A room of her own: Meg’s story of healing at Le Germain
Mental health16.10.2024
I enjoy a feeling of suspension as I sit in the Norca dining room at Le Germain Hotel Ottawa.
It’s a physical sensation: I’m on the second floor, in a space defined by floor-to-ceiling windows, suspended above the street-level bustle below.
When I say “street level,” I mean some of the busiest streets in Ottawa. I could throw a stone and hit the University of Ottawa, the Ottawa Art Gallery, the Rideau Centre. The sidewalks and roadways flow with pedestrians and vehicles, yet on this side of the glass, calm and quiet prevail.
There’s another kind of suspension, too, and this is the kind I’m here to talk to Ottawa realtor Meg about. Meg came here during a time of turmoil, looking to put aside her stress, fears, and angst. I’ve only been here a few minutes, but already I’ve been greeted with a smile, escorted to this dining oasis, and shown to a table adorned with beautifully presented platters.
While I want to hear Meg’s story in her own words, I’m already getting a sense of why this hotel became her place of refuge.
Meg’s story
We all have a COVID story, and Meg, when she arrives with a smile and a gasp at the almost-too-pretty-to-eat food in front of us, shares hers.
A new baby, born just weeks before lockdown. All her plans for playgroups and making new mommy friends evaporated just like that.
A failing relationship – and nowhere to go for a breather. The pandemic meant struggling relationships, like Meg’s, had to bump along under the same roof, 24/7.
And work. As a realtor, it didn’t stop for Meg. But it was weird, to say the least. Showing strangers through other strangers’ homes – it was just the type of contact everybody was being warned against.
One day, when it all became nearly too much, Meg sent out a simple question to the universe (or, in this case, Instagram): “Is there any hotel in Ottawa that has a soaker tub?”
The universe/Instagram replied. “Le Germain Hotel. The Prestige rooms.”
Meg booked one – multiple times. She’s here to tell me why it was the best thing she could have done.
Hotel as refuge
To some, Meg’s idea to seek out and book a hotel room in her own city may seem like common sense, but no doubt there are those who think it’s creative, or just “out-there.”
Think again.
The word itself – “hotel” – comes from the Old French word “ostel,” meaning a place to stay or a lodging. This word is derived from the Latin “hospitale,” relating to hospitality and the idea of providing refuge or shelter.
The concept of a hotel as a refuge has been constant throughout history. Hotels have often been places where travellers could find safety and comfort, particularly in times of war or instability.
Why Le Germain
Soaker tub aside, why did she choose this spot? As a realtor, Meg is a great person to explain the appeal and, of course, she gives a nod to “location, location, location.” Whether it was being able to get the exact take-out food she wanted Ubered to the hotel’s lobby, or the proximity of the ByWard Market allowing her to celebrate her birthday at the Chateau Lafayette with a small selection of friends, the hotel’s location at one of the main crossroads of downtown was perfect.
Then there was the room, so perfect for her needs that she calls it “my room.” From the comfort that only the best hotel beds can offer to the club chairs in the seating nook where she could sit with a glass of wine and put her feet up to the spa-level bathroom, the space was exactly what Meg wanted:
And while she loved the aesthetics of being in a new space, there was much more to Meg’s experience.
First – and the main reason for her initial booking – was just to escape, heal, and take care of herself. “I did the least I could do. Normally I never stop working. But I would try so hard to not bring my laptop. I never turned the TV on.”
However, in doing nothing and being alone, Meg also found she was making progress. “It probably helped me get through it more rapidly than if I had girlfriends by my side – that would keep me from sitting with my thoughts, sitting in the pain. My girlfriends would have made me feel better: ‘He’s this, and he’s that, and you didn’t do anything wrong.’ But of course, I did do something. We all have a part to play.”
And, as much as her stays at the hotel – four or five over the course of 18 months – did help, the hotel also played an ongoing background role for Meg.
If you need it, take it
Meg is charmingly straightforward. A small-town girl raised in Prince Edward County “before it was cool,” she knows about counting pennies. So, even though she counted all the pennies she wasn’t spending on haircuts and dry cleaning and dinners out during COVID and reasoned it was OK to spend those on taking care of herself, she still knows not everybody could do what she was able to.
However, she urges anybody in a similar situation to recognize their need for space and time, however they can get it. “That could be going for a swim, going to the gym, or just getting a coffee with a safe friend or in the back corner of a bustling cafe by yourself, your headphones in, sitting there for as long as you need. If you need to take it, take it.”
In a full-circle moment, Meg discovered that one of her clients had begun working at Le Germain. “You’re working at my home!” she told her. Meg’s now delighted that the hotel, which meant so much to her during her most difficult times, will continue to be part of her life as they collaborate on hosting business and networking events.
“To have sat in that room three years ago, thinking, ‘OK, Meg, in three years, you’re going to be sitting with a writer at Norca Restaurant, you’re going to be hosting events with the hotel, you’re going to have your new wonderful partner with you for a night at the hotel …’” she shakes her head. “Absolutely not – it would have felt like a movie.”
This article was created in partnership with Le Germain Hotel Ottawa.
