Hospitality: How Do You Do It?

Some time ago, I wrote my first blog and intended to write a new one every month.

However, things turned out a bit differently than expected. With a family, a job as a teacher, and running my B&B Berglust, where do I find the time? After all, taking care of the B&B is the most important thing, and it involves a lot of tasks:

Maintenance
Cleaning
Bringing laundry to and from the laundromat
Occasionally posting on Instagram
Administration
And most importantly, maintaining contact with guests

Staying in touch with guests always makes me happy, and the first thing I do after they leave is read their experiences. Thankfully, everyone is always very satisfied, and that’s what you do it for, isn’t it? Hospitality is truly my top priority. That’s also the theme of this blog:

Hospitality: How do you do it?

Hospitality is a relative concept and means something different for everyone. The most important thing is to make guests feel welcome, at home, and like the accommodation was prepared with care just for them. Whether you’re planning a romantic weekend getaway or just want to relax, I always pay extra attention to small details: a personal note to welcome them, towels folded into swans, a bottle of wine on the table, and a chocolate truffle.

I’ve also created a booklet with instructions about the B&B and an information folder about activities in the area and the city of Rotterdam. Coffee and tea are always restocked, and if guests miss something, I’ll buy it for them. For instance, once I placed a bottle of wine but realized I didn’t have a corkscrew—now I do, of course. I also purchased a hairdryer upon request.

You want to ensure your guests have a great time, and that’s different for everyone. Some guests enjoy a chat, while others prefer privacy. It’s a bit of a balancing act each time, but that’s what makes it so enjoyable.

Last summer, we went to Indonesia as a family and got to experience what it’s like to be guests ourselves. My expectations were high because hospitality is so important to me, and I expect the same from other accommodations.

We visited beautiful places and stayed in a variety of accommodations, ranging from luxurious to very basic. But luxury doesn’t necessarily equate to hospitality. If you book something fancy, the expectations are naturally higher.

Yet there was one accommodation that stood out head and shoulders above the rest.
Thomas Leaf Monkey, owned by Brian in Sumatra, was truly amazing. The accommodation was quite basic and not at all luxurious. No air conditioning, just a fan, no private shower or toilet, but shared facilities outside. Yet it was an incredible place because the hospitality was so overwhelming.

From the Netherlands, I had already been in contact with Brian, and he arranged everything for me:

He picked us up from our previous accommodation, a three-hour drive from his place.
He organized a well-prepared two-day jungle tour.
He provided a complete meal after our jungle trek.

The jungle tour was absolutely fantastic. We had two friendly, helpful guides who knew everything about the jungle. We saw 12 orangutans, lots of other monkeys, and beautiful birds. Along the way, they prepared food for us—not just any food, but beautifully presented fruit on large leaves, carved into stunning shapes.

For dinner, we had a full Indonesian rice table that tasted amazing—probably the best meal we had during our entire trip, and all in the middle of the jungle. (The cooks had to wade through a river for hours to bring the food from the village to our jungle camp, where they cooked primitively for about 20 people.)

When we returned, Brian treated us to a wonderful meal because it was his birthday. We enjoyed delicious fish, laughed, sang, and played guitar. It turned into an unforgettable evening with live music, Brian’s lovely family, and two other families staying there.

I would recommend this place to everyone: https://www.sumatrathomasleafmonkey.com/

Thank you, Brian, for the amazing time we had with you. Our expectations for the jungle were high, but you exceeded them. We’re so grateful to have met you, and I hope to return one day.

I’m curious to know what hospitality means to you. I’d love it if you’d share your thoughts with me!

Warm regards,

Hostess:
Lonneke Sleeswijk Visser-Kloet
B&B Berglust
Berglustlaan 38A
Rotterdam
The Netherlands

Looking for a Good Place to See Elephants in Thailand

During our trip to Thailand, we really wanted to see elephants. But we wanted to do it in a way that felt right.

We absolutely did not want to ride elephants, watch them perform tricks, or see animals being made to work for tourists. It was important to us that the elephants were well cared for and allowed to live as naturally as possible.

My daughters therefore started looking for different organisations and places where we could see elephants. They read reviews and looked carefully at how the animals were treated. Eventually, we found a small accommodation where three elephants lived.

Before our stay, we contacted the accommodation through Booking.com to ask if we could feed the elephants. We received confirmation that we could, so we were curious to see what the place would be like.

Things turned out to be a little different when we arrived

When we arrived, we actually couldn’t do anything with the elephants. We weren’t allowed to feed them, and we couldn’t simply walk around with them either.

Of course, that was a little disappointing.

The owner explained that the following day, for an additional fee, we could feed the elephants, walk with them and even swim with them in the river.

The only thing was that none of this had been mentioned beforehand.

So we talked to him about it. Not angrily, but because we felt this should have been communicated more clearly. Especially for people who deliberately choose a place because they care about animal welfare.

It turned into a very pleasant conversation. The owner was incredibly kind and understood exactly what we meant.

Since I run a B&B myself, I explained how important I think it is for guests to know exactly what they can expect before they arrive. In the end, we actually sat down together and updated his Booking.com listing.

It was made clearer that feeding the elephants, walking with them and swimming in the river were activities that required an additional payment.

So, in the end, what started as a small misunderstanding actually resulted in better information for future guests.

We didn't want a full-day elephant experience

We didn’t want to spend an entire day doing activities with the elephants.

We simply wanted to see them, spend some quiet time around them and give them some food.

So we were allowed to come back the following day to feed them.

And that’s when we got a completely different impression of the place.

There were three elephants, and each elephant had its own caretaker. The owner told us that they were fed approximately every hour and were free to walk around.

What stood out to us most was how gently he treated the animals. He knew them well and was clearly very involved in their wellbeing.

But the story behind the elephants made an even bigger impression on us.

Rescued from a difficult past

The owner told us that he had rescued all three elephants.

They had spent many years working hard. Among other things, they had been used to carry heavy logs and to carry people. They had also been beaten.

According to the owner, the rules in Thailand have changed and elephants can no longer be used for the same kind of heavy labour. In some neighbouring countries, however, this still happens.

He had bought these elephants to make sure they would not have to return to that kind of life during their remaining years.

Instead, they could roam freely, were given plenty of food and were well cared for.

Hearing their story made us look at the animals differently.

They weren’t simply three elephants we happened to see during our

1,000 baht a day

Our accommodation itself was very simple. We stayed in basic little huts, and at first we thought the price was quite high compared with other accommodation in the area.

But when we learned how much it cost to care for the elephants, we understood the higher price a little better.

Feeding one elephant cost around 1,000 baht per day. That’s approximately €25.

Per elephant

And there were three of them.

When my daughters heard this, they both wanted to contribute some of their own money.

In the end, together they gave 3,000 baht. That was enough to cover approximately one day’s food for all three elephants.

I thought that was such a beautiful moment. It was completely their own idea. They simply wanted to do something for the animals they had been so excited to see.

Our encounter with the elephants

The next morning, we were allowed to prepare their food and feed them.

There were no tricks and no show. We could simply spend some quiet time with the animals, feed them and watch how they interacted with their caretakers.

And that was exactly what we had been looking for.

Of course, as a tourist, you can never know exactly what happens

behind the scenes. To some extent, you have to trust what the owner tells you and what you see for yourself.

But what we saw was a man who clearly cared deeply about his elephants and invested a lot of time and money in their wellbeing.

And perhaps it was actually a good thing that we didn’t get everything we expected beforehand. Because of our conversation with the owner, we ended up learning much more about the place and the stories behind the animals.

A special memory

The accommodation was simple, and the communication about the activities could definitely have been clearer beforehand. But by talking openly with the owner, we gained a much better understanding of the place and the care the elephants received.

And despite everything, we look back on the experience with a very good feeling.

We had been looking for a place where we could see elephants without contributing to animal suffering. In the end, we met three elephants, each with their own story, an owner who clearly cared deeply about them, and we were even given the opportunity to contribute to their daily care.

And perhaps the most beautiful part of it all was my daughters.

They didn’t just want to see the elephants. When they heard how much it cost to feed them every day, they wanted to contribute some of their own money.

Three elephants, 3,000 baht and a small gesture that made the experience even more special for us.

An encounter we won’t soon forget.