A notice attributed to a Gstaad hotel manager reminded Indian guests about buffet rules, quiet hours and service fees, prompting Indian industrialist Harsh Goenka to call for better civic conduct abroad.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A hotel notice addressed to Indian guests at a Swiss resort property has sparked discussion online about tourist behavior, hospitality policies and cultural expectations in one of Switzerland’s most prominent ski destinations.
Indian industrialist Harsh Goenka recently shared a notice that he said was issued by Arc-en-ciel, a hotel-restaurant in Gstaad. The letter, attributed to hotel manager Christiane Matti, listed several rules involving breakfast buffet use, dining service, quiet hours and overnight access to the building.
“Dear guests from India,” the notice begins.
Matti wrote that the hotel’s breakfast buffet is intended only for the morning meal and should not be used to pack food for later.
“Everything you will find on the buffet is freshly prepared and comes from local producers. Please do not take anything with you, the food is for breakfast only. If you would like a lunch bag, you can order it from the service staff and pay for it,” Matti said.
The notice also reminded guests to use the provided cutlery and leave the buffet in good condition for others.
“Please note that other guests also want an appetizing buffet. Only use the cutlery provided,” Matti said.
The letter informed guests that splitting dishes at lunch or dinner would result in plate and service fees. It also asked guests to avoid disturbing others in hallways and on balconies.
“In addition to you, there are other guests from all over the world in the hotel. They also appreciate the peace and quiet and therefore we ask you to be quiet in the corridor and not speak to loud on the balcony,” Matti said.
“The reception is open from 7.00 am to 10.30 pm. During the night only emergency calls can be accepted,” the notice continued.
The letter also explained that guests can open the hotel’s main entrance with their room key outside reception hours.
A version of the notice circulated further in an X post, drawing attention to how the hotel framed its expectations for visitors.
Goenka appeared to agree with the concerns raised in the notice and used the episode to urge fellow Indians to improve public conduct while traveling.
“Today, videos of garba in restaurants, loud conversations in airports, and turning aircraft cabins into picnic spots keep doing the rounds. Even in Davos, an Indian businessman blasted Punjabi music in a club so the whole town could hear it, calling it ‘soft power’ but to everyone’s annoyance,” Goenka said.
“Our civic sense seriously needs to be upgraded,” he added.
Gstaad and the surrounding Saanenland region attract many international visitors, including tourists from India. The area has particular cultural visibility among Indian travelers because portions of the 1995 Bollywood film “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” were filmed in Switzerland.
The notice has generated debate because it singled out guests from one country while listing rules that hotels generally expect all visitors to follow. Supporters of the message said it reflected real frustrations over travel etiquette, while critics questioned whether such instructions should be addressed by nationality rather than applied uniformly to all guests.
The episode highlights a broader tension in global tourism, where hotels and destinations often seek to accommodate visitors from many cultures while enforcing shared standards on dining, noise and respect for staff and other guests.
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