The Warmth at the End of the Bed

Winter has certainly made its presence felt at Herberg Manor. The days can still be pleasant, but once the sun goes down, the cold settles in properly. This week we decided to put hot water bottles on the beds. There was no complicated reason behind it. It was simply cold, and we thought our guests would appreciate getting into a warm, cosy bed.

What I did not expect was the reaction.

Several guests smiled when they saw the hot water bottles and immediately said, “We grew up with this,” or, “Long time ago we used them.” It was interesting how quickly something so simple brought back memories. I understood exactly what they meant because I grew up with hot water bottles too. For me, they bring back memories of my mother and the feeling of comfort that came with knowing that someone had thought about keeping you warm before you went to bed.

We already have electric blankets on the beds, so our guests certainly do not lack warmth. But there is something different about a hot water bottle tucked down at your feet. The electric blanket does its job quietly, but the hot water bottle carries something else with it. Perhaps it is the nostalgia. Perhaps it is the memory of being looked after. Or perhaps it is simply the feeling of something warm waiting for you when you climb into bed.

In a house like Herberg Manor, it also feels strangely appropriate. This is an old house with a long history. Before it became a guesthouse, it was used as a school and boarding establishment by the Irish Sisters of the Assumption. The building has seen generations of people come and go, and today we are simply custodians of the next chapter in its story.

I sometimes think that old houses have a way of reminding us that not everything needs to be new to be valuable. Hospitality has changed enormously over the years. We have technology, electric blankets, online bookings and all sorts of things that make running a guesthouse easier and make a stay more convenient for our guests. Yet some of the things that make people feel most comfortable have hardly changed at all.

A comfortable bed still matters. Good linen still matters. A quiet room still matters. And on a cold winter's night, something warm at your feet still matters.

Perhaps that is what the guests were responding to when they saw the hot water bottles. It was not only the warmth. It was the combination of warmth, nostalgia and the feeling that someone had thought about them before they went to bed.

That last part is what stayed with me. Hospitality is full of small decisions that guests may never consciously notice. Preparing a room properly, making sure everything is in place, checking that a guest is comfortable and thinking about what might make their stay just a little better. None of these things are particularly complicated, but together they create a feeling.

We sometimes think that creating memorable guest experiences means adding something impressive or doing something extraordinary. I am beginning to think it is often much simpler than that. It is noticing the weather. It is remembering that people get cold. It is knowing that something as ordinary as a hot water bottle can make someone smile because it takes them back to their childhood and to someone who once cared for them.

The hot water bottle was put on the bed because it was cold. What it reminded me of was much warmer. Small things count in hospitality, perhaps more than we realise. And sometimes, at the end of a cold winter's day, that small thing is waiting quietly at the bottom of the bed.