I have spent very little time in five-star hotels. Actually, I can’t remember the last time I slept in one, before getting to the Grandhotel Lienz, here in Austria.

Part of what five-star hotels do, to justify the prices they charge, is to kill you with little kindnesses and services.

Chocolates on pillows, turn-down services, everyone in the place smiling at you 24/7.

And also a willingness to indulge impulses. A bizarre craving for … fill in the blank. A pint of “Cherry Garcia” ice cream, perhaps.

One small thing they do here:

They reserve your table for you in the breakfast room by painting your information on a rock and leaving it wherever it is you like to sit. (Pretty sure it’s a rock; seems heavy to be porcelain, and the other guests’ rocks seem to be different sizes.)

It struck me as a bit weird, but interesting. (How do you list that on a resume? “Painted welcomes on rocks at the Grandhotel Lienz …”)

So, I snapped the above photo.

The writing on it translates as “Hearty welcome!” with the German words for “reserved for” and my name, spelled correctly (!), after the letters “HR” which are short for “Herr” (Mister) … and the date when I will be checking out.

Maybe to remind me, as well as them.