“We have 500-thread-count sheets, but nobody comes here because of that. They come for the experience.”
The quip seems to sum up the thinking of Lars Bolthouse, co-owner of La Perla Boutique Hotel in a central but relatively quiet part of Guadalajara. The Michigan-born Bolthouse and his Mexican-American business partner Cristobal Anders are in their eighth year of running the three-guestroom hotel. And they say that their hard work and experience in restoration are just the underpinnings of what makes their B&B unique and what has won them the top position among Guadalajara’s 45 similar hotels on the user-written website Trip Advisor.
“A lot of our guests are world travelers. They come, or return, for the experience of being here at this bed and breakfast.” says Bolthouse. “Our business is based on making sure they have a wonderful time. We know the learning curve in a new city is three to five days, so we try to eliminate that curve,” whether it means picking them up at the airport, or going with them to a restaurant or bar, instead of just telling them where it is.
“With three rooms it’s almost like being semi-retired,” adds Bolthouse, explaining how he and Anders find the time for so much personal service, which is done at no extra charge.
Bolthouse and Anders love to tell stories about how they transitioned from a retail business in Indiana to owning a Moorish-style mansion filled with the lore of its former owner, movie star Gloria Marin, and her descendants.Some of the stories concern Anders’ roots in the town of Santa Cruz, located outside Guadalajara. He left the town as a young boy, became a U.S. citizen and served in the Air Force. But he still retains a strong interest in the ever-changing Mexican culture and traditions.
Other stories relate to Marin’s granddaughter, who sold them the house, and the spirit that she suggested inhabited it. As the men tell it, the granddaughter would from time to time, refer to, look at and talk to a spirit who seemed to approve of them buying the house.
Yet Bolthouse and Anders are skeptical about spirits in the sense of spooks.
“Everybody in Mexico has a spirit in their house,” jokes Anders.
He might interpret the word in the broadest sense: “When I first began coming here to start the refurbishing, the house had such a sad feeling. Not scary, just depressing. And then after I was here for a few days, it seemed to perk up,” he said. “Lars doesn’t believe any of it,” he adds, laughing.
In any case, Anders is a big believer in honoring the spirits of his departed ancestors and loved ones, so he gets into Day of the Dead festivities in a big way. After he returned to Mexico from Indiana to buy and refurbish what eventually became La Perla, he used to travel to the cemetery in Santa Cruz every fall to visit and decorate his ancestors’ graves.
But after time, the trip seemed time-consuming and Guadalajara seemed more interesting and vibrant. So he began to construct a Day of the Dead altar at La Perla and dedicate it to a lot of people instead of just one. The honorees range from blood relatives, to friends and friends of the stable of professionals and assistants involved in La Perla.
“Traditionally the altars are made at a cemetery for one person, but now a lot of homes and businesses have altars remembering one or more persons,” said Anders.
“The catrina (smartly dressed skeleton) figure started in the last century,” added Bolthouse. “She was the creation of a cartoonist, José Guadalupe Posada.”
“And the tradition will keep on changing,” Anders stressed. “In the next 10 years, you’ll see all-Halloween altars.”
La Perla, Prado 128, Colonia Americana, Guadalajara. Telephone: (33) 3334-9673. Website: www.LaPerlaGdl.com.