I often go on business
trip and need to stay at several hotels and resorts around Thailand. Just lately, I stay at a city hotel in Bangkok, and that trip I
went with my foreign Mai-BS partner.
We look for a taxi in
front of the hotel and one bellman approaches us very nicely with a big smile
on the face. He looks at my foreign
partner and says “Boss! where are you going?”, “Boss! you need taxi?”, “Boss!
taxi is coming, please wait”. I look at
his eagerness in servicing my partner with a smile on my face as I have
experienced a different service treatment between local and foreigner from a
Thai service provider from time to time.
Just to have some small
friendly interaction with the smiley bellman.
I then ask him that “Do you usually call a foreigner Boss?”, he says
“yes, with a big smile on his face”. I
ask him further jokingly “If foreign guest is called boss and Thai guest should
be called what?”.
only a smile on the face and nobody really knows what it means. Again, welcome
toThailand.
© Tevabanchachai N.
(2009), Honorary Advisor / Director, Mai-BS (THAILAND)
© Tevabanchachai N. (2009), Program
Director at Travel Industry Management Division, Acting General Manager at
Salaya Pavilion Hotel and Training Center at Mahidol University International
College
