Stars Rating Hotels and perhaps People?

December 27th, 2019 | Jules Heartly

The sun was almost down and the last afternoon lights were lingering on the mountain road.  The car rolled down smoothly on the hilly pavement from the Pic Du Midi ( French Pyrenees). We were driving back from a cycling event and had not made any lodging reservations for that evening.  The French Pyrenees would have enough hotels available for stranded tourists that time of the year we have thought, but it turned out we were wrong.  We had stopped at a few locations and none had vacancy.

The search was more difficult given the standards I had upheld myself with until that day:  I would only consider 4 or 5 star hotels.   I had stayed once or twice in 3-star hotels on the road, after a long driving day knowing it would be a one-night event, and it probably would be not an easy thing to find a better rated one, right at the moment when the driving spirit needed a rest.  But that evening was different, I wanted to find a place not only for the night but for a 2-3 days stay to get to know the Pyrenees better while we made time to check-in at a nearby place, I had previously reserved, and which according to one of the reviewers was “inspiring” to writers. A place where I hoped to get immersed in the final review of my now published novel Save Your Prayers/True Stories from a Nation Held Hostage.

As the last sun rays were beginning to hide behind the mountains, a  small hotel came into view.  “Should we check it out?” I was asked.  I considered my options…  the next town down was still a few miles away, and driving at night checking randomly for good places to stay did not look like a great idea.

“How many stars does it have? ” I asked?  I resourced to Google to find out.  It turned out it had very good reviews (4.8 ) but it did not have neither 4 nor 5 stars listed on its website.  “Why are you so fixed on the stars ratings” my friends asked me.  And I thought about all the things listed along with a 4-5 star hotel classification. The good bed, the concierge services, the good food, how the wines are paired perfectly, and the expected good service.  I was quickly reminded by them of one my stays in a 4-star hotel in Miami which had not been good at all.  The service was terrible, the food not good, the concierge referred me back “to check in google” for places around the hotel, and everything was overpriced.

“OK, let’s take a look,”  I agreed.  While I stayed in the car searching for any other places nearby, and reading as many reviews as I could about the Hotel les castets  D’Ayre, my friends went inside to check the place and the availability.

A few minutes later they came out along with Philip, one of the owners. “Come on Jules, check it out. You may even like it!”  they encouraged me.  “Yes, Please come in, I want you to feel comfortable with your decision if you decide to make one, that is,” said Philip smiling, ,after the formal introductions.

I reluctantly got out of the car and went inside the boutique hotel. The place was neat, clean, with a modern interior, two terraces, a dining room, a tea/coffee room upstairs and overall very welcoming.  Nathalie, the co-owner, after greeting me, took me upstairs to one of the available rooms.  The place was modern, clean, cozy and inviting. I decided to give it a try and spend there at least that night.

The experience that followed was even better, the breakfast buffet had anything I could have asked for and more. They even had one of my favorite breakfast fruits: grapefruit.  Philip, being a guitar player, a hiker, a skier, an astronomer among other things, was the best concierge we could ever had.  He guided us about places to go, and the first night using a large professional telescope we had an astronomy session, that went even past midnight.  Nathalie, being the great chef, she is, and with her wonderful hosting personality, made our dining experience an unforgettable one.

Needless to say, we canceled the reservations we had somewhere else and ended up staying the rest of the week in the wonderful Hotel Bareges (Les Castets D’ayre).  

“So what happened with your philosophy about only staying at 4-5 hotels ?” my friends asked me while having late afternoon tea in the hotel terrace, after coming back from a terrific hiking in the nearby Col deTourmalet.  “It hasn’t changed” I joked “ This is by far a 5-Star hotel stay” I said. Now seriously,  where else could I have all the great service, the charming experience, the warmth of the welcoming owners, the fantastic food we enjoyed every day, the tremendous activities either provided or suggested by Nathalie and Philip, the relaxing atmosphere, the beautiful flowers in the garden, the comfortable beds, and rooms, the awesome wine selection…etc?

And the STARS missing in the hotel website? Well, we lost count. They were  so many additional ones  in the sky and we saw even more guided by Philip and his telescope!

So next time, you  are looking for a good hotel, go beyond the stars, do check some reviews, but overall be adventurous and of course if you are in the #FrenchPyrenees or planning to go there,  land on the wonderful #Hotel Bareges,  where like the Eagles song “ you can check out anytime you like but you can never leave!”

If you manage to do leave, like we did, you would keep returning every year as I have continued to do ever since.

And, as we rate hotels, and we get wrong perceptions and expectations, sometimes we do the same with people we just met, or we are about to be introduced to.  So, I invite you all to start today and continue on 2020 to give the opportunity of bringing out the shiny star in each person,  at least give them one chance, at least one time,  before turning back or moving away.

I bet  you may have a lot of stories to share about these topics, I would love to hear them.  Please send me a note or comment on my blog.

Thank you for reading my blog.   

Happy Holidays!

And remember to follow me on twitter @JBRADIANT and get updates on upcoming publications on my website https://www.julesheartly.com/