Cultured Views

Eternity

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That picture at the top of the page is the symbol of my home town - the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney Australia. Look at word blazing across…’Eternity’.

This is a photo of the bridge on New Years Eve 2000 and the bridge was afire with pyrotechnics for the huge celebrations that make, in my opinion, Sydney THE place to be for New Years Eve. Each year a different word lights up across the bridge and in 2000 it was ‘Eternity’ and it was a tribute to a man who, for many years, was an enigma to Sydneysiders. The man was Arthur Stace.

For 37 years, beginning in the 1930’s, a word was scrawled in elegant copperplate writing in chalk on the pavements around the city of Sydney. It appeared all over the city, at various times of the day…’Eternity’. Just that one word. No-one knew who was writing the word and for years newspaper editors, writers, Sydney people, speculated over who the mysterious writer was.

In 1956 the mystery was solved when a Sydney Baptist minister noticed an elderly man writing the word in chalk on the footpath. Arthur Stace was born in 1884 to impoverished alcoholic parents. His childhood was one of neglect, hunger and frequent run-ins with the law. As an adult he became homeless and alcoholic, and during one of his many appearances in front of a magistrate he begged the Judge to put him away. He had lost all sense of ‘being’, was losing his mind due to the years of alcohol abuse and had lost all hope for himself. The Judge refused and gave him ‘one more chance’.

One day Arthur called in for a free meal at one of the soup kitchens that were set up for the many down and out in the 1930’s and he saw a group of well dressed men, on asking who they were he was informed that they were Christians. He was impressed and decided to give their way of life a try. From this point his life changed.

He attended an evangelical sermon soon after and one word stuck in his mind ‘eternity’. He could not get thie word out of his head and claimed that God was now directing him to spread this message…’Eternity’.

So, for the next 37 years he set out before sunrise everyday and proceeded to write his one word message anywhere and everywhere across Sydney, with God directing him. He and his simple message of hope became an enigma that remains to this day even though the man and his word are known and linked. He died in 1967. A simple plaque was erected in his honour in Sydney, but, I feel the greatest tribute came on New Years Eve in the year 2000. When his message of hope and eternity was blazened in letters of fire for all the world to see.

‘Eternity’.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Part 3: So you want to run a hotel/B&B - what you advertise/what the guests want/expect.

OK. So now we get down to the nitty gritty. You’ve bought your hotel/B&B; you’ve spent your savings on ‘doing-up’ to your taste what you have walked into; you’ve done your homework and marketing; you’ve got your bookings; you have worked through the night and day, (and your budget), to create a ‘room/chambre/zimmer/habitaccion’ that you just know your guests will like…and now they arrive.

Have a huge smile ready; be glad to see them…don’t just hand them their room keys: escort them to their room; ask them would they like breakfast the next morning ( if each guest takes breakfast it really ups your income); tell them where they can find you if they need you for anything. Do not forget to attend when they need you.

Leave them to it and do not hover. As a frequent guest of hotels/B&B’s myself I just cannot stand being watched over by the proprietor each time I come and go. However you may find that a few guests like this sort of constant surveillance and may even complain if you do not provide it. Do what works best for your place in the end. But we prefer to give our guests their privacy.

Your French guests: The French are really not that fussy; as long as all is clean and tidy and you can speak some French to them they will be happy. Pay attention to courtesy as well as they are generally very polite people. Their children are the best behaved I have ever seen. The French always order breakfast.

Your Spanish guests: Be careful. If you are near the southeast border of France/Spain learn the difference between Catalan and Spanish as they are two very different cultures. Example: people from Valencia to the north  are Catalan, from the south of Valencia down they are Spanish. Assume they are the same at your peril. Room-wise they all tend to be fussy, but many of them won’t tell you if there is a problem at the time. You will usually find out after they leave, go home, and receive the email that says ‘ review your accommodation‘. That’s when you will find out if they liked your place or not.
They also tend to have an unusual body thermostat. When the weather is well into spring the Spanish/Catalan guests will still use the room heating, put it on to full blast and also sleep with up to three blankets on their bed. They seem to feel the cold so make sure you have extra blankets for them. On the whole they are fantastic people; friendly and polite.  And their kids are generally well behaved. They do like squeezing as many into one room as possible though in order to save money. Just like the French - but unlike the French - the Spanish/Catalan guests almost never order breakfast.

Your American guests: Friendly, courteous and usually adventurous with regards to trying the local cuisine (if you offer meals). Cleanliness is very important to the Americans so make sure their room is spotless before they arrive. It should be anyway should it not…?

Your English guests: (I could devote several pages to this category).  Things to remember… you are responsible for the weather first and foremost, if it is windy/raining it is your fault; only serve English food and none of that foreign muck (yes, I know we are in France but…), British TV must be available (they didn’t come to France to see the news in French!); their kids can jump up and down on the beds and furniture at home so why not in your hotel as well? no matter what nice meals you offer them their kids will only ever want chips; ensure the front of your property is ablaze with flowers even in the freezing winter months or they will complain it is barren; sense of humour, patience and…whatever else gets you through their stay. Remember…smile…and that they do leave eventually.

These groups make up our general clientele, we see people from all over Europe and much of the world and such a varied client base really enhances your business and makes the job far more enjoyable. Of course, I’ve have written this 3 part series with tongue firmly in cheek - but there is a basic element of truth right throughout. 

Since being in this business watching an episode of  Fawlty Towers takes on a whole new meaning and I often sympathise with poor ol’ Basil. He really sums up the life a hotel owner…”Who cares about the guests, I’ve got a hotel to run!!”

Popularity: 10% [?]

So you want to run a hotel/B&B?…part 2: Your guests

You may assume that all people are alike. And they pretty much are, except, when they are wearing a hat that says ‘tourist’. I have found that many people take on a totally different persona when they are on holiday. This manifests itself in certain different ways…

a) I am easy to please. I just want my room, my breakfast, then I’m off.
b) I’ve had a totally crap time on holiday and am going to take it out on ‘you’…meaning ‘you’ the accommodation provider.
c) Yes, I read your website in whole, but I still want you to provide services that you state you do not provide.
d) I know I have booked, and paid for, 2 star accommodation, but I still expect all the services of a 5 star hotel. At 2 star prices.
e) I only booked your place because we could not get in anywhere else so I am going to let you know this and be a total shit about everything because I would not be here if I did not have to. And I expect you to put up with my crappy behaviour.
f) Yes, we know it is after 10.30 at night, and we have passed countless cafes, service stops and restaurants on our way here, but we did not bother to stop and have a meal. Why can you not cook us a 3 course meal now?. So what if the cook is 8 months pregnant…we are hungry so get her out of bed!.
g)Can we see the room FIRST please?. (This is an almost certainty that the guest will not stay as they do not like the ‘front’ of your place). Note: this is a common phrase uttered by certain English folk.

h) We liked the room, appreciated your hospitality, enjoyed the meals…
i) Yes, I know you state your ‘double ensuite room’ can only fit two people but we still want to squeeze in 2/3 kids/adults extra as well because we are too cheap to pay for another room…
j) Yes, we told you we enjoyed ourselves, smiled at you, and loved the food, room, etc…just wait till we get home and answer the ‘rate your hotel accommodation’ email’ then we will show our true side…
k) We had a great time. We’ll be back. And they actually DO come back!. And you are happy to see them…

I have found that whatever you offer, whatever you do, it will suit some but never all.
If you offer breakfast as a service: the French nearly ALWAYS take breakfast. The Spanish…sometimes, depends on the price…the English, many will only accept a ‘cooked English breakfast’ as an option. Despite the fact that they are in France, they still expect bacon and eggs as if it were ‘home’. Few want ‘continental’. (So why do they leave home in the first place?).
Germans/Danish/Swedes/Dutch: as long as breakfast includes sliced meat, cheese and yoghurt they will be happy.

Tomorrow…your guests ‘inroom’ demands/expectations. What you advertise as opposed to what they ‘want/expect’.

Popularity: 6% [?]