Red Tape Hot Box on Retro Style
She had just crossed the border, but it was late and, having no chances of reaching Warsaw before dawn (thanks to our highway network... ), she decided to spend the night somewhere on the way. Luckily, it turned out that finding accommodation in Western Poland isn't a problem.
In a small town, right on the main square next to the city hall stood a huge communist block from the 1960s-a hotel. There were hardly any inmates there, with most of the hundred some rooms vacant. Who needs a hotel of this size in the middle of nowhere? And who needed it in the '60s when tourist movement across the border was almost non-existent? Anyway, she took a room, and while the receptionist was filling out all the paperwork, my friend asked her for a bottle of mineral water, which could be seen in the refridgerator next to the desk. The receptionist politely replied that it would cost zł.16, so that it would be better to walk across the street to the parking lot, where the same water goes for zł.1.50. Strange way of doing business, but since she still had to park the car, my friend took the lady's advice, and saved a few złotys. By the way, zł.16 for a bottle of water would be considered a rip-off even in Warsaw...
Tired after a long drive, my friend went to the hotel restaurant, where-no surprise-none of the tables were occupied. As soon as she sat down, the receptionist (now a waitress) came to take her order. Scrambled eggs. "Oh, come on, you'll have it for breakfast," was the surprising reply. So how about an omelette? "Do you know how long it takes me to make one? And they are hardly ever any good," was the response. Wow, so not only is she a receptionist and a waitress, but also the chef. And an honest one, at that. Finally, my friend decided to order the "home made broth," which turned out to be an instant soup with a few noodles.
Although by any standards the service in this hotel has to be considered unsatisfactory to say the least, I got the impression that my friend found the whole thing rather amusing. It was like a trip back to communist times, when terms like "customer satisfaction" were unknown and non-existent. Perhaps the owners should advertise the hotel as a relic of pre-1989 times and openly offer the level of service from those days. With many Poles full of nostalgia for the 'good old days,' I wouldn't be surprised if they started making money.
In a small town, right on the main square next to the city hall stood a huge communist block from the 1960s-a hotel. There were hardly any inmates there, with most of the hundred some rooms vacant. Who needs a hotel of this size in the middle of nowhere? And who needed it in the '60s when tourist movement across the border was almost non-existent? Anyway, she took a room, and while the receptionist was filling out all the paperwork, my friend asked her for a bottle of mineral water, which could be seen in the refridgerator next to the desk. The receptionist politely replied that it would cost zł.16, so that it would be better to walk across the street to the parking lot, where the same water goes for zł.1.50. Strange way of doing business, but since she still had to park the car, my friend took the lady's advice, and saved a few złotys. By the way, zł.16 for a bottle of water would be considered a rip-off even in Warsaw...
Tired after a long drive, my friend went to the hotel restaurant, where-no surprise-none of the tables were occupied. As soon as she sat down, the receptionist (now a waitress) came to take her order. Scrambled eggs. "Oh, come on, you'll have it for breakfast," was the surprising reply. So how about an omelette? "Do you know how long it takes me to make one? And they are hardly ever any good," was the response. Wow, so not only is she a receptionist and a waitress, but also the chef. And an honest one, at that. Finally, my friend decided to order the "home made broth," which turned out to be an instant soup with a few noodles.
Although by any standards the service in this hotel has to be considered unsatisfactory to say the least, I got the impression that my friend found the whole thing rather amusing. It was like a trip back to communist times, when terms like "customer satisfaction" were unknown and non-existent. Perhaps the owners should advertise the hotel as a relic of pre-1989 times and openly offer the level of service from those days. With many Poles full of nostalgia for the 'good old days,' I wouldn't be surprised if they started making money.
