One user said: “This is a great gesture from the hotel!”
An Indian YouTuber had recently expressed his disappointment over the lack of hospitality in American hotels. 22-year-old Ishan Sharma said he was shocked when he was charged a whopping $14.99 (Rs 1,258) for a bottle of water at 2 am at the iconic Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas. He said he had been “spoiled with the Taj hotels in India.” His post quickly went viral online, sparking a debate about the different hospitality standards in the two countries. The hotel took note of the incident and offered him a free upgrade.
The Bengaluru-based creator wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Thank you Caesar’s Palace for the upgrade. Glad you heard me. Really looking forward to the next few days! … The staff was really helpful this time.” He also shared a few pictures from his new room, as well as a picture from the hotel lobby where the staff can be seen helping him with his luggage.
Thanks to Caesar’s Palace for the upgrade.
I’m glad you listened to me.🙏
I’m really excited about the next few days!✨ pic.twitter.com/EzRxbxfcUn
— Ishan Sharma (@Ishansharma7390) 13 August 2024
In response to the post, the five-star hotel said: “We are delighted to welcome you to our resort! Thank you for taking the time to contact us. If you need anything else, feel free to write to us. We hope you have a great time in Las Vegas.”
Earlier, Mr Sharma had said that hotel staff were completely lacking in empathy and that American hotels were the biggest culture shock for him. “My biggest culture shock – American hotels. They just don’t understand hospitality. Funny that they ask for tips but don’t even give free water. I have stayed in a 3-star, a 4-star AND today a 5-star hotel (Caesar’s Palace). Maybe I am spoiled with the Taj hotels in India. But basic things like help with luggage and courtesy were missing. I checked in at 2 am, tired from the flight and asked for a glass of water. They said, ‘A 200ml bottle costs $14.99, you can buy it.’ And this is a hotel that costs $200 per night! Completely lacking in empathy. Unbelievable! I never expected this,” Ishan Sharma wrote on August 12.
Since it was shared, his post has garnered numerous reactions on the microblogging platform.
“One social media post can make the biggest institutions do a little soul-searching, haha,” said one user.
Another added: “This is a great gesture from the hotel!”
“Nice trick Ishan. Hope they gave you plenty of water too. The power of influencers always works,” said a third.
“Indian standards in hospitality are by far the highest, Indian brands need to take a leaf out of their book… we can be global leaders in this sector…” said one person.
Another added, “Ishan, America understands hospitality differently!! Be it airplanes, hotels, restaurants, ships etc, it has been like this for decades. Their concept is to provide only the basic amenities, unlike in Asia/India where we are pampered with extras by airlines, hotels and the like.”
A sixth said: “Indian hotels are a thousand times better than European and American hotels. We get additional free services and it is also true that hotels outside do not even provide water bottles on a daily basis.”
“Hospitality standards are much better in most developed countries in Asia than in the US,” noted another person.
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