post, we’ll walk you through the timeline of this unsettling case, shedding light on the challenges faced by the victim and the broader implications for travelers.
Incident Timeline (Based on Multiple Public Sources)
🕒 Timeline of Events
🌟 July 30, 2024
Ms. Duo (also known as Ms. Wang) checks into Capella Sanya, paying 88,000 RMB for her stay. On the same day, she reports the theft of 10,000 HKD from her room and contacts the police.
🌟 August 4, 2024
Ms. Duo and her family continue their trip to Macau, where she attempts to use the stolen HKD, only to discover it is counterfeit. She is detained by Macau police for investigation, held in a small interrogation room, and ultimately deported, leaving her with a criminal record. Her original travel plans are disrupted.
🌟 August 14, 2024
The police summon a hotel cleaner, Ms. Huang, who confesses to the theft. She admits to purchasing counterfeit HKD online, carrying it with her, and swapping the stolen money. After the theft, she exchanges 19,000 HKD for RMB and spends it freely.
🌟 August 16, 2024
Capella offers three complimentary nights as compensation, which Ms. Duo rejects, instead demanding assistance in clearing her criminal record in Macau and full compensation for her losses.
🌟 August 23, 2024
Ms. Duo takes to Xiaohongshu (a popular Chinese social media platform) to share her experience and seek justice.
🌟 Late August 2024
The general manager of Capella travels to Taiyuan to negotiate with Ms. Duo, offering a settlement that includes a flash event, 100 complimentary room nights, and one free day of conference hall usage. Ms. Duo counters with a demand for a larger package, including 500 room nights and three days of free conference hall usage. Capella declines, citing fire safety concerns, and responds with a legal warning, accusing Ms. Duo of extortion.
🌟 September 21, 2024
Ms. Huang’s family compensates Ms. Duo based on the exchange rate at the time of the theft, but the hotel still fails to address the criminal record issue in Macau.
🌟 April 16, 2025
The court convicts Ms. Huang of theft, sentencing her to 1.5 years in prison and a 5,000 RMB fine.
🌟 April 23, 2025
The Lingshui Tourism Bureau issues a statement acknowledging the incident but notes that the hotel has yet to publicly apologize.
🌟 April 26, 2025
Ms. Duo posts another social media update, which is later taken down, attracting widespread public attention. The Hainan Tourism Bureau steps in to mediate.
🌟 April 28, 2025
Capella issues its first public apology, offering room vouchers as compensation, which Ms. Duo rejects.
🌟 May 8, 2025
Capella releases a second apology, but it still fails to address Ms. Duo’s core demands for a public apology and the removal of her Macau criminal record.
Key Disputes
Hotel’s Response and Responsibility: Repeated compensation offers failed to address the core issues, leading to accusations of responsibility evasion and potential legal counterattacks against the victim.
Macau Criminal Record: The unresolved criminal record in Macau remains a critical sticking point for Ms. Duo, as it impacts her future travel and reputation.
Security Oversight: The fact that a hotel cleaner could carry counterfeit currency into guest rooms highlights significant gaps in employee vetting and security protocols.
This incident serves as a stark reminder of the unpredictable challenges that can arise while traveling, even at luxury hotels. It highlights the critical importance of securing your valuables and the devastating consequences of mishandling theft cases. As travelers, we must remain vigilant, act quickly in the face of loss, and be prepared to stand up for our rights. Reflecting on my own experiences, I’ve had my share of financial mishaps, like the time I discovered cash missing from my travel envelopes after a trip to Macau and Thailand. While I ultimately accepted the loss, this story shows that not all cases end quietly, and sometimes, justice requires persistence and public pressure. Stay cautious, travel smart, and always keep an eye on your belongings.
t this point, you probably already know my sentiment on the “favourite” hotel chain, all other bloggers constantly raved about from the previous article. I also promised to have a part 2 for that article, but I had to cancel those hotels because they have shared the similar attitudes as Park Hyatt Paris Vendôme. Fortunately, thanks to the newly opened Hyatt Centric Montréal, It is time for another post.
Before this trip, I have never stayed at any Hyatt Centric, and always wanted to try, because it is promised modern style or claimed by the hotel, the “chic guest rooms and suites”. The nightly rate of this brand is normally on par with Hyatt Regency, or Renaissance or Le Méridien of Marriott, Canopy / Curio of Hilton. People who are not so familiar with Hyatt brands may easily mix up Hyatt Centric with Hyatt Place and Hyatt House, due to is uncreative naming convention or lack of history in its product lineup. By all means, Hyatt Centric is not a budget or extended stay brand under the Hyatt chain.
The one night trip to Hyatt Centric Montréal
I was happy that Montreal are finally getting two Hyatt properties, after the legacy Hyatt Regency exited. HR was a fine hotel with many memorable design, and it is steps away from the Modern Art gallery, which is always a nice weekend getaway before I am in the points and miles game. With the two new properties, Hyatt Centric and Hyatt Place, they finally changed the score from 0 to 14(roughly counting) to 2 vs. 14. We are talking about 14 Marriott properties from the best luxury hotel to the budget brand in the downtown core of Montréal.
After I made the decision to not continue my loyalty with Hyatt for 2024, I did not reserve Hyatt Centric initially. However, when I realize that I was only one night away from another free night award under Hyatt’s brand explore challenge. Plus, I do not recall reading any reviews about this hotel, unlike Hyatt Place, which literally has exactly same interior anywhere. It would be nice to experience the upscale Hyatt Centric, so I pulled trigger and booked one night at the Hyatt Centric Montréal.
Check-in Experience at the Hyatt Centric Montréal
Once arrived at the hotel, the entrance is located on the third floor of the hotel, where the guest can access the hotel by a bridge that connects to the Old Montréal, and it is steps away from the old port and all touristy attractions.
During the checkin process, I was not sure if I am still a Globalist, until I asked about the upgrade, and I was pleasant to know that the hotel has put me in one of the nicest room on the hotel’s top floor as their appreciation to my loyalty. Without knowing what amenities or perks are available to me, I proceeded to the elevator. Happily, I discovered that the elevator is does not require a room key tap to access my prestigious top floor, which will be very handful if I am holding a box of wines and liquors while preparing the party in my nicest room.
The nicest room at the Hyatt Centric Montréal
“Biiiii”, the sound of the unlocking seems a bit thin to my liking, but it does unlock the door and I do feel the door is quite light, even lighter than those new condos’ doors where developers cut corners at any possible ways. The washroom is right next to the entrance door, and I discovered that the door for the washroom is way heavier than the entrance door. I quite welcome this feature, because it will provide quiet peace of mind while dealing my business in the washroom, and not worrying anyone to kick down the door at first attempt.
Another thing I noticed is there are motion-sensing lights in the washroom which my eyes literally blinded during the middle of night. There are also two motion-sensing lights at each side of the bottom of the bed. When I was still doing research on senior citizens, I would welcome this equipment. Considering I am not in an accessible room, I am not sure if it is more assuring and comfy when you can see your bare feet step on the hard cold not so clear wood floor than stepping in dark, on a soft and warm carpet surface (there were no slippers due to supplier issue).
The nicest room
While I continue my journey, two steps later I am at the bed, and facing the window. I am not sure why, but the hotel believes facing an old nice building plus a construction site is nicer than facing the old port and St. Lawrence river. I guess people all have subjective views on aesthetics, so I guess I should just be inclusive to other people’s aesthetics as the hotel is supposed to be chic. Then I noticed something that is not quite related to the chicness or aesthetics. The bedding of this upscale hotel is worth than the bed I made myself in my house. I understand they may not have time to iron the bed sheets or the comforter. I am not asking the sheets to be wrinkle-free, but at least it should be in an appetizing shape, so the Gen-Z kids can do their boomerang video on the SnapChat and Instagram. I also discovered one piece of unknown hair, foreign article and some stain on the bed sheet, the part you suppose to replace all the time. I took some photos and sent to the Hyatt Concierge Twitter support, and I got a response a day later, but it is still faster than my concierge turn around time. I noticed the hotel started addressing me by Mr. Y, instead of sir, which is definitely more welcoming and heart warming. That was the only improvement, and I guess it concludes the bedding incident.
One last thing about the room, I quite admire the interior designer of this hotel, who have pushed limits to make the working desk to one of the narrowest in depth. It fits my 14 inch M1 MacBook Pro perfectly, so I will not accidentally pushed the laptop to hit the wall. It fits nicely.
The restaurant at the Hyatt Centric Montréal
During this one day quite stay, I have had multiple pleasant interactions with the restaurant, the Ice, the dinner and the breakfast. While preparing the presumed party, I wanted to get a bucket of ice to go along with my barrel aged Negroni. After realize there are no vending machines on my floor, I seek help from the support line. The nice people at the front desk suggested me take the bucket to the restaurant for a fill up. While I arrived in the restaurant, the staff seems a bit confused for my presence, but they were very happy to help me to fill up my bucket. I am sure they were bit nervous on this new task, they have put the bucket cover upside-down, and left the plastic that is supposed to separate the ice with the bucket on top of the ice as a symbolic representation to welcome to their hotel. After returned to my room, I have struggled a bit to decide whether I should use the ice to my drink. With my scientific reasoning, as I believe the alcohol can kill germs, I mixed the ice with the drink. Later that night, I was also able to get a bucket of ice by calling the reception, and waited probably half hour. I should have informed the hotel earlier, but the messaging to hotel feature was not available for this hotel on Hyatt app, and the phone number from the Hyatt app did not lead to anyone to answer.
The ice bucket, filled by the hotel restaurant
For dinner and breakfast, it was less eventful. I found the staff are all very courteous and really trying to provide excellent service. It does really provide a great experience. The hotel was also generous enough to provide breakfast for three people instead of two. The food quality is decent, and I liked the sour beet salad quite a lot. The bar seems have decent selection of liquors and bitters, and it even have a menu to allow you to customize your own martinis. Unfortunately, I did not have any cocktails at this hotel, because it won’t count towards to your points accumulation, and I was going to check out the Atwater cocktail club that night.
The Parking at the Hyatt Centric Montréal
Supposed to be a normal operation, the parking has brought me the most excitement during this trip. Firstly, it is located at the ground of the floor, or under the bridge. There are three garage door looking door on one side of the wall facing the bridge. The real entrance door has a subtle red led strip on on side of the garage door, which is the one you need to go to. Secondly, in order to get the garage door to open, which is still a mystery to me, whether the door is manually opened by the hotel staff via the surveillance cameras, or you need to get real close and move the car body position into a certain angle. Regardless, I was able to get into the car garage. Lastly, due to the covet natural, without any safety mirrors or in and out signages, hotel guests often ran into the situation where two vehicles of guests would go head-to-head. The hotel has provided a perfect scenario to allow guests, strangers, to foster empathy, patience and compassion. At this point, I truly appreciate the efforts the hotel is trying to do here.
the parking garage entrance
Bottom line
I would probably not stay here again when I could get more room in other properties in town. However, if someone wants to stay in the old port area, I would recommend them to stay at this property. It has been a pleasant but rather surprised stay at the Hyatt Centric Montréal.
My comment is: “My Ass“. (not to mention my superior photos taken by my iPhone on this critic piece).
After a rather heated debate on one of the PMB’s zoom online sessions (https://fb.watch/fLo6P50q51/) on hotel loyalty programs comparisons, I realized I had forgotten one more story which been a significant reason along with the other two incidents mentioned during the online meetup. As our memory fades away over time and is stimulated with the newest and most exciting “enhancements,” it will be worthwhile to document these three stories and what are the things I think a hotel loyalty program should be.
I have stayed close to 60 nights with Hyatt this year, ensuring I will have globalist status next year. However, this article will explain why I won’t renew my full globalist status for 2024.
Why I chase the hotel elite status
Before sharing the three stories, I will set some bottom lines on why I chase the elite status for hotel chains:
It is almost like an insurance policy, where you know that wherever you go, you will be covered regardless of what happens. In the loyalty program world, a high-tier elite status guarantees you always be treated nicely as a guest by all the hotels under the same loyalty program scheme.
If the hotel you are staying in has caused inconveniences, you know that either the hotel or the chain brand will try their best to resolve any issues you have experienced.
The financial return of your stay may afford you some inspirational trips and pleasant surprises, including a presidential suite upgrade at those inspiring properties.
It may not be easy for some people to relate to some of the benefits from hotel elite status I described above. Here is another perspective to see what I mean.
As a high-tier member, you will receive perks and benefits and, most importantly, be treated nicely as a loyal guest of the brand. I value the benefits that come with this treatment such as flexible check-in and checkout times, room upgrades, lounge accesses, and so on.
Besides the “hard” benefits, the things I value even more from a hotel chain are: a. warm hospitality from hotel staff across the brand (in luxury or top service brands), b. sympathy and understanding towards guests (sometimes you need that human connection while you are dealing with a difficult situation and are in a strange country), c. the courage and willingness to resolve issues the client experiences during their stay at the hotel.
Lastly, it is always great to have a signature suite to host parties and reconnect with friends, classmates and families.
Eat
Food and beverages are an integral part of a hotel. While a quick google search will not tell me which hotel has the most restaurants on-site, hotels usually have anywhere from one standard restaurant like those at basic Inns to many different types of restaurants like those found at casino hotels and resorts. Some hotels may even feature upscale bars, and some of these bars may become more famous than the hotel itself.
The mouldy apple at Hyatt Regency Bangkok
Living room of Hyatt Regency Bangkok
Cold Wonton meat from Hyatt Regency Bangkok
As a top-tier member, many chains will leave welcome snacks or gifts, mostly fruit plates and pastries, in your room prior to your arrival. In April when I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Bangkok, like many hotels in Bangkok, I received a plate of fruit in my room. Typically, I wouldn’t eat the fruit if my stay was short, but this time, I had three nights left for my trip and thought it was a good idea to get some vitamins into my body before the long flight home. When I ate the fruit a scary thing happened: the apple tasted disgusting and was covered in mold.
I messaged the hotel on WhatsApp about this issue, and they told me they would report it to their “concern department.” And that was it. One more thing, I believe there was a miscommunication because the hotel told me they would replace the fruit basket with a new one but they never did. They thought, “I am okay,” means I do not need another basket. Though I told them I would not complain further, I was not poisoned by the food. The following day, I went to the cafe for breakfast, and the wonton in the soup bowl was cold. I messaged the hotel again and got the same response.
Upon checkout, I informed the front desk that I never got the replaced fruit basket, and the only answer I got was, “we will report to the concerned department, and hopefully, it will never happen again.”
Lastly, I found the cocktail at the rooftop bar was very bad. However, it is not a Hyatt problem because I also had the worst gin martini at Marriott Marquise Bangkok Queen’s Park. So if you want a fantastic time and excellent cocktail, go to the social club at the Four Seasons Bangkok, and do not waste your money at other places.
It was more disappointing how the hotel handled my issue than what happened. I agree that it is rare these days to see a restaurant or hotel go the extra mile to provide excellent service, and that everyone has their own definition of excellent service. From my past experiences at Marriott, good or bad, the hotels I repeat the most are those that own up to their mistakes, proactively solve any issues, and make it up to their guests. Not to mention their most loyal guests, who sometimes have to go out of their way to stay at this limited footprint hotel chain.
Love
Because of our knowledge and expertise in travel, families or close friends often ask us to plan or even book their trips. Many may have used the second guest trick to book hotels for their loved ones so that both parties can reach a win-win situation. I was thrilled to see the “Guest of Honour” perk from the World of Hyatt program, which allows you to “transfer” your benefits to your guest when booking on points, and let the guest also earn the night credit.
On my way back to Canada in September, I had a 10-hour layover in Seoul. I had a friend visiting me from another city in South Korea. So I figured it would be nice to try out the guest of honour benefits, and it would be nice to share the excellent experience I have had at Park Hyatt, New York. Therefore, I booked Park Hyatt Seoul, which is also very close to the Frieze art show at the COEX centre in the Gangnam area.
A regular one bedroom suite at Park Hyatt Seoul
View from 11th floor of Park Hyatt Seoul
While I may need to take the initial blame, I thought booking guest honour was as simple as making a note on the hotel reservation. Instead, it involves you calling the World of Hyatt support line, which I only do for highly urgent issues once or twice a year. In other words, I do not like to call if it’s not absolutely necessary (#inclusivityforpersonality ). Maybe I should have been more cautious when I did not get the pre-arrival email from the hotel. This stay turned out to be one of my worst ever experiences during my “loyalty program” career.
My friend arrived in Seoul the night before while I was in a slum in Asiana’s A380 economy class with some Korean grannies who would put their feet on my leg during the flight. My friend was harassed at the check-in counter, as the receptionist threatened her that she might not be able to stay at the hotel because I was not present. Moreover, throughout that day and night, whenever she saw any hotel staff, the hotel staff would ask her about my whereabouts. During this time I was still reachable by phone or email, but I was never contacted by anyone from the hotel.
After I landed in Seoul I transferred onto a bus en-route to the COEX centre station and made my way towards the hotel in the pouring rain. I told my friend to go to the hotel restaurant as I would not be able to make it before free breakfast ended. Then more drama happened: the hotel restaurant staff refused her access to the restaurant, even when she offered to pay for her breakfast. At this point, I was pretty outraged. I sent messages to Hyatt’s Twitter account about this issue. Instead of getting help, I was lectured by Hyatt Twitter about how I did not activate the guest of honour perk correctly. They then remediated the situation.
This was an awful experience for my friend. Imagine what would have happened if this occurred to your partner during the beginning stage of your romantic relationship, or if this had occurred to colleagues or family members whom you wanted to gift an exceptional hotel experience to.
What will happen to your relationship with these people that mean so much to you after they have been harassed and mistreated by the hotel staff during a booking you made for them? I had this last question in my mind when I was reading through the “lecture notes” from Hyatt on Twitter: How hard it is to make this situation right? It is not like I made a revenue booking and expected my guest to get the benefits they are not entitled to. It was a simple technical error, which, if Hyatt has any modern computational system, would quickly fix from their end: change the booking to my friend’s name.
For the highest tier brand under the Hyatt chain, I have received Zero communication from the hotel throughout this saga. The assistant manager sent me an email after the event apologizing pointlessly. I only received this apology after I complained to the front desk, who tried to repeat the Hyatt Twitter lecture but could not answer my simple question: why did you never contact me? You are a Park Hyatt, not a Hyatt Place” (YYZ HP is very nice, by the way).
I understand this might be an isolated incident, but with a minimal footprint in higher-end hotels, the probability of f-up was too high for my taste to prioritize staying with Hyatt. I only had one lousy martini at Ritz Hainan, and all my past Ritz Carlton experiences have been positive. And yes, I am not a fan of St. Regis (except New York St. Regis), so I intend to avoid it whenever possible.
Opportunity
As mentioned above, besides your loved ones, you also have a chance to stay with your colleagues or stay in different hotels for work because you want to stay within one hotel chain. When I went to Cartagena, I stayed at the Hyatt Regency. The lounge staff at the check-in was amiable and helpful. And I thought I would have a fantastic stay.
Hyatt Regency Cartagena exterior
To my surprise, my positivity towards this hotel only lasted three hours. Around lunchtime, two of my closest friends, though much senior to me, came to my hotel to fetch me for lunch. They are retired and respected diplomats who have been the chief protocol or ambassadors representing Canada, and I appreciate their careers profoundly. Before we headed out for lunch, they wanted to come to my room to use the washroom. I also wanted to have some coffee in my room with them. Both of my friends were senior males, and the hotel security stopped them at the lobby level because one of them did not have a passport on them, even though the person who did not have a physical passport on him had a picture of his passport on his phone. Unfortunately, they were still not allowed to come to my suite. Then my friends asked whether they could use the washroom in the lobby, and the hotel also declined the request.
Hyatt Regency CTG ocean view suite
Again, I was outrageous. I complained to Twitter and the hotel about the situation. I also informed Hyatt about how old they were and why there was no sympathy towards older adults. It is unacceptable, in my opinion. If you know me well, you would know I spent many years researching and providing high-quality technology for senior citizens. I have volunteered for four years at the local senior centres to teach Chinese immigrants about modern technologies. As a result, the hotel sent a manager to my room to apologize and explain the rule. While I understand the rule is essential for running a business, I do not think hospitality is about to rule, nor does respect for the seniors and distinguished fellows.
Hyatt Regency CTG pool
Imagine if you were forming a business relationship, and you were not allowed to invite a guest to your room because they do not have a physical ID. Ironically, when I got to my friend’s place, while the security stopped him at the entrance, they still allowed me in without an ID in the same city. While I understand the hotel has every right to do that, what will your business partner think? Is it your responsibility to understand every country’s rules regarding guests coming to your room for a short visit?
Closing
Here you go, these are the three stories about why I will not renew my globalist status for 2024.
I understand that every hotel chain has good and bad properties. Given Hyatt’s small footprint, I believe the probability of getting a lousy property is higher than Marriott or Hilton. I have a few more Park Hyatt stays coming up in the next few days, let us see if they can change my perception of the Hyatt brand.
While following rules are essential, I believe the hotel chain should emphasize hospitality more than following rules. We already have courts for that.
To end, I quote a French scholar, Louis chevalier de Jaucourt, “hospitality in the Encyclopédie as the virtue of a great soul that cares for the whole universe through the ties of humanity.”
While writing this piece, I am sitting in one of the restaurants at the second level of the Bangkok airport. I understand this blog has been “abandoned” for quite some time, as same as many “did-not-make-to-mainstream” bloggers, plus the covid effect, really did a number on us. Most of us have found new challenges outside of the points and miles community. So rest assured, even though we are no longer invited as speakers at the conferences or as eager to show off our “once-in-life-time-trips”. We will come back if we have ever made mistakes or being mistreated, so you do not have to repeat our bad experience.
Flying ANA Business Class from Haneda to Bangkok
To be honest, I was very thrilled to fly ANA once again, as I have probably cancelled numerous bookings in past three years, including those 35K first class trips. Fortunately, my first flight from JFK to HND on first class was phenomenal. The new suite cabin and the impeccable services and food, plus the 21 Year Hibiki effect. I had a great flight with exceptional experience.
I have had experiences where a first class flight followed by a business flight, which brings you this hard downgrade feeling, but mostly due to the hard product. It is not the case for today’s flight, the staggered business class seats were very spacious, and comfortable. I would even go as far as, it may not as spacious as the first class suite, but the seat padding and the bed padding are way more comfortable. Especially, the bed padding, which has an anti-slip feature, which will not go everywhere when you turn your body during sleep.
Starvation on All Nippon Airline‘s Business Class
After all pax are boarded, one of the cabin crews approached me wondering whether I would like to be woke up during the breakfast time. If you often travel in business class and on red-eye flights, this is a standard procedure, so the flight attendants would know the preferences of the passengers ahead of time to prevent unpleasant experiences. And normally, as per my other article regarding fasting, I tend to say yes all the time, because it is way better to get more sleep than eating food while you can barely open your eyes and mess up your blood sugar level (👴）.
That’s being said, from my own experience, regardless the airline, if a cabin crew saw you woke up in time for breakfast, as long as there is plenty time to serve you, e.g. an hour from landing. They will serve you the breakfast. In some extreme cases, some caring cabin crews even “force” me to eat. They would say things like, you did not have the first meal, or youngsters need to eat more. As overweight as I am, I often felt so much warmth and really appreciated this kind of humanly interactions.
Unfortunately, All Nippon Airline’s cabin crew on flight NH849 today was completely opposite. I woke up from sleep due to the bright light and the sudden increased noise level in the cabin. Unlike some airlines, they would have some sort of warmth but still somewhat dark lighting when they started serving breakfast. Even though the passengers are not speaking to each other, but the cabin crews have conversed with the passengers in Japanese non-stop.
Here comes a “fun” scene: I am sitting in the middle section of the seat with a single seat myself, for the remaining of two and half hour flight, none of the cabin crew has ever asked me if I want to eat, or bare minimally, if I need anything. In contrast, all the cabin crews are constantly asking all other passengers in Japanese, if they needed anything. At the end, I had to ring the service button to get someone to get me some water. Even then, the cabin crew just brought me a bottle of water, and did not bother to ask if I needed anything else.
This is the first time I use the service bell year-to-date. I did not need to ring on Emirate First Class suite (both new and old), I did not need to use the bell on Oman Air’s first class suite.
Some may say, why don’t you just ask for food? I had that thought too, but my curiosity was in charge, and my hunger was in the background as a seasoned fasting guru. If I have asked for food, this article would not exist, right?
Closing Thoughts
All Nippon Airline is a five-star airline, and has an exceptional reputation. I tend to believe what happened to me was a single incident. So here I am, spending 500 THB at an airport restaurant and waiting for my next flight to open for check-in.
To all the Gaijins (outsider, alien), you may want to factor in the potential issues related to language and cultural differences with Japanese airlines. It is not the first time I had language related issues with the Japanese airlines. I found this incident is quite unacceptable.
If you are a jet setter like me, the two-year domestic life might have taken a toll on you. After the vaccination, you might have made plans, changed plans and kept it minimal. It would be best if you still had several Covid-19 tests to travel between countries. A Canadian company, Switch Health, has been picked by Air Canada as its sole testing partner in Canada. You can even earn 500 miles buying their kit as a member. This company also supplies Toronto Pearson Airport to provide testing kits for International arrival passengers if they are randomly selected for a mandatory test.
Switch Health Kit
In a perfect world, one may think, if a company has a self-serve testing kit, which big corporations and authorities endorse, it would just work the same as Clear blue or First Response, straightforward and almost reliable. Unfortunately, due to regulations and user scenarios, many variables have been added to the user workflow. And these are flaws in these variables.
I will do a walkthrough of my recent experience with Switch Health and reflect on the things that have gone wrong, and hopefully, they can improve those issues sooner. Given the percentage of unsatisfied Switch Health users around me, I could see potential legal claims or simply losing their license from Health Canada.
Background
I brought Switch Health RT-LAMP self-testing kit on a recent trip and hoping I could use it to get back to Canada. I would have suffered a tremendous financial loss if I had cancelled this trip, so the ethics of this trip is pointless to discuss, and it was essential to me.
After a 12 hour flight, I sat in a restaurant at Dubai (DXB) airport lounge and made sure my Internet connection was stable. I logged into the account I created on Switch Health’s website. Then I requested to connect with a nurse who will be supervising my test. I finished the test with instruction from the nurse over a video chat session, and then I just needed to wait for the result.
At this point, everything seemed seamless, and I was confident that this little sidetrack would be over soon, so I could rewind myself with a hot shower at the lounge. The website interface is modern and easy to navigate, and the nurse was professional and helpful. The only weary thing was that there was no information about when I disconnected with the nurse and how long since the device started to analyze the result. I believe most UX practisers should know this top one rule by Jakob Nielsen: “The visibility of System Status,” which is the most critical in UX design for systems to communicate various states and user action feedback.
Then the chaos begins
While the testing device is still flashing, I received two notifications by SMS and Email from Switch Health with the same content: “Switch Health: This is a reminder to upload a photo of your test result soon. https://portal.switchhealth.ca”. When I received the message by my phone’s SMS, I thought I could wait for a few more minutes, as the nurse did inform me that the device needed 15-30 minutes to process the sample.
The friendly SMS reminder from switch health
Then I got another notification via Email with the same text template as the SMS but also has a graphical email template, which seems quite formal. While the device was still flashing, I was unsure if I could wait a bit longer to upload the result. At that moment, I was not sure if these messages were a reminder for me to upload results when I got a definitive answer from the device. Or, do Switch Health want to know the current status of the device. Or is this the time I must upload the result regardless of the device’s state?
The email reminder from Switch Health
With those unclear questions, I logged into Switch Health’s self-serve portal. I was able to see the window for users to upload the result. I also remember reading something like, “if your device did not provide a result, we would follow up with you.” At this point, I thought I could upload an “in-progress” result photo to the Switch Health portal, and someone would get in touch with me.
As a UX designer, it should not be new knowledge that we adopt multiple mass notifications for emergency purposes. For example, during an emergency crisis, we use various means to reach as many audiences as possible, such as SMS, loudspeaker, or digital signage. Furthermore, as Leonardo Da Vinci once states, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Similarly, John Made suggested that “simplicity is achieved by thoughtful reduction.”
The Email and the SMS notification have played a negative role in my decision-making process: uploading the result to Switch Health at once instead of waiting longer. So I took a photo of the device and uploaded it to the portal (Huge Mistake).
Three minutes later, I got an email from Switch Health, and it was the result report, which reads as “Specimen Damaged.” At this time, I thought Switch Health would get in touch with me to discuss my result, but I was wrong again.
14 minutes later
The device finally finished processing the result and gave me a negative impact. While I did not hear from Switch Health, I started to call and send Emails, as my plane would begin boarding in 60 minutes. Notedly, I had three hours layover at DXB and I did the test after I landed as the first thing.
Luckily, I got through the hotline, and a nurse picked up the call. To my disappointment, the nurse firmly told me that they would not change the result according to the law (but without citing the law). Then she sounded like I was the stupid user, and I needed to “find the alternative.” I would feel better if the call did not go through in time.
After I settled in the Emirate’s “game-changer” class, I started to read posts and chat with my friends. Then I realized my incident was not the only case. Given the risers of ubiquitous computing, our computing world has evolved way faster than many have learned, especially for UX designers. Also, it seems this entire process of bringing a test kit abroad and the do-it-yourself approach has many potential issues. There is a lack of a fail-safe mechanism to ensure the users can recover from whatever errors they may encounter.
In this article, we have discussed the issue with Switch Health’s self-testing kit, without proper system status indication and unnecessary, redundant system notification to my particular horrifying experiences. There are also other issues that other Canadians had encountered when they used Switch Health’s RT-LAMP testing kit.
Based on my own experience and observations, bringing a Switch Health kit abroad is a risky solution. I would suggest any international traveller consider arranging testings with the destination city. Only get the self-test kit as a last resort.
