We have been running our own little hotel here in France for nearly four years now, and despite sometimes wondering why we ever got ourselves into all this, we enjoy our new life in general. Meeting new people all the time is a bonus and seeing the way they respond to us and our place. Most of our experiences are very positive; a small few not so positive and a handful of people are just downright rude about certain things.

It makes me wonder what people look for when they book a hotel especially in regards to what they are paying. We are a smart looking 12-roomed character ‘inn’ with a 2-star rating, yet you’d be amazed at what facilities some guests expect you to offer them. 24 hour room service; valet service; fresh linen EACH day (we’d love to have the budget of a Hilton but we do not I’m afraid); even in-room dining. These are services all offered by no less than 5-star hotels, because they do not get a 5-star rating unless they do. We try to offer 5-star service though, even if we cannot provide 5-star facilities.

This is uppermost in my mind though as I have stayed in 5-star accommodation back when I lived in Sydney Australia. Even though the facilities there were second to none, the ‘personal service’ that we offer here far outdoes what I paid nearly $500 a night for at the Park Hyatt in 1991.  For example, we actually escort our guests to their rooms, at the Park Hyatt we were given our keys and told to take the elevator to the second floor.

I have to say though that the hotel scene in Sydney, as well as Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and even Perth, has changed vastly over the past years. Twenty years ago in Sydney, for example, the main places to stay were: The Menzies Hotel; The Sebel Town House; the Hilton Hotel and the Boulevard in William Street.

Nowadays just about every major world hotel chain is represented in Sydney with a 5-star hotel and it has really changed the face of tourism in Sydney and all the other major capitol cities of Australia.  They bring people from all over the world to the most beautiful city on earth offering every luxury you could imagine.

But how many people staying there are welcomed at breakfast by the same person who opened the door to their room for them?.  Would that very smart looking receptionist who speaks four languages also dash out and buy your baby some nappies in the evening if you needed them?. I doubt it.

But we - the small hotel owners – without the trappings of a Sheraton or a Four Seasons, still plug away at giving our guests the best care and attention we can.  Just because we care.