A smile can change everything.

Image by Michelle Raponi from Pixabay

Last week I spent four hotel nights at various locations, but they were all hotels in the same chain – Scandic. It was interesting to see how much the experience can vary, even though it is the same in so many ways. The last two hotels in Uppsala and Gävle were especially noteworthy because the rooms were so nearly identical that I would probably not have been able to tell which one was which if I had randomly teleported to one of them.

The first hotel, Scandic Klara, was as prime a location as it gets. Bang in the middle of Stockholm with the entry door to Hötorget. I could drive my car and park underground and walk a couple of steps to the lobby. That’s not bad, considering that I was in the literal center of Sweden’s biggest city. If I ever plan on driving to Stockholm again, this place will be on the top of my shortlist. The hotel had four stars, and you could tell by the overall standard. What I will compare here is mainly the breakfast service, because I usually don’t spend more time than necessary in hotels (awake). The breakfast was served in a huge inner yard with a glass ceiling, and some interesting room acoustics. The room was very reverberant, but the noise level was still low. However, when things get crowded, I suspect this room might not be as nice. Food-wise though, it was impeccable. It was one of the most delicious breakfasts I have had so no complaints there. You really notice when someone has put a little bit of extra love into the presentation and preparation of the food. That will certainly give your day a good start.

The second hotel, Uppsala Nord, was not as fancy, but the breakfast was very nice albeit a notch or two down from the first one. This is more of a hotel for motorists, and thus the whole place has a somewhat stronger focus on function over form. Still, I think they had wisely put their efforts where it matters most. With the food department. The third hotel Gävle Väst, was like a crtl-C ctrl-V of the Uppsala hotel. Almost a bit confusing that everything looks identical, and yet you are in another city. The breakfast here, however, was a step down from the previous two. It felt a bit more mass produced. Or maybe I am a bit too harsh here, because the first thing I did was to grab one of the overnight oats. I had chosen them from the previous hotels and was rather impressed by how nice they were, so my expectations were high. However, these ones were ghastly. I almost retched by the taste. I was reminded of when I was a kid and played around in the kitchen in my very first efforts as a cook and mixed stuff completely without rules or reason. The overnight oats was at least five times more terrible than the worst thing I ever managed to craft as a small kid. I recall some kind of mix between sourcream, oats, wheat flour and six tablespoons of cinnamon. Basically inedible.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression might apply here. How can they redeem themselves after such a bad start? Well, it turns out they could. After grudgingly swallowing just one spoon of the overnight oats and putting them to the side, I moved on to the more regular menu which was decent. But then I noted a waitress who simply walked around the tables with the loveliest smile and asked if I wanted some more coffee and if everything was OK. I do my best to always tell the truth or at least never lie, so I explained that the overnight oats “was not to my liking” but that the rest was just fine. Which it actually was, if I had just got a better start to the day. But it does not matter anyway. After my cup of coffee was filled with fresh brew served by that wonderful smile, I felt great. On the social front, this was a complete knock-out victory over the previous two hotels.

Fifteen minutes later when I walked out of the Gävle restaurant and headed home again, the third hotel had managed to give me the best experience. Nice food and quality stuff can only get you so far, but a genuine smile wins every day of the week.