One of the perks, more like incentives, that mid-tier and lower hotel properties offer is a free breakfast. Regardless of location now, there seems to be more and more guests, who wandering down in their bed clothes: pajamas/sweats/slippers. I'm not wishing for the days of hats/gloves, jkt/tie however its odd seeing the number of people who wander down as if they're staying in their own home. There's little effort to clean oneself up, be somewhat presentable. Rant off, back to the road...

Having traveled extensively around the world the lack of attention to appearance in public is rather peculiar. Not only that but it makes you wonder how complacent they are with their personal hygiene. That is why I don't take advantage of those public buffets.

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mid-tier and lower hotel properties

Yeah, nobody there is wearing business casual to breakfast.

We usually work late so I sleep through breakfast and buy my own lunch, but some of our crews make sure to get all they can at breakfast to save their per diem.

Yeah, and none of the pj wearin’ women look like Ann Margret.

people not being what may be considered minimally presentable in public is endemic here. And the only time I see it in hotels in Asia are with travelling Americans. Common courtesy and such. It's all about the me and screw the you.

Its the desensitization of young people with the rise of gangster rap, reality TV series from the darkest hollars of Appalachia, and violent video games that caused this example of poor white trash manners...

Walmart People...

It's a lot worse in hotels that cater to tourists as opposed to businessmen. I learned that lesson when I stayed in a hotel close to Balboa Park in San Diego. I thought the other guests were escapees from the San Diego zoo. From then on I made a point to stay close to the business centers of cities I was visiting.

Jim

I've witnessed this and I think it's disgusting. What are these people thinking?

My wife is a bit slow getting presentable in the morning so when we are in one of these hotels that offers the breakfast buffet, I'll usually go down and pick up some coffee and perhaps a pastry or bagel and we'll eat in the room. There is absolutely no way we'd think of wandering around a hotel lobby in any sort of bed cloths. I don't appreciate seeing peoples "junk" flopping around when I'm eating.

Along the same general vein as the OP (though specifically NOT what he said), I kinda do wish fashion would return to the days of fedoras, narrow ties and dark slender suits, when gentlemen and ladies paid attention to what they looked like before stepping out. That was before my time, mind you, but given a choice between that and the Portland Homeless Vogue that we see so much now? Yeah... where's that fedora?

No doubt the same crew that you see in the airports these days...

The Hilton Beijing had to put up signs and make statements on check-in and room documentation that the complimentary bathrobes are not suitable attire for the executive lounge. And this is a business hotel and the exec lounge is for high status guests or people willing to pay a lot extra for a room. Still, you see sweats or shorts and flip flops. And it's not the locals looking like slobs (not usually at least).

The Hilton Tokyo specifically requires suitable attire "smart casual" IIRC for their executive lounge, and NO VISIBLE TATTOOS - yep. Tattoos are associated with the Japanese Mafia.

I haven't seen anything other than normal clothed when people are in the hotel restaurant for breakfast (I stick to the exec lounges unless I have to go to the main restaurant) outside the U.S.

Before I leave my room, I am showered, dressed at least in jeans and a pocket T, with proper shoes. Basically, suitable to go outside unless I need to go back to my room to fetch a jacket due to weather.

...but then a couple years ago I was in India with a girlfriend from Vietnam and was trying to explain to her that she can't wear the bikini under the bathrobe and go to dinner in the nice hotel (Conrad) restaurant, or vice versa. From room to pool and back is OK. Wear a dress over the bikini, have dinner, then go to the pool. Or swim first then go back to the room and change.

They wear a bit less clothing in Vietnam due to the heat, but in India despite the heat, women cover up a lot more.

Wife and I just stayed for a week at the Residence Inn in Chesapeake, VA while visiting my son and DIL, who are stationed in Norfolk.

Each morning, I'd get up, feed and walk the dog (the hotel is dog friendly, which is one reason we typically stay there), and swing through the lobby to pick up a cup of coffee before heading back to the room. Typically, there would be very few people in the dining area at that time. Back in the room, my bride would be busy applying make up and dressing for the day. By the time she was "presentable" and we made our way down to the dining area, it would be packed hordes of pajama wearing mopes raiding the breakfast bar as if it was the only meal of the day. Trying to get a simple toasted English muffin with butter was an exercise in anger management for me.

I am far from a fashionista or fashion forward dresser, and, admittedly I don't shave as often as I should ...but I brush my teeth, brush my hair, and put on clean presentable respectful clothing before going out in public... and just as importantly, I act and talk in a respectful way, using basic manners.

Like many trends, the trends toward casual dress and behavior has been taken to an extreme...an extreme that I don't appreciate.

I recently caught an interview with Ritz-Carlton Hotel founder, a German who started as a hotelier in Germany as a 14 year old busboy for a fine German restaurant, a man named Horst Schulze. At one time in his career the head of the hotel dining room tried to inspire the workers to work towards excellence, and explained to them that they were ladies and gentlemen who served ladies and gentlemen. Horst Schulze never forgot this lesson and worked to instill it in Ritz-Carlton employees. In fact, he wrote a book about instilling the pursuit of excellence, as well as his own pursuit of excellence and accepting the challenge of taking ownership of ones own destiny, as well as his exposure and opposition to Socialism.

Today's parents and teachers often teach children basic manners such as saying please and thank you...but they fail to teach them to be young ladies and gentlemen.

Not long ago I saw a black woman wearing pink footie pajamas with some sort of fuzzy rabbit or animal ears paying her utility bill at the local utility office.

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Originally posted by slabsides45:
Along the same general vein as the OP (though specifically NOT what he said), I kinda do wish fashion would return to the days of fedoras, narrow ties and dark slender suits, when gentlemen and ladies paid attention to what they looked like before stepping out. That was before my time, mind you, but given a choice between that and the Portland Homeless Vogue that we see so much now? Yeah... where's that fedora?

There was a time when I might have disagreed with you, but dressing respectfully in public tends to encourage one to act respectfully in public. I don't expect people to spend lavish sums to wear the latest fashions, but at least take the time to dress appropriately and respectfully...so yes, it would be nice to return to a more civilized manner, and if that meant suits and fedoras, so be it.

To each their own I guess. If I’ve had a late night and can’t be presentable and ready for my day before the buffet closes, then I am going elsewhere for breakfast. Just not how I was raised. I tend to have more of a Laissez-faire attitude than to let others standards of grooming (or lack of the same) bother me much, but it would tend to be a clue that those probably aren’t folks I’d choose to hang out with...

The first time I witnessed this horrid behavior, I thought, "Where is your personal pride?".

I can understand, perhaps not shaving, or applying makeup. Please be considerate and at least get dressed!

How far will this lazy trend get?

I am sure that would go well at Brennans. The same attire seems suitable now for the flying public. I would hate to see what people wear on the bus.

I'm gonna say this trend now appearing in hotels is an offshoot of the problems with Casual Friday...

erj -- I really wish that I could unsee that.

^^^^^^^
Yeah. I mean feet on the desk and flip flops too!