In the news: Wego’s guide to tipping, Suntec Singapore’s new online customer portal Malaysia Airlines’ tie-up with French rail company, Jetstar’s mobile boarding pass
Wego’s 101 on tipping in foreign lands
Joachim Holte: Important to know which countries to leave tips.
To tip or not to tip? This is the question that often confronts travellers, as the practice is frowned upon in some countries while expected in others.
To give an insight on this practice travel search site, Wego, has revealed where and when you should tip when on the road. (see infographic below).
Joachim Holte, Wego’s chief marketing officer, said that it was important to know which countries you should leave a tip and which you should not.
“In Argentina for example, tipping is actually illegal, however, waiters often expect to be tipped by foreigners so if you were to tip, discretion is advised. In the US, low wage earners in the service industry are reliant on tipping to balance out their income, yet in Romania, tips are often declined and in Japan, tipping is considered offensive.”
He suggested that travellers should be aware of tipping customs in places they visit, and that may involve some research on tipping practices before hitting the road. If prior research is not done, then ask the hotel staff at destination so as to avoid some uncomfortable situations.
Tips are expected in restaurants in Austria, Brazil, Chile, Ireland, The Netherlands, Russia, South Africa and Turkey to show appreciation for the good food or sevice..
However, in Fiji, Malaysia and South Korea restaurant tips are not required. Checking if a service charge has been added to the bill is also a good way to tell whether a tip is applicable or not. Then leave a small amount on top if the service is particularly impressive.
“There are always considerations and dependencies in any country that you should investigate further before travelling, For instance, in the UK, tipping for food in restaurants is OK, although unexpected as service charges are generally included. Yet, tipping for drinks at a bar is just not cricket!” added Holte.
Some countries expect tips for other areas of service apart from the usual, such as a small tip to the porter for bringing the luggage to room.
As for taxi fare it is quite safe to round up the fare for taxi drivers anywhere except in New Zealand and Chile it is not expected.
“It seems that tipping traditions are evolving throughout the world as more people travel. Australia and New Zealand don’t have a history of tipping yet travellers who are unaware of this fact have heightened some expectations from service staff,” said Holter.
Suntec Singapore unveils new online customer portal
Suntec’s online portal makes event planning easier.
Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre (Suntec Singapore) has launched an online customer portal, which it describes as “a unique interactive service that makes event planning easier,
The portal provides organisers with a “live” dashboard displaying the full details and scheduling of their bookings including meeting space, furniture, equipment, F&B items and digital signage allocation.
The comprehensive, integrated and interactive portal that Suntec said is a first for a MICE venue, allows access to real time information of their bookings, and puts organisers and planners in control of their events at Suntec.
Some of the portal’s key features:
- Interactive mapping
- 2D interactive floor planner
- Real-time 3D rendering and visualization
- 360 degree walk-through of event spaces
- Drag and drop feature for all items in the event space
- Full library of furniture and equipment
- Full menu selections (including buffets, plated service, bento boxes, Western and Asian menusand special dietary requirements)
- Customisable menu options (options for over 800 dishes)
- Digital signage and banner content control
- Pre-ordering of ancillary services like car parks and AV equipment
Arun Madhok, chief executive of Suntec Singapore, said, “Our online customer portal offers unequalled convenience for our clients who, for the first time, will be able to fully visualise, modify and control their event spaces. Our Experience Managers will be working closely with our clients and service teams to ensure their expectations become a reality.”
Click here for a virtual walk-through of Suntec’s online customer portal.
MAS codeshares with French rail firm
Jean-François Raudin, MAS sales & marketing manager France, and Marie-Christine Renaudie, TGV AIR airline partnerships manager, on a SNCF train.
Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has inked a codeshare agreement with French national railway company, SNCF, covering 19 train stations in the country.
MAS also signed a bimodal agreement with SNFC’s high-speed rail network TGVAIR, allowing the national carrier to commercialise a journey from start to finish. This includes the journey between a TGV provincial train station and the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport TGV station, as well as the connecting flight on MAS.
The airline said that passengers in the French provinces and travelling on the airline could now enjoy this new train/flight bimodal service departing from 19 TGV train stations, including check-in from the start of the journey to the final destination.
The service is available at TGV train stations such as the Aix-en-Provence TGV, Angers-St-Laud, Avignon TGV, Bordeaux St Jean, Champagne-Ardenne TGV, Le Mans, Lille, Lorraine TGV, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier and Nantes.
When arriving at their departure SNCF TGV train station, MAS passengers can check-in to their final destination, including on their MAS connecting flight at CDG airport.
MAS said the service offers numerous advantages to its passengers:
- Simplicity: No need to purchase their flight tickets and TGV train tickets separately. Passengers travelling from the provinces to Kuala Lumpur and beyond can use a single ticket for their journeys from their departure train station to CDG Airport TGV station, and from CDG Airport to Kuala Lumpur on MAS flights.
- Flexibility: TGVAIR comprises 19 cities covering the major part of the French territory, with nearby train station regardless of the departure province.
- Serenity: Passengers buy a fare from start to finish, which means a single transport contract. If they miss their flight or their train due to delay they will be supported.
- Time saving: No need to book separately and coordinate both parts of the trip, with the air/railway ticket easily modified if necessary.
- Better value: It is much easier and cheaper to choose the combined MAS/SNCF ticket than to purchase a flight ticket and train ticket separately.
Jetstar Asia introduces mobile boarding pass at Changi Airport
Jetstar Asia’s mobile boarding pass
Jetstar Asia has started a trail run of its mobile boarding pass for its passengers departing from Singapore, the first low fares carrier in Changi Airport to offer this service.
The airline hopes to offer the mobile boarding pass, which uses a 2-D barcode, at the end October to passengers eligible for straight-to-gate departing Singapore to most Jetstar Asia destinations.
The carrier said that with about 90% smartphone adoption in the island nation, the majority of its passengers would have access to the mobile boarding pass.
Jetstar Asia CEO, Barathan Pasupathi, said the mobile boarding pass was the latest investment in innovation from the low fares carrier designed to make travel even easier and convenient for customers.
“Replacing paper boarding passes with a mobile boarding version will allow Singapore customers access to real time updates on changes to flight schedules, gate information and seat numbers.”
• Featured image (coins on tray) credit: iStock
