Crappy hotels to blame for shabby tourism results

I reckon a tip in Oz is a token of appreciation. I get into trouble here though, as I am used to tipping in the US, which is about 18 – 20% of the bill. A bit excessive here in Oz.

“A good waiter knows how much attention to give each table “

Agreed. Which is why I never tip in Canberra.

The full award wage in hospitality is about $11/hr, Pandy. Not really all that decent.

VYB – A waiter that attentive would give me the shits. A good waiter knows how much attention to give each table – no more, no less. Besides, in the US, wages for waiters are so low that restaurants and cafes can afford to hire more of them per customer; thus, you get more attention.

If a waiter is inattentive, or nothing special, don’t tip them – they didn’t earn it. This isn’t the US, where people can’t earn anything approaching a living wage without tips; but a buck here and there makes a real difference, both to the hip pocket and to the morale of a waiter. A good waiter deserves a tip (it doesn’t need to be much, BTW).

A crap waiter, likewise, should not expect a tip, and is a damn fool to expect one. Far too many of them do, and get indignant when you don’t tip.

Anyway – most of you pubes out there earn 25-30/hr or more. What’s a gold coin donation to a hard working waiter to you? Stop being a tight-arse.

I dont believe anyone should be tipped if the wages are decent enough.

I refuse to tip in Canberra cafes and restuarants, because I’ve yet to receive service that deserves it. On a recent trip to the US (and no, I’m not a public servant) I realised why everyone tips over there – the service staff usually deserve it! No matter where I ate or drank, the service staff would constantly fill my glass, ask if they could bring anything, basically check every few minutes to see if there was anything I wanted or needed.
I have NEVER had that level of service in Canberra.

I went to Olims a few weeks back. The restaurant smelt like a fish and chip shop and they charged $4 for a bleading coffee!

There are some decent hotels around but I think they need to be one of the brand names.

Any favourite hotels out there?

Yep, there are more than a few cold bastards in this city.

Unbeliever – I agree 100%… in general I think this city has a lot of rude people, and I have a feeling that is a publick circus driven thing… before I get flamed… I do love the city…. just not a majority of the people I come across

I was perplexed this morning when I read the quote in that article:
“Hotel product needs continuous re-investment and I don’t… this city is different from any other city except that we’re a bit smaller, so it’s time now for a you know, an investment,” she said.
Did she mean “no different”, or that we’re “also a bit smaller”? And in either case, how does it then logically follow that now is suddenly the time for investment? There may be a compelling argument, but that sure wasn’t it.

As a recent resident in Canberra (well 5 years), tourism industry woes in the ACT seem like a natural consequence of service in Canberra. That is, service is woefully unfriendly in this ‘small’ city of ours, compared to other capitals that I’ve lived in – on the west, south and east coasts.

Anytime I hear plans about improving the city’s tourism image, I’m surprised that this most basic fact is alwasys overlooked (may be cause locals are used to it?). Walk around this city and in businesses all over the ACT, there are few smiles to be had and an unwelcoming stance for patrons.

Now I’m not making a value judgement about this phenomenon (ok.. may be a little one), but one of the key things that sticks when I visit other cities (as well as the attractions) is the human interaction from residents of that city.

ACT service providers are woefully unfriendly. And I don’t mean the sickly ‘I’m your best mate’ smiles approach either..