I have worked with thousands of photos from my various overseas trips, and I know full well, any adjustments I do using computer settings may make the photos look closer to what I remember, and in some cases even better, but it's still totally arbitrary.
I used to shoot weddings. I can show you pictures of the same bridesmaid in the same purple dress that appears three different colors depending on where the photo was taken. In one it appears lavender, in another it's almost black, and in one it's the royal purple it was intended to be. (Side note, photography in Sacred Heart in Augusta is challenging because there is a mixture of fluorescent, incandescent, sunlight filtered through stained glass, and often candlelight) Unless you white balance, you will not get uniform colors.
As to your travel pictures, most cameras do an automatic WB, and most monitors are fairly close in portraying the intended color. What gave this picture away was the color of the walls and tile which screams unbalanced WB under fluorescent lighting. Also, the stainless steel shelf in the back actually looks stainless after the color correction. Same with the shade of gold on the number. Notice it looks more in line with our current gold numbering?
This is not arbitrary, there is actually good science behind it, and professional photographers have learned to use it well to keep their photos consistent during the editing process..
