Elgin Hotels

Darjeeling is where we are, specifically at Hotel Sonali on Dr Zakir Hussain Road. It’s 734101 if you’re looking at a map. We’ve been here a good while now. The weather changes fast up here, one minute it’s sunny and the next the clouds are coming inside the door. We spend a lot of time just keeping the place warm and making sure there’s enough tea for everyone. It’s not a fancy corporate setup. It’s just us, some keys, and a lot of stairs. Living and working on this road means you get used to the sound of people walking by and the cold mornings. We don’t have any big speeches about how we run things. We just wake up, check the rooms, and see what needs fixing. Sometimes the plumbing acts up because the pipes are old, so we get the wrench out. It’s just part of the job. We know the local shops and where to get the best supplies. People come here to escape the heat down in the plains, and we just give them a place to sit. It’s a quiet life mostly. We don’t use any special software to track things, just a big ledger and a pen. It works for us. We aren't trying to be the biggest place in town, just a place that stays open and does its bit for whoever visits.