German hotel warns of table manners of Chinese guests

• Staff Reporter
 
• 2013-07-13

Chinese tourists in Germany.

A tourism editor published an article in German news magazine Der Spiegel on July 9 in which he described his experience of receiving a "Chinese warning" note from a hotel in Bavaria. The note warned guests to be prepared for the distinctive table manners and eating culture of Chinese tourists, reports the Global Times, an English-language newspaper published by People's Daily.

The editor said he was told he might hear a large group of Chinese tourists eating breakfast between 6:30 and 7:30 am the following morning. The group would most likely eat noisily and burp freely, it said, suggesting that other guests should come down after 8 am if they wanted a quiet breakfast.

The editor said he saw Chinese tourists tapping on buns with a scoop and putting back food they had taken. Their English was hard to understand and they reportedly did not say thank you to servers. "I will be glad to see them leave," the editor overheard a kitchen employee tell a German guest quietly.

The hotel manager told the editor that they receive fewer complaints about Chinese guests if they give guests a note in advance.

The article has drawn wide debate on the internet. "Racism! As a German, I feel embarrassed," said a netizen called Phrasensport, while others agreed that Chinese tourists display bad manners and should try to improve their conduct. Other Chinese visitors in Germany said the hotel is making a big deal of the matter and would be less likely to receive their custom as a result.