There is the mistaken custom of calling “pilgrim” “every person who does the Camino de Santiago,” while the term “pilgrim” should be used for the person who behaves with respect to the Camino and to its traditions, to the sites by which he passes, to the environment, to the inhabitants of the populations, and to the other pilgrims.
In the same way, there exists the mistaken custom of referring to any person in charge of a hostel with the title of “hospitalero,” a term that should only be used EXCLUSIVELY for those people who offer what is said in the name: “hospitality”.
In this article, we are going to analyze the profiles of the different people in charge of managing a hostel, their interests and purposes, in order to adjust our expectations accordingly.
The different types of hostels on the Camino de Santiago and their administrators
First let us begin defining the types of lodging and their corresponding administrators.
The first is private lodging, which may be the owner themselves or a staff member.
The purpose of the owner is to make money and for this he tries to provide a good service. In the case of the owner, his behavior will be oriented to maximize profitability, while in the case of the employee, he will try to minimize his work, without suffering the quality of the service.
This type of hostel is highly sensitive to criticism, especially online, because bad reputation translates into less money. The objectives are aligned with those of the pilgrims due to fear of damage to their reputation.
The second is municipal or state lodging, whose price is usually the cheapest of the options available and whose administrator is an official.
The purpose of the official, like the employee of the private inn, is to fulfill the tasks and rules of his work while making the least possible effort.
They highlight 2 characteristics:
They are totally insensitive to minor criticisms, since their work is rarely at stake.
They are mostly lacking in empathy; none made a path, and they rarely have a true interest in the experience.
They may have knowledge of the area, product of living in the area, but not of the route.
Although the responsibilities of the official may vary greatly, there are 2 details particularly important: if they are permanently in the hostel and if they have to do the cleaning themselves.
These 2 details help to create the main official profiles:
The “fleeting host,” also known as ‘arrive-collect-and-leave,’ is limited to checking in the pilgrim, collecting the corresponding fee, and in some cases, explaining a little about the use of the facilities. In these cases, the tasks of cleaning and maintaining the facilities are outsourced. These officials are rather relaxed regarding the use of the facilities.
The “permanent host is present at the hostel during all reception hours, and those who are responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the facilities can be seen in his behavior.
They are more detailed when explaining the rules of the hostel and more strict regarding their use. Out of self-interest, they usually limit, as much as possible, access to the public areas of the hostel, such as other rooms and bathrooms, which makes sense; the more areas that open, the more they have to clean the next day.
In the case that there exists a conflict between the needs of the pilgrim and his own convenience, they will most often choose the second.
To illustrate: imagine that a senior person arrives at the hostel at 8 pm after a day of extreme heat and finds all the lower bunk beds occupied and the manager has two options: instruct the old man to sleep in a upper bunk bed or open another room for him to sleep comfortably. In this case, it is almost guaranteed that said person will sleep in a upper bunk.
In this category falls the great majority of the managers of the Xunta de Galicia.
Without excusing his behavior, it is to be said that the situation is not exclusively his fault. An official told me the conditions in which he was hired, or more accurately subcontracted, through a temporary employment agency.
The third and last type is the traditional hospitality shelter, which responds to pilgrim associations and parishes, and whose manager is the host, often a volunteer.
The first thing that differentiates the hospitalero from the other two is empathy; the hospitalero has done a Camino de Santiago and knows the needs of the pilgrims.
The second aspect is in the knowledge of the route, where there are people who are true bibles of the way and of experience in it. Likewise it may not be the case. Many volunteer hosts are assigned to pilgrim hostels that they have not traveled. This happened to us while we were doing the Camino de Madrid.
Third, we could say that his personal objective is to genuinely help and to interact with other pilgrims. In fact, a hospitalero defined him as “doing the Camino (without walking).”
And finally, it is a positive attitude. Unlike the other categories, they do want to be there, helping the pilgrims. Moreover, they are even capable of renouncing part of their vacations to go to a little village in the middle of nowhere. This is the essence of the path and the hospitable people form part of this magic.
Now, these categories are not so strict, but rather diffuse.
We have come to know highly dedicated workers who behaved like hospitaleros.
Also there are owners of private hostels, who were pilgrims and are true hosts, offering a traditional welcome service, either on a donation or at a very accessible price, like a municipal/state hostel.
On the other hand, there are also parish shelters that have succumbed to economic pressures and behave like private shelters (accepting reservations, transporting backpacks, etc.) and that try to maximize profits at all costs.
What to expect from each one?
Regarding what to expect from each one, it is simple.
From the hospitaleros, empathy.
of the owners, the contracted service.
and of the officials, a minimum service of inconsistent quality, that will depend on each town hall/region.
Knowing what to expect, we can define as a “bad behavior” the non-fulfillment of such expectations.
In this way, a “bad owner/bad employee” is someone who does not offer a service of the quality agreed upon, for which it was paid.
We can also define what a “hospital worker” is, that is a person who acts with a lack of empathy and selfishness, which is quite rare, but if it occurs.
I have particularly come across 2 (and have come to know perhaps between 40-50), and both had this same fault: they imposed their personal interests above the needs of the pilgrims, basically having very similar and sometimes identical behavior to that of officials and owners.
A bad official is one that does not even fulfill its few functions nor the minimum rules of interpersonal respect.
Established in this way, the treatment received by many state hostels becomes very clear, especially in the case of Galicia, which is where it is most evident.
There is a problem of perception and management of expectations among the pilgrim public, who thinks that upon reaching the end of the road the spirit should be more alive than ever, and the Xunta, which behaves like a “bad owner,” that tries to extract the maximum benefit from each pilgrim, at the expense of lowering the quality of the service.
The pilgrims expect to be attended by hosts, someone who cares about their needs and the government offers indifferent and poorly paid officials.
The great difference between a “bad owner” and the Xunta, is that the Xunta knows that it has a monopoly and that monopoly is called “Santiago”. And that while people want to continue arriving at Santiago, the Xunta will not have reasons to improve its service.
What to do about it?
Regarding what to do about it, in the 3 cases, the answer is the same and consists of 2 tasks:
the first is to set down the bad experiences to prevent other pilgrims and let the laws of the market correct the bad behavior… or they change their attitude or disappear.
In cases of bad state run albergues, it is a matter of seeking alternatives, from looking for other accommodations to replanning the stages to avoid staying in such places. It is worth noting that the second option is the best option as it causes a penalty to the economy of the site.
And in the case of Galicia, which is a more general problem, there exists a single solution, unthinkable for many people, which consists of not visiting the region.
the pilgrims willing to walk secondary routes are increasing in numbers, starting far away from Santiago, and where the Camino is lived in a more pure way.
Summary
In summary we can conclude that using the term “hospitalero” indiscriminately devalues the work of the true hospitaleros, who in their great majority do an excellent job, worthy of much respect and undeservedly elevates the status of apathetic officials and unscrupulous owners.