What is a good hotel?

What is a hotel? As indicated elsewhere in these pages, I put a lot of energy and, at times, money into finding and staying at good hotels. And usually when I talk with people I know about this, they start preparations for convicting me to the loony bin. All that work and money just for a bed? Just somewhere to sleep for a few hours every night?

To me a hotel is not just a bed enclosed in a weather proof shell. It is a place to be.  It is my home when I am in a place where I have no home.

Imagine going to a place where you have a good friend living. A friend that really loves you and who does everything in his power to make your stay truly great. Before you came there, you probably communicated with him about what you would like to do while in his city. He would check to see what events, concerts, shows you could go to. He would make sure that you got a table at a fantastic restaurant (provided that you, like me, is a bit of a food nerd). If you did not know the city, he would help you experience it to the full. When you arrived, he would probably meet you at the airport or train station. He would drive you home. He and his entire family would greet you with a smile, they would know you by name and they would really care for your well being while you were there. The outcome of all this would be that you felt at home. You would suddenly have, although temporarily, a home in this new place.

On the other hand, let us imagine you in a strange city, checking into a cheap hotel after having spent the whole afternoon trying to find it. The seemingly only person employed in the hotel looks at you as if you were just another annoying customer and hands over your key without the slightest trace of a smile. Your room is tiny, facing the railway tracks where a train goes by every two minutes. It may not have been cleaned properly for some time. And when you complain about that, the lonely employee just shrugs his shoulders. It is obvious that you are alone in the world, and it is all up to you. And it is probably raining outside. Ok, so it`s a bit overstated, but you get the idea.

What would you choose?

To me, staying in a good hotel should be like staying with that good friend. The difference of course being that you have to pay for it. What? Buying phony friendships for money? No. I do of course realize that friendships do not enter into it. You cannot buy friendships, and on most occasions you will not be striking up a friendship with the hotel employees. But I do believe that there are hotel employees and owners that care about their guests. I do believe that there are hotels where the staff takes pride in and find enjoyment in making guests feel at home. These, to me, are the good hotels.

But even if the feeling-at-home-business, which all comes down to the quality of the staff, may be seen as the heart of a good hotel, there may be other aspects as well. There is for example the hotel building itself. I must admit that since my professional work is all about great visuals, I do care about what things look like. If I on my way to breakfast happen to be walking through the lobby of the Ritz in London admiring the marble columns, the gold leaf and the craftsmanship that went into making all that for then to enter into what is perhaps the most magnificent restaurant in London with art literally stuck to the walls and ceilings, that gives me something. Or the fresh and striking look of a new and well designed city hotel.

It does not have to be exclusive or expensive. I once stayed at a hostel in Stockholm. Very inexpensive. My room was very simple, and it was evident that the budget that had gone into making that room had not been very big. But it was also evident that whoever had designed that room had put some thought into it and had come up with a good and practical design for it. It told me that someone had cared. And caring is a key word. That one time I stayed at the Ritz in London, we had a great room. Huge. Lots of antiques. Expensive place. Elegant. Gold and marble. It had everything. But it was just in bad shape. The paint was coming off the bathroom door in sheets. There were burn marks from cigarettes on the bed side table. The wardrobe was such in need of repair that it almost broke down. Amidst all this glitter and marble it looked like nobody cared, and then everything just falls apart. I have not stayed there since, but I really hope that this has changed.  Berhaps I will go back and check on that some day.

Then there is atmosphere and history. If I go to London, I would like my hotel to feel like I am in London. I know there are hotel chains where the concept is that "we look the same no matter where you are". This is supposed to give guests a familiar feeling in a strange place. That is not for me. Some years ago, my family went to London and stayed at Browns hotel. Browns has been a hotel since 1837. History and tradition was dripping from its oak paneled walls. Royalty have stayed here for more than a hundred years. When Alexander Graham Bell came to London to show off his new invention, the telephone, this was where it happened. Londoners have been coming here for their afternoon tea for a century. When you enter Browns, you know that you are in London, and you somehow feel as if you were part of London`s history.

When you stay at a hotel like that, you may actually experience the city from another angle. Try going to the same city twice, stay in different good hotels and see if the experiences you get are not a bit different each time.

And then there is a make-believe part of it. Every once in a while it is fun to try a new way of living. Try to look at the world through different eyes. It is all about experiencing something different. I do think that adds to a holiday or weekend off. Why not try to stay at the Crillon in Paris to experience that world? Or, indeed, on that good farm hotel. Again, it does not have to be expensive or exclusive, It just has to be good. Even though more often than we like to think of it there actually is a link between quality and price.

So that, to me, is the perfect hotel. The hotel where I can soak up tradition and atmosphere, marvel at the thought and care that went into making the place, feeling at home and cared for and generally experiencing a touch of magic in the midst of all of life`s boring sides. And then it may not matter at all if it is raining. And if it actually is raining, you can probably borrow an immensely big umbrella and carry some of the magic with you.