Welcome to Hogsback, please lower your expectations.
Hogsback hospitality is now becoming a little like snow and fairies: equally elusive and very, very rare. With one rather important difference…No matter how improbable… the snow and the fairies call the guests back; our service (or lack thereof), will only be excused for so long…then what?
And that should worry us…because when hospitality becomes this inhospitable, I really hope our restauranteurs, shop owners and tourism operators realise that saying things like: “That’s just how things are here.” / “You’re in Hogsback now.” / or: “We’re not McDonald’s.” is not actually a pro-tourism strategy.
Nobody is asking Hogsback to become McDonald’s. Nobody wants Hogsback to become a sterile, franchised, homogenised little tourism machine where everything is available in exactly the same size, shape and shade of beige. Quite the contrary.
People come here for something else. WE came here for something else! But there is a rather large difference between authentic and inconsiderate…between being quirky and being careless…between having your own way of doing things and making a paying guest feel like an inconvenience for having arrived at all. In an attempt to not mention my sources, I went hunting for some publicly placed reviews… As far back as 2013; the handful of ‘bad’ reviews, are about our roads, state of some buildings and accommodation…BUT; apart from 1 ‘pushy’ info center lady, there are no complaints about staff or hosts or service. Quite the contrary.
“We spent 4 days in Hogsback, amazing hikes, waterfalls and views.
Our cottage was freezing and didn’t have a fireplace. The restaurant roof was
leaking and the food was average… but the PEOPLE were amazing! Staff helpful,
friendly and you can see they love working there. We already booked our next holiday,
even chose the same cottage! See you when we’re back! “
What we lacked in infrastructure, luxury and comfort, we made up in heart, spirit and service! What happened? …Complacency? Disillusioned? Tired? Stressed? Forgot what a privilege it is to live here?
Hogsback has clearly never been universally described as a perfectly maintained little mountain paradise. But when it came to the people, the staff, the hosts and the service; the overwhelming impression was actually superlative.
How you run your business, your opening hours, your pricing, how you treat your staff or service your customers; technically, has nothing to do with me. I hardly go anywhere, so I claim no rights… Why does it matter to me if you want to chase away customers? … It’s your livelihood/your sideline/ your hobby, your time, your name.
But bear in mind; we are a micro-town, and this ain’t the big city.
There, your competitor down the road, closing down means more business for you…Here, it leaves a wide dark open space. That void becomes a vortex… sucking in the good vibes left in its surrounds. It breeds something different. Guests want choices, different options to match their different outlooks and needs. Their ability to choose matters to me, the quality of their interactions and their experience here matters to me…
Because the gift they give us, (if we take a moment to receive it); deserves a Thank You, they can feel!