Hard Rock Hotel plays hard ball with Balinese sensitivities

The management of the Hard Rock Hotel in Kuta, Bali are acting like 19th century colonialists by adopting a policy banning the local Balinese from speaking their own language.

This insulting directive was the result of a complaint about the staff talking in Balinese about the guests. Regardless if this was true or not, the proper and sensible action would have been to talk to the staff in question.

However, with an arrogance that defies belief, they have told the Balinese that they are not allowed to speak Balinese in front of the guests. To add insult to injury, they have instituted a complete ban on the Balinese language at certain times and introduced a kind of "swear-box" where the staff are fined if they are caught speaking Balinese.

The management should be ashamed of themselves. They have no respect for the Balinese people and treat them like second-class citizens in their own country. If they are concerned about the staff speaking about the guests then they should listen to what the staff are now saying about them! Perhaps they should learn Balinese, it might do them some good.

The management of the Hard Rock Hotel are a disgrace to themselves and the hospitality industry. The Balinese have every right to speak their language and should not have to suffer petty-minded, self-important, foreigners dictating to them what they can and can't do in their own country.

[Bert Vierstra]

The Balinese have every right to speak their language and should not have to suffer petty-minded, self-important, foreigners dictating to them what they can and can't do in their own country.

Neither should they have someone from an other country file their complaints for them.

Why do they need this?

And yes, the Balinese DO talk about their "guests" in a language they think the guests cannot understand, specially in the tourist crowded areas, I had even the police calling my wife names, in Balinese. They try to make fun of the "guests" and have their laughs.

This can be quite annoying.

Trying to put this into the "colonialism perspective" is the same like the black man that got caught stealing and starts about discrimination.

They have no respect for the Balinese people and treat them like second-class citizens in their own country

I think that a lot of Balinese don't have respect for their guests, in the tourist areas, and think this "rule" may come from that.

So, because some bad-mannered locals are rude and obnoxious it is OK for hotel bosses to mistreat their local staff? I don't buy that. Two wrongs don't make a right. My wife is Balinese too, I've been through exactly the same as you, including a cop referring to me as her "customer". It's best to shrug it off.

I also don't buy your argument that because I'm from another country I can't criticise injustice when I see it. So Britain should have done nothing when Hitler invaded Poland? (I'm illustrating a point here, not comparing Hard Rock to Nazi Germany).

But everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Thanks for taking the time to comment anyway.

What an outrage. Idiots! Action has to be taken for the honor of Bali and the Balinese. i've already e-mailed Bali post, Denpost, Government in Denpasar and a few Balinese Organisations who surely will find this intresting.

[Bert Vierstra]

So Britain should have done nothing when Hitler invaded Poland?

I rather compare it to how christianity got into Africa.

The thing is probably the bad manners of the staff. If its another reason, I would like to hear it. If the management of the Hard Rock Hotel didn't try any other way of stopping this, just forbid them to stop to speak in another language in the hotel when guests are around its a bit rude. I suppose a "Don't talk about the guests, when you think they don't understand" didn't work.

But I am supposing a lot, I don't know what really went on there.

I think however that "The Honor of the Balinese" is not at stake here, my guess is that its a management that didn't know what to do else to keep their staff from misbehaving.

Why the title "Hard Rock Hotel plays hard ball with Balinese sensitivities" ?

Why not "Hard Rock Hotel's last resort to keep gossip away" or something ?

The way how this is presented, "those poor Balinese" and "the bad foreign management", takes it away from the real problems, and give seed to some sentiments that shouldn't be involved here.... The sentiments that you are trying to get involved here, may have a very bad effect on the society.

The problem is (and I am still supposing) "the misbehaving Balinese and how to put a stop to this" and not "Repressive foreign managements in a country that always has been plagued by foreign occupation and is loosing its culture due to foreign influences"

I hope that somebody involved joins the discussion.....

[Roy]

Wow! This is interesting! I agree with the sense of outrage expressed by both the Guest and Doc. A complete restriction against the use of Balinese among the Balinese staff is ludicrous, and as someone duly noted…is not addressing the issue at hand. Some training is needed, and I think that could be very effectively done.

My good friend Hans Hayden, who manages Café Lotus in Ubud has had to deal with this issue with his 100% Balinese staff, and it was only through several meetings, and his explanation that if they hurt business by insulting guests, they were in fact, only hurting themselves.

This reminds of a story that goes back to when my wife Eri and I first got married. We happened to go to Kupu Kupu Barong for lunch on the terrace. This hotel, now closed for several years for re-construction, is just walking distance from our house. Over drinks, two Balinese waitresses standing behind by wife were heard to comment in Balinese, “she’s his Thai Tiger.” My wife, God bless her (I love a spunky woman) jumped up out of her chair and preceded to dress down these poor hapless waitresses in the most naughty Balinese she could muster.

The two waitresses were completely caught off guard, and the agonized look on their faces testified to just how much the Balinese hate to publicly loose face. After lunch, we had a little “sit down” with them, and the manager and that calm conversation lead to a good lesson for those two girls. In private my wife appealed to the manager that no disciplinary action be taken against the girls, to which he agreed.

I think my wife should have a “sit down” with the management of Hard Rock! :D

[Bert Vierstra]

Roy read:

However, with an arrogance that defies belief, they have told the Balinese that they are not allowed to speak Balinese in front of the guests. To add insult to injury, they have instituted a complete ban on the Balinese language at certain times

A complete restriction against the use of Balinese among the Balinese staff

No. Not in front of guests, not at certain times.

Please note that I am not supporting the Hard Rock Hotel managers or the Balinese, I am trying to get some sentiments out of the problem, that I think shouldn't be there.

[Roy]

Saya mengerti Bert. But in any event, "at certain times" or within ear shot of guests, is still not addressing the issue...which is the insults or jokes about the guests.

I take it staff can speak in Bahasa Indonesia? And just how many guests at the Hard Rock Hotel understand that either?

The point, I think anyway, is that insults or jokes about guests should not be spoken in ANY language...even hand gestures. That's it :D

[Bert Vierstra]

the issue...which is the insults or jokes about the guests.

Right.

Thanks for sitting down with me 8)

[Roy]

Always a pleasure Bert! So when do we do it (a sit down) at Nuris? Give our best to Dewi!