![]() Letters and feedback from readers of Smart Travel Asia on air travel and space on business class seats, lack of legroom aloft, shady hotels and misleading travel advertising, Smart Travel Asia and Dancing Wolf Media. READER FEEDBACKIs it my imagination, or are service standards slipping even at big hotels? And why Bangkok Airport is a zoo. Letters may be edited for clarity or space. Correspondence must bear the writer's full name, city, and e- mail address. Chia Jul 02 2017 12:27 pm I love this drama, but I came to write a comment that I really like how President Baek built up his character over the drama. At first glance, this seems like any other Nissan 350Z you may encounter on the road: it’s silver-gray, it has a manual, and it has a fairly sparse interior. It’s. Writers' opinions do not reflect the views of Smart. Travel Asia. Mail: Dancing Wolf Media, Room 2. Tung Wai Commercial Building, 1. Gloucester Rd, Wanchai, Hongkong. Send Letter to the Editor. Why heritage warms the heart I voted in your recent travel poll, and while my hotel choice did not win, I applaud your efforts to enable travellers to share their opinions freely. You may not wish to unduly stretch the voting categories but you might possibly also consider adding space for heritage hotels. Letters may be edited for clarity or space. Correspondence must bear the writer's full name, city, and e-mail address. Writers' opinions do not reflect the views of.That's the kind of place my wife and I always seek whenever we travel, and not just in Europe. Thank you. Duffy Jones, USA {Mineral water bottles are getting smaller and more scarce, irons are often unavailable, and large groups can make life hellish for single travellers like me. Time to iron out slipping service standards I always enjoy your magazine's witty prose and useful observations. It has helped me find some real gems. On a separate note, I have observed a sharp decline in service standards, even at big hotels in recent years. Has training succumbed to the lure of quick bucks and cost cutting? I find mineral water bottles are getting smaller and more scarce in the rooms, irons are often unavailable, and large groups can make life hellish for single travellers like me. Why are standards slipping? Your magazine might investigate. Julie Mc. Donald, United Kingdom Bangkok Airport is a zoo! I greatly enjoy your Editor's Rants and am something of a fan. I was delighted to see [Polls, planes, and queues] flaying Bangkok's atrocious Suvarnabhumi Airport for overcrowding and undermanned immigration booths. As a frequent visitor to Thailand I can attest to the mayhem at the airport and never relish arrivals or departures. It is a disgraceful state of affairs and not quite the way to start a romantic interlude in 'Amazing Thailand'. The sole exception is Samui Airport. Three cheers for this proud holdout! Marlene Gracia, Hong Kong What the halal! I want my gin and tonic I read with interest the editor's comments about the growth in halal travel. Until now I assumed this only had something to do with kosher food. I have been educated but am not convinced that a hotel catering for just a single cultural group can be commercially viable (unless it is a domestic hotel in Russia for Russians, or in the UAE for Arab travellers etc). But it is an intersting thought nevertheless. I shall stay with my gin and tonic, thank you! Alan Braithwaite, UK Does it take longer to fly to Qatar now? I am considering flying on Qatar Airways from London to the Far East as an alternative to Emirates but am worried [the Arab blockade] might complicate things. Does it take longer to fly to Doha than before with the new routings? Ashley Mallory, UK Editors - Flying times have increased only marginally from some countries and should not greatly change your total duration. Do check with Qatar about connecting flights and arrangements. We have covered this subject in Blockade by blockheads. Put off by invasive ads and pop- ups I am totally fed up with pop- ups and invasive banners and messages that block my screen. Don't advertisers realise that 'disruption' is NOT the way to win friends and influence people? Nor is it cool to have ads that stalk you. It's plain creepy. If anything, it puts me off those products - not quite the result advertisers seek. I find it refreshing that on your site I am able to browse with ease without commercial interruptions. Bravo! Jim Crompton, Hong Kong Editors - Thanks. We have consciously stayed away from 'rich media' as it is termed by ad agencies, to prevent precisely the sort of annoyance you describe. However there is great pressure on publications to boost clicks and conversions. This means, the invasion of the Page Snatchers is bound to continue. We have an article on disruptive advertising in our sister magazine, Asian Conversations. Spreading laptop ban I read your earlier column on the electronics ban inflight with interest and wondered what your take is on the possible spread of this ban on US- bound flights, or even all flights? I'm not sure executive travellers will take kindly to this latest knee- jerk reaction that will limit work efficiency. I agree that laptops in the hold pose almost as much risk as in the cabin. Mel Abernathy, USA Editors - It is quite possible, even inevitable, that the laptop ban will see more extensive coverage as airlines follow the US lead. Emirates has handed out its own 'safe' laptops to top customers for use inflight but, of course, this is not the same thing as working on your own spread sheets on your own machine. And transferring data to a borrowed computer always runs the risk of being hijacked or compromised if a user fails to securely delete material. The 'recycle bin' simply does not do a great job of erasing stuff. In any event, many executives work on 'closed' programs issued by their companies and these are not easily transferable - at least not casually - to other devices. Conrad comrades come through in Bangkok We recently spent five days at the Conrad Bangkok, over the Easter weekend. Our corner room, on the executive floor, was bright and spacious thanks to the floor- to- ceiling windows. Their breakfast, tea and cocktail buffet (included in the room- rate) served at the executive lounge was pretty decent and well spaced out through the day. The hotel lobby, Cafe@2 and pool area look a bit jaded however. While trying to get a taxi there was a bit of an issue especially during peak time. So sometimes taking the hotel shuttle bus to the nearby Ploenchit Station was a better option. Overall, the thing that really struck us was how friendly, efficient and knowledgeable the staff were at the hotel, from check- in to the executive lounge and even the spa. Diki Thondup, Hong Kong Electronics ban part of trade war This new rule [Editor's column on electronics ban inflight] is nothing but a trade war in favour of US airlines who don't know how to compete with good service and good value. All they care about is how much profit they can make for the least amount of service. It seems too coincidental that this rule came into being right after the legacy airlines' meeting with Trump and his team. Frankly flying in the US domestically [thanks to TSA's guidelines] or flying on US carriers [lack of onboard service] internationally makes for a less than appealing start to any trip - especially for leisure. Good article! Usha Rao, USA Boeing boing gone.. Great article (Boeing vs Airbus). Slightly biased towards Airbus. The way I look at it is, I don't care how big a plane is, it could carry 1. I'm in. I regularly travel between Australia and the UK so 3. If Boeing can get me there in 2. Graham Tombling, Australia Editors - Thanks for your feedback. Yes, we agree, speed is the deciding factor on ultra- longthaul flights. Interesting you see a tilt towards Airbus. That's what Boeing told us too. Then Airbus informed us our article favoured Boeing. We see it as a factual report. Here's what another reader wrote. Do you work for Boeing? I have left Facebook I laughed aloud reading [The Editor's] hilarious account of silly Facebook prompts. The only way to be free of FB and social media pestering, is to leave that digital space to foetal wannabes armed with big selfie- sticks and little common sense. The world has been spinning unruffled for quite a few years before Facebook and mobile phones. I think we can easily survive an unplugged existence - at least for a while. Jo Sorensen, Sweden {The only way to be free of FB and social media pestering, is to leave that space to foetal wannabes armed with big selfie- sticks and little common sense.. No more calendars, or Facebook It is a pleasure to read [The Editor's] funny and erudite rants. I too noticed, sadly, the disappearance of the once inescapable desk calendar. Apart from the cost cutting rationale, they are probably seen as obsolete manifestations of a bygone era: the movers and shakers of this digital age are electronically connected 2. I am not among them.
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