The World is Tough Right Now

We Can’t Deny It

In our last blog entry, we noted that 65% of our guests in 2024 were international and that 7% of our guests were from the United States. This wasn’t just true of last year: it’s true of pretty much every year since we started collecting this sort of data. We love our international guests and we love our guests from the USA!

We don’t know what’s going to happen to world economics in the coming months and years, but it doesn’t look good. People all over are hurting from the increased cost of living, and we feel the effects of it. Obviously, if people are having trouble paying their bills, they’re not going to be spending money on travel.

On top of this, the rhetoric of nationalism is increasing everywhere. It’s natural that people want to take care of their nearest and dearest when things get hard. But scapegoating and fear-mongering is never the right response – and yet we see it growing. This is especially obvious among some politicians, who amp-up their language for elections. Here in Ontario, we are going to be facing both a Federal and Provincial election in the coming months. It’s going to be hectic.

Turn It Around

It is a solace in these tough times to see those who are not facing adversity with hatred. We agree with this stance, and we try to add to it ourselves. We want to show that we welcome everyone here – from every part of the world, from every culture, from every background, with every expression of identity and every experience of the world.

Of course, we love Canada and we love Ontario and we especially love Hamilton! That’s why we want people to come here. It’s not love of place that we reject, but those who insist that there is only one correct way of living and being. It is diversity that makes the world wonderful. We observe that every day.

So, we invite you to come to Hamilton. Our prices are affordable, which is needed in these tough times. There are a multitude of things to do and see here that will cost you zero dollars! In particular, the amazing Winterfest, which runs from February 1st – 17th, and is a family-friendly celebration of the season, art and culture. Naturally, everything you do spend here helps us and our neighbours to get through this particularly difficult winter.

Let’s Be Really Clear

The Pring Guesthouse is, and always will be, a welcoming and safe place for everyone who stays with us. We do not accept any form of bigotry, ever, for any reason.

Posted in Uncategorized

Happy New Year!

Move over, 2024.

It’s always worthwhile to look back over the year and think about the highlights and the low moments. Then, we can look forward to an even better year. 

I find it fascinating to look back at all the people who visited. We really enjoy being an international guesthouse, and seeing people from all over the world interact with each other, and with the city. In 2024, only approximately 35% of our guests were traveling within Canada, making the vast majority of our guests international. 

Of the 65% of guests who were international, the country most represented was our neighbour to the south, the United States of America, who made up approximately 7% of our guests. After that, the next five countries who sent the most guests our way were the United Kingdom, Germany, Ghana, Nigeria and India. 

All in all, we welcomed guests from ninety-one countries! Most of these were new faces, but we also welcomed back some old friends and regulars. Many were traveling for school and work; others were coming simply for leisure. 

The Lows

Usually, everyone who stays here treats the building and other guests with the utmost respect. Unfortunately, this year, we had one person who got a bit rough with the front door and broke one of the glass panes. He must have really knocked hard on the door – it’s much easier just to use the doorbell!

A board with a decorative pineapple, covering a broken window pane

Otherwise, the year was quiet – but a bit too quiet. Compared to previous years, this year was very slow for business. This was due to a number of factors, most of them global and economic, and well outside our power to control. We are looking forward to being busier in 2025. 

The Highs

The absolute high point of 2024 for us and most people in our area was a once-in-a-lifetime astronomical event – the Total Solar Eclipse that occurred on April 8th. The day looked cloudy at first, but it cleared up here in Hamilton just at the right time. Luckily, we were able to get amazing views of the Ring of Fire right from our garden. We were so excited to share this amazing experience with our neighbours, and with guests from across Canada, as well as from the US, Slovenia, Germany, the UK, the UAE, Jamaica and Japan. 

The total solar eclipse of April 8 2024, as seen from Hamilton ON

Of course, we made the most of our quiet year and made some upgrades to the property. Passers-by and guests waiting for rides need a place to rest, so we added a bench out front. We made some eco-friendly upgrades to our bathrooms to improve water conservation. Beds and bedding always need upgrading, so we changed out some pillows and mattresses. The Canadian Wildlife Federation certified our front garden as Wildlife-friendly habitat. We even got a new television for the common room!

What’s next, 2025?

We’re hoping that 2025 will be a busier year, for starters! Besides that, we are looking forward to making some more upgrades to beds and putting some new art on the walls. There should be some nice changes to the backyard coming this spring. 

This will the our fifteenth year of welcoming the world to Hamilton! On top of that, the Pring house itself will be turning 170 this year. Maybe a birthday celebration is in order for this milestone? But most importantly, we want to continue to offer friendly, safe, inclusive, comfortable and affordable accommodations to everyone who wants to come to Hamilton. This year, and many more years to come. 

Posted in Uncategorized

Coffee? Do You Have Coffee? Is it Free?

Yes.

Yes, we have coffee. Indeed, several types. Absolutely, free of charge.

We are coffee lovers ourselves, so it stands to reason that we provide it for our guests. In our kitchen, we provide several different types, as we’ve learned that people have their preferences. For those in a rush, we have instant coffee and a kettle; we even have flavoured coffee if you’re feeling fancy. For those who prefer to have a little more ceremony, we have a few different ways to brew your morning cup. Of course, we also provide milk – both dairy and non-dairy.

Kitchen Coffee

You can enjoy your grounds via a simple pour-over funnel. You can immerse them in a French press. Yes, of course, we have a drip coffee-maker. We have a stove-top percolator. If you’re up for the challenge, we even have an espresso machine. What’s more, you can enjoy any of the above as decaf as well! Don’t worry, we have plenty of filters.

Heading Out?

If you want to venture out from the Guesthouse, Hamilton has plenty of great cafes, and several of them are nearby. Firstly, the three that are closest are Pane del Sole, Smalls and St James – all within about two minutes of our front door. Secondly, on James Street you’ll find the classic Hamilton spot, the Mulberry. On King Street, Red Church is waiting for you!

From here, I could simply start listing all the great places to go. But there are a lot! I just know I’m leaving out some more favourites. Luckily, our good friends at Tourism Hamilton have already made a great list. If you’re in need of a recommendation, however, be sure to ask us and we will be happy to give you directions.

It’s Been a While!

Yes, this is our first blog in a while! We didn’t think we should let it go unmentioned. After a long break, we hope to be back in the swing of things and updating you on the Hamilton we love.

So, why make our first blog in years about coffee? Because, in all honesty, it is one of the most frequently asked questions we get!

Tagged with: ,
Posted in Blog

Happy Anniversary

We took a break from the blog in August and had hopes of an exciting return to business in September. Unfortunately, our hopes were once again dashed as we will be remaining closed for a while longer. This is doubly sad, as September 2020 was supposed to be our 10th anniversary.

McMaster map by local artist Matt Jelly

Running a hostel in a city that had not had one, and indeed doesn’t often seem to understand what they are, has been a challenge. Despite many conversations with local city staff and politicians over the years, the usual response is often something like “so it’s a rooming house?” Many can’t understand travel accommodations that are not a standard hotel.

A few people say things like “like the ones they have in Europe?” and our answer is – yes! Very much like that! Like the ones that they have all over the world. Back in the mists of history, hostels were often used by pilgrims on their way to holy sites, and were run by monks. In some places and times, hostel accommodation was free, and payment was given in labour rather than money. In the modern era, in Canada, payment must necessarily be in money and we’re not allowed to put guests to work, beyond cleaning up after themselves!

The “temporary” sign we put up in April

Unfortunately, a hostel is exactly the wrong sort of business to be running at present. The very essence of a hostel stay is the shared space – sitting with people from all over the world, trying their food, learning a few words of their language, finding out that snoring is a universal part of human experience. Over the last several months, we have considered ways that we might re-open – limited capacity, hand-sanitizing stations, compulsory masks.

We have opted to stay shut for several reasons. Two of them are the most important though – firstly, Canada has closed borders and is not issuing travel visas for non-essential travel. Simply, no one is coming here. Not even for school, as colleges have taken their lessons virtual for the 2020-21 year. Secondly, it’s not worth the risk. The money we might make, and the people we might host are not enough in the face of keeping ourselves, our family and our neighbours safe. We could do our best, but we cannot guarantee that COVID-19 would not spread through our hostel.

Our 5th anniversary cake

So, despite how much it hurts, we are staying closed for now. We really wanted to have a big party, even bigger than the one we had for our 5th anniversary! Local bakery Cake and Loaf made an amazing cake, and dozens of people came to celebrate with us. It’s no mean feat for a small business to last 10 years, and we are proud of what we have achieved. We have no plans to close down forever.

If we are lucky, by next September we will be able to throw a belated 10th anniversary party, a we ain’t dead celebration, with people from all over the world, and our friends, family and neighbours. We will be able to celebrate, also, that we have come through this awful time and, hopefully, we will all be stronger for it.

Posted in Blog

The Prings

William Pring, 1863

In the late 1850s, this house would have been full of people. The Pring family, after whom the building is named, did not live here for very long – in fact, HGH has occupied the building for longer now than they did. After they left here, some of them stayed nearby, and others traveled further afield. Of course, old records being what they are, it’s not always possible to get an accurate picture of how people lived. Sometimes, they just disappear from our records and we can only speculate what became of them.

Close-up of 1861 census, taken at 158 Mary Street, Hamilton.

Though it’s by no means perfect, one of the most complete pictures of the family is the 1861 Canadian census, taken in January of that year. In this census, we find William Pring is 53 years old and a collector of customs. His wife, Henrietta, is 45 and her younger sister, Flora, is 43 and lives with them. At the bottom of the census, the clerk has written that Mr Pring does not live here with his family, but rather lives in Port Colborne and was visiting his family at the time of the census. Two other family members are absent – the two eldest children, Emily and William, who are in Grantham, Ontario and New York, respectively. Also living with the family is a servant, Eliza Pritchard, who was 20 years old.

Family grave of Emily’s family, the Hamiltons.

There were nine Pring children, and this is the only census upon which they all appear. It is a somewhat untruthful snapshot in that respect, as by 1861 the eldest child, Emily, was already married to Joseph Hamilton and had two children of her own. There are several records of Emily’s life and family, and it seems to have been a comfortable one – her husband was a farmer, and they were wealthy enough to have a live-in servant as well. Together, Emily and Joseph had nine children, and lived their whole lives in this area. Emily is buried in the Hamilton cemetery.

Two of the Pring children are a mystery. We know from the 1861 census that the eldest son, William, was 23 and living in New York – but this is the last detail we can find about him. If he was already living in the US in January 1861, it is possible that he fought in the civil war, which began only a few months later. Whatever became of him, we can find no record of marriage, relocation, or death. The same is true of his younger brother, the Prings’ sixth child, Charles. He was born in around 1849, and that is the last detail we have of him.

Ferdinand Pring and Miss H Converse in 1866 – no idea who she was!

The fifth Pring child, Flora, seems to have had a fairly similar life to her elder sister. She married Thomas Bate, a brewer, in 1862 and the two of them lived in St Catherines. They had twelve children and had three live-in servants – in 1881, one of the servants listed on the census is Flora’s younger sister, Mary! As for Mary, after living with Flora’s family in St Catherines until after Flora’s death, she moved to the United States. She did not marry, and moved to Los Angeles, where she lived and worked as a nurse until 1929.

The third and fourth Pring children, Ferdinand and Benjamin, have somewhat similar lives as well. Both of them moved to the United States and married, Ferdinand to Elizabeth Church and Benjamin to Mary Kopman. Ferdinand and his family lived for many years in Chicago, Illinois before moving to Atlanta, Georgia; and Benjamin and his family lived in New Orleans, Louisiana for most of his life, before moving finally to Dallas, Texas.

Benjamin Pring in 1866. At this time he was a Private in the 3rd Battalion of the Victoria Rifles.

By 1871, Henrietta had relocated to St Catherines with the three youngest children, Henry James, Mary and Henrietta, and is listed on the census as a widow. Exactly when her husband died is yet to be determined. Here, she would be close to her two eldest daughters and their families. Henry James is a clerk and seems to be supporting them.

Some time in the end of the 1870s, Henry and the Henriettas (his mother and sister) moved to Montreal, and there both the Pring kids got married. By the time she died in 1887, their mother had returned to Hamilton, probably to live with her eldest daughter, Emily, and she died here. Henry and his wife Irene and three children moved to Lexington, Massachusetts; and Henrietta and her husband Charles MacCrae and two children moved to Buffalo, New York.

It’s almost impossible to imagine how different the world we know is from the one in which they lived, here in this house in the 1850s. And when they all went their separate ways, it would have meant never seeing each other again, in most cases. William and Henrietta came to Canada from England and Scotland respectively – we know at least two of Henrietta’s siblings came to Canada as well, but William might have left all of his family behind. We don’t know yet – but we’re still looking.

Henrietta, 1861. Her name before marriage was Henrietta Wharton McKenzie McCulloch.

** Please note: all historical photographs are by William Notman and are in the collection of the McCord Museum. Digital copies of prints can be purchased from the museum. https://www.musee-mccord.qc.ca/en/ 

Posted in Uncategorized