Nov 12

Nov 12 Kijk te Diep in het Glaasje

“Te Diep in het Glassje kijken”

Which in Dutch means to be drunk - To look too deeply into the glass.

I found myself harking back to my years abroad in Belgium some 40 years now. The phrase came to mind .. not because I had had too much to drink but because I found myself sitting in a hotel bar in a small Welsh town, which these days is largely passed by, looking either at my wine glass or at my phone. The usually ‘johnny-no-mates’ tactic.

I was also looking too deeply into my glass because I was trying to make it last, because … it had just cost me the best part of £10. I was instead imagining a ten pound bottle of fine wine.

I was alone and wasting time. It was an expensive waste of time.

I wasn’t supposed to be here, I was on my way to somewhere else, but began to feel really grotty, a day or so after a double jab of flu and covid booster. Thought it best to hole myself up in what looked like quite a nice hotel in the centre of said small Welsh town.

I’m being very vague about the name of this town and hotel, largely because I want to make some uncomplimentary observations about the state of the ‘hospitality’ .. was it maybe because of our post-Covid world, or maybe the state of the economy. I certainly don’t blame the owners or staff (especially as the moment I walked into the hotel I was given a full run down of their life stories, and had to commiserate.)

So, my experience in a nutshell…

Briefed on reception the moment I appeared that the manager had left abruptly, and that they were short staffed. The room wasn’t ready (it was 4pm)

Told that the front doors (into the high street) were locked at 10, and the bar closed. Though I had a key. ‘Just be careful when you come in to go straight up the stairs or you’ll trigger the alarms.’

That I had to specify a sitting for breakfast, and that I would not be able to invite a friend from outside to join me. Regardless of whether I would pay for their breakfast.

The room was three steep flights up (no lift), and … actually very pleasant. Although the welcome brochure looked as though it had been nibbled by rats.

Into bar (before it closed) and opted for an admittedly large glass of wine, which was only a few pence shy of a tenner.

Breakfast was nice, but the ‘short-staff’ was anxious to take the order … (and deal with reception, departing guests etc.)

If pressed I would say it was OK…

But what was missing was ‘hospitality.’ I wanted to feel wanted and looked after. I wanted nice ‘touches.’

I fear that this experience is being repeated across a country, see earlier post in Huntingdon hotel, and that hotels may have forgotten how to welcome guests … which is sad because … if they don’t, people just won’t come back.