Mayfair, Darjeeling

Up here in Darjeeling, things move a bit slower than down in the plains. Our place sits right on The Mall, right across from where the Governor stays. It is an old spot with plenty of history in the walls. You can hear the horses on the path outside if you listen closely in the mornings. We spend a lot of time just keeping up with the damp weather because that is how it goes in the hills. The staff mostly comes from the nearby villages. We know the shortcuts and where to get the best tea leaves when the markets open up. It is not some glass and steel building. It has wooden floors that creak a little and chimneys that actually get used when the fog rolls in thick. We mostly just focus on making sure the beds are made and the heaters are working right. Sometimes the electricity acts up when there is a big storm, but we have backups for that. People stop by after walking around the square. It gets busy during the summer months when everyone wants to escape the heat. We don't do much fancy talking here. We just run the hotel and make sure the garden looks decent for the guests who want to sit outside. It is a simple way of life on this side of the mountain, and we like it that way. We just keep the doors open and do the work.