When you're hot - you're hot.

I have stayed at the San Luis Resort in Galveston, Texas three times now. It is the chosen hotel (the rooms are booked for us, and we just show up) for my required staff off-site working retreat, but I've never been there for fun. Not that we didn't manage to find a little fun while we were there, but the majority of the time was spent locked away in the bunker under the hotel. It really is an actual bunker. The San Luis Resort Hotel was built on the site of the old Fort Crockett. Fort Crockett was originally built in 1897 and was used in some form until 1947.

The conference rooms are built inside the eight foot walls that surrounded the fort. Apparently the military operations didn't use cell phones, because the signal in the conference center is nonexistent. Now that I think about it, it might have been deliberate. I imagine the military leaders didn't think it was wise for the troops to be playing Angry Birds while on duty.

Now back to my stay in the hotel. The room was fine, no weird layout or lumpy pillows, no odd noises or lights in my room. But it was hot. I don't sleep well in a room that is warm, and this one was more than warm - it felt like a sauna. I dozed off and on through the first night, but first thing the next morning I went to the front desk and asked if engineering could be sent up to my room to check on the air conditioner. The clerk asked me if I had left the balcony door open. Out loud I said no, but I was really saying "Excuse me? I've been in a conference. I've been holed up in the bunker without a cell signal. After a long day, sitting on the balcony in the dark soaking up the humidity at night isn't very high on my list." The clerk said he'd have someone look at it.

That evening, I went back to my room and found a box of Belgian Chocolate Truffles and a note from the maintenance guy. He apologized and said he was sincerely sorry that I had maintenance issues. The room hadn't cooled down a bit, but I did.

Chocolate has amazing properties, doesn't it?

Up to my neck in hot water! Well, not literally...

Well, not literally... ...but almost. I have never been in a hotel that the tub drained so poorly. It was sad. I told the desk clerk when I checked out, and she said she'd tell maintenance. I hope she does, but somehow I doubt it because I saw several reviews from years ago on TripAdvisor that referred to the same issue.

This hotel mentioned its "club floor" for Priority Members on its website. I am a Platinum Royal Ambassador who stays over 150 nights a year in hotels but even though my reservation was made several months out, they had no room for me on the club floor. I was however, given a room on the so-called quiet floor where "even the housekeeping doesn't go until after 10:00 AM." Wrong. Housekeeping was there every morning knocking on doors and vacuuming at 7:00 AM.

The room was typical of Crowne Plaza accommodations. Nothing special, but it seemed clean, had a comfortable bed and the internet access was not too slow. They also provided the typical amenities bag with earplugs.

I also wondered about the secret handshake. I was given a key to the club floor, but the club lounge was so small that I couldn't get in either night I stayed. I came to the conclusion that the club was so exclusive I just didn't have what it takes. It kind of reminded me of high school. But, unlike high school - I ended up in the bar. The bar staff were pleasant, the food and drinks were good.

This wasn’t my favorite Crowne Plaza, and I don’t know yet if I will try it again on my return to Little Rock. I’ll have to think about it.

Sweet Home Alabama

My stay at Homewood Suites by Hilton in Daphne, Alabama was as close to perfect as you can get when staying in a hotel. In fact, I would recommend to anyone in the hotel business to use this hotel as an example.

My retired husband tagged along on this trip, so I needed to find a place to "stash" him while I was working. We've done this before, and he has vast experience in staying out of the way. So far, he has napped in the car, been dropped off at McDonald's, gotten overly caffeinated at Starbucks, and once even schlepped his way through Walmart. Hey, it works.

Anyway, this time I went into the lovely Homewood Suites and explained that we weren't due to check in until later that same day. I asked if I could park my husband there while I went to work. The very nice young lady at the front desk not only pointed us to the breakfast area but also explained about the TV, mentioned the fresh pot of coffee, and showed him to the sofa so he could be comfortable. She said she would let him know when the room was ready and give him the key.

Wow. That is customer service. I immediately wished we could just move in for a while.

I finished work for the day, went back to the hotel and found my husband comfortably ensconced in the room. It was a spacious studio suite - tastefully decorated and nicely lit. He informed me that there was the (expected) breakfast buffet the next morning - and - there was complimentary dinner reception as well. Then he said the dinner reception had complimentary beer and wine, too!

I don't think a hotel can get any better than this.

No sniffles here

I don't have a lot to report about the Hampton Inn in San Angelo, Texas. It was pretty average as Hamptons go. The room did seem small by hotel standards, but I think it was just my perception. I'm a little spoiled by the upgrades I get with Holiday Inns.

When the facial tissues ran out though, it occurred to me that I have a perfect record. I don't think I've ever stayed in a hotel that the facial tissues in the bathroom didn't run out. No, really. You know how the hotel tissues are designed so that when you get to a certain amount from the bottom the tissues are beige instead of white? Well every single time I am in a hotel the obligatory beige one pops up. Once you see that one, it's over. You better not get a cold.

I'm still trying to get used to the Hilton chain. It's not their fault that I have the magic tissue gene. But Hamptons have those do-it-yourself waffles makers in their breakfast area. That makes it all okay.

A shocking experience.

The Crowne Plaza New Orleans Airport in New Orleans Louisiana recently remodeled the hotel.

How can a hotel not have any counters in the bathroom? Really. NO counter space.

What were they thinking? In order to set down the hairdryer I had to put it in the sink. What's wrong with that picture??

Maybe they weren't looking for repeat guests.

A peach of a stay!

Wow. What more can I say? The Intercontinental Buckhead in Atlanta, Georgia is very impressive.

My room had huge picture windows and a beautiful view of Stone Mountain, but in all honesty I have to say though that my room was actually smaller than other hotels I've been in. All in all though, it was a lovely room with wireless internet, a large HD flat screen TV, and a large bathroom with a soaking tub. I can live with that.

The Club Intercontinental was one of the best concierge lounges I've ever experienced. Nice food and attentive servers made for a very pleasant experience. The stay was wonderful from start to finish.

You know, I've stayed in this hotel several times before, and I really don't remember it being much above average. I wonder what the difference was this time. Maybe I was a bit prejudiced this time since I was upgraded to the top floor of the hotel. Maybe my business trip was successful and influenced my decision. Maybe I was just in a mood to be pampered. Hmm. I don't think so. It really was an exceptional experience.

They should all be like this.

Run for the roses

My husband doesn't bring me roses. But it's okay - no, really. He fixes dinner and does laundry. I'm not sure I'd trade that for roses.

I know a little bit about roses though. Tyler roses come from Tyler, Texas and they are famous. Tyler is about 30 miles from Henderson, Texas. I'm not sure if there is any claim to fame in Henderson, but I imagine they have some visitors stop by on their run for the roses. Visitors would be well served if they stopped for the night at the Holiday Inn Express in Henderson,Texas.

I found the hotel almost outside of town. My GPS didn't know the hotel was there, so I guessed that it was a relatively new property. I guessed right. The hotel still had that new hotel smell, and the room had a 42" flat screen HDTV. That's better than most pricey hotels. They also had warm cookies ready in the lobby. Nice.

Warm cookies, roses, and a big screen TV. Hmmm. This could be the beginning of a real relationship...

Only normal people at the bar, please.

The Intercontinental Hotel in Dallas, Texas is becoming one of my favorite hotels. It's consistent, and I like that. I especially appreciate that the reception desk employees act like they really care that I am staying at their property. Yes, I know that this is all taught in customer service training, but it is still nice at the end of a long day.

But, I think I may be the only Platinum Ambassador at the hotel that has ever asked for a downgrade to a different room. They upgraded me to a lovely bi-level suite, and it was beautiful. But there was no way to access the internet in the bedroom. Really now, how can I tell these fascinating tales when I can't sit in bed and write while I'm watching TV? I'd rather be in a regular room so I can relax. It's the little things that make life on the road more pleasant.

Caution... repeat rant follows....

Am I the only person that travels that uses my computer for stuff other than work? Does every other traveler use their laptop only for work?

OK. I'm through ranting. I think that was actually a mini-rant. I guess I'm starting to mellow in my old age.

Speaking of mellowing, remember in an earlier blog about this hotel I mentioned a guy that was talking to himself in the bar? Well, the bartender told me tonight that the poor guy was recently banned from the bar. He said that he started getting a little too weird. I wonder how "too weird" is defined at the InterContinental? I've seen some very interesting and really weird people at hotel bars. I think it's a shame. That guy was certainly more interesting than sports or CNN on the bar TV. I'll miss him.

Take two of these and please don't call me in the morning.

Four hotels in four nights is a little much. But the good thing is that there were no really bad ones on this trip. It's nice that I didn't have to end the trip with a bad hotel, and in fact the final night's stay was quite relaxing.

The Crowne Plaza Orlando Resort in Orlando, Florida was another pleasant Crowne. I like a consistent brand like this. Every now and then I come across a lemon, but most of the time they really are nice.

While having dinner at the hotel bar, I learned that the hotel is usually full on weekends because the cruise lines contract with the hotel for pre-cruise packages. It's also very close to Disney World but I didn't see anyone that looked like the Magic Kingdom was their destination. There was a group of men talking about golf and drinking vodka and cranberry juice at the other end of the bar. Does that count, or is it a typical drink for golfers?

I wouldn't have minded taking a side trip to Disney World, but the accounting department might have been a little suspicious if I turned in a receipt from Donald Duck's Dairy Delights or Minnie's Marvelous Mousses.

Probably the most interesting thing about this hotel was the fact that the walls seemed thinner than most. Until I turned on the room fan I could hear the guy in the next room hacking and coughing. No quiet little cough there, oh no. This was loud and the kind of noise that makes you want to put on a face mask. I also think the bed in the other room must have been on the same wall as mine, because when the guy coughed sometimes he would hit the wall. I tried not to think about it too much since I didn't get a flu shot this year.

I wasn't upgraded to the concierge floor because I was told that the top floor was fully booked. I was given access to the Club Lounge though, and on my way passed the sign designating the floor as a "quiet zone." I wonder what they would have done if the man in the next room had have booked one of those rooms? Sent him complimentary throat lozenges?

I mostly hoped he wasn't going to be on the plane with me the next day.

Don't forget to close the shades!

I lost my rental car in the parking garage at the InterContinental Hotel in Tampa, Florida. Thank goodness for the remote horn feature. I walked through several floors pushing the button until I got a response. I don't think anyone noticed unless they too, were wandering the parking garage.

There were a lot of cars in this garage since it was shared with the conjoined office building. I suppose it was a practical decision to combine parking, and the hotel bar was filled with people from the offices next door during happy hour. It's not a bad marketing idea.

When I stay in hotels I often open the shades in the morning so I can see better to put on my makeup. But not in this room. The view from the window was directly into the office building next door! I could almost read the names on the Rolodex. I bet those office employees could tell some tales.

I enjoyed the hotel and can't complain at all, except for the fact that I lost my rental car. But I can't blame that on the hotel. In fact, I think next time I'll log a way point on my GPS.

The coffee that made my stay

I checked in the Staybridge Suites in Naples, Florida after a very long day, changed clothes and headed out for a long evening of work.

When I went back to the hotel late that night, the nice young man at the front desk took one look at me and said he had just made a fresh pot of coffee.

Yup. That was a good stay.

Don't touch that channel!

A hotel in the middle of a shopping center. What'll they think of next? The Crowne Plaza in Fort Meyers, Florida is average as far as hotels go. Nothing really outstanding, but no real complaints, either. I was given a room on the key-access fifth "Priority" floor, and found myself completely underwhelmed. The room was quite small and had a slight musty smell. Some really funky smell came up through the sink drain in the bathroom, but since I was only staying one night I could deal with it. The internet was wireless. Wireless. Yay! (Yes - this is a running theme.)

When I travel I often eat dinner sitting at the hotel bar. This time when I went to find a place to sit at the at the bar, it was full. Many of the seats were taken by children. Fascinating.

The lounge reminded me a bit of Las Vegas, a cacophony of light and sound. (I find myself thinking about Las Vegas a lot these days, probably because I have a holiday scheduled there soon.)

There were at least 28 flat-screen TVs encircling the room, all playing a different channel, mostly sports. I counted them, but I suspect I missed a few, too. The voice-over playing on the speakers was coming from a source I didn't see, and trying to find the screen that matched the sound provided me with the evening's entertainment. I never did figure it out, and it made my dinner interesting. I wondered if anyone actually watched any of them.

I'm glad I didn't sit at the bar, because it wouldn't have had been nearly as much fun. And I think the drink special must have been Shirley Temples.

If you build it…will they still come?

I have been to all the other Holiday Inn properties in Austin Texas. I decided to try out the Austin Holiday Inn NW Arboretum location because I kept hoping I’d find a location that worked for me. I think I’ll probably start working through the competitor’s hotels next.

Hotel legend has it that the hotel was there long before the overhead freeway system was built. Finding the hotel required a GPS, a divining rod, and a lot of luck. The friendly desk staff gave me a map and a big ball of string to find my way back the second day.

You have to really want to stay at this hotel.

The hotel hasn’t participated in the chain’s re-branding process, but it was clean and remarkably quiet since it practically sits in the middle of a major expressway. The hotel bar doubles as the restaurant. This can be a good thing, especially when you miss the only exit to the hotel and have to drive an extra 45 minutes in rush hour traffic before you can turn around. Twice.

The hotel only had wired internet access in the room, and offered wireless access only in public areas. If you’ve read my earlier posts, you’ll know I really don’t like this arrangement. When I checked out I mentioned to the front desk person that while my stay was comfortable, I probably wouldn’t stay at the hotel again because I want wireless access in my room. She offered me the following explanation: The hotel had recently gone through major renovations (really?) and was looking at the costs of re-branding. Providing wireless throughout the hotel was too expensive so they just offered it in the public areas. But she said next time I could ask for a room off the lobby since sometimes people in those rooms could pick up the wireless. What??

Maybe it’s an Austin thing. Maybe the convergence of the Church of Unconscious Harmony’s proximity to the Magnetic Tattoo Parlor created a vortex or something. Or, maybe they are just determined to Keep Austin Weird.

Rockin’ round the Hotel

Disclaimer: If you are under the age of 50 you’ll either want to skip this blog or your curiosity will lead you to seek out a senior citizen for an explanation.

Staying at the Holiday Inn Dallas Market Center in Dallas Texas was like listening to a 45 RPM record. The hotel was shaped like one of those adapter doo-dads we used to put in the middle of the 45 so it would fit the spindle on the record player. From the moment I stepped into the hotel, I felt a bit like I was putting the stylus in the groove.

The elevator was the middle of the hole. Getting off the elevator was a little weird but nice, since there was no way to get lost. If I turned the wrong way off the elevator I just walked around and around until I found the hallway leading to my room. And there were no straight walls in the room - they all had a slight curve.

The whole hotel was sort of a time-warp. For an older hotel it was well-kept and the staff was exceptionally friendly. Maybe the lack of modernization was because the hotel was so isolated. There was a train track running alongside the property. I almost expected to see Uncle Joe movin’ kinda’ slow at the junction. And yes, I could hear the train at night - but that’s what earplugs are for, right?

I do have a semi-major complaint. I didn’t like having to enter the hotel through a smoke screen. Four or five people were sitting and smoking on the two benches on either side of the front door of the hotel. I’m guessing that either I arrived at shift change or the kids sneaked out of the prom for a Chesterfield.

Since there was absolutely nothing nearby, I ate dinner in the restaurant. After a nice meal I walked back to the elevator and went up to my floor. I noticed the halls had a slight musty smell, and I swear I could hear the crackle and pop of I Want to Hold Your Hand.

Not at all sleepless in Seattle

Seattle’s Space Needle is absolutely beautiful in the morning sun, and you can see it from your room if you are not staying in the Holiday Inn Dexter Avenue North in Seattle, Washington. My room had a view of the Pink Elephant Car Wash.

I thought it was very interesting that two Holiday Inn properties were right across the alley from one another, and the hotel planners made the lower end hotel the one with the view. Now, if you’ve read my previous posts you’ll know that I often stay in HI Express hotels, but if there is an acceptable full-service option I’ll usually choose it because of the convenience of the restaurant on site. That's how I made my decision this time.

The hotel was actually quite pleasant and had wonderful staff. It was a comfortable place to stay the 4 days I was in Seattle, and had concierge access and a nice little continental breakfast each day. There was a restaurant/bar connected to the property, not actually in the hotel. The bartenders were outstanding and seemed to enjoy talking about local color, including the famous homeless guy that had been “working” the pier area for over 20 years. There's nothing like stable employment.

If you’ve ever been to Seattle, you probably already know that parking anywhere in the city requires two things. 1) Patience 2) A bank loan. It was a bargain to park in the Holiday Inn’s underground garage for only $10.00 a night.

I enjoyed my trip to Seattle. The weather was perfect the entire time, and it was sheer joy to wake up and open the drapes each morning. The blue sky was glorious. The breeze was brisk. The air was clean, and so were the cars.

The Colonel would have approved

After checking out of the Austin Crowne Plaza, I hoped I'd find my luck improved at a different hotel. I checked into the Austin Town Lake Holiday Inn in Austin Texas, an interesting property with a round tower on the bank of Lady Bird Johnson Lake. I was offered a choice of an executive room or a room with a view of the lake. I decided on the room with a view, (mostly because it was on the side of the hotel away from the expressway) and I must admit the view was lovely at sunset. This hotel is an older property, but I can’t complain about it. It was quiet, clean, and comfortable.

I think I’ve mentioned before that I often choose to eat in the hotel bar when I’m on the road. It’s usually quicker, and more than likely has the same menu offered in the restaurant. It’s also a fun way to hear “traveler tales” from other road warriors who’ve had a little too much if you know what I mean. I’ve heard some wild stories, and while I’m sure that 98 percent of them are seriously embellished or completely fabricated, it certainly beats watching reruns of Desperate Housewives on TV. Plus, most bartenders are pretty good conversationalists which makes dinner time a little more interesting for those of us traveling alone. And I can get a pomegranate martini.

This time I ordered an appetizer - chicken strips. Down at the end of the bar were a couple of guys that had been talking to the bartender about being in town for a video game software developer’s conference. They looked like kids. Or maybe I just felt old? Anyway, when my plate arrived, I wondered if I had mistakenly ordered the Colonel’s family sized bucket of chicken with all the fixins. It was huge! I commented to the bartender that I thought I had been given the party platter, and said I’d be happy to share if anyone else at the bar would like some.

Video game software developers have good appetites.

No jewels in this Crowne

I should have picked up on the first clue.

After I checked in to the Crowne Plaza in Austin, Texas I went to the elevator and my key wouldn't work in the executive floor key reader on the elevator. I went back to the front desk and the clerk told me that the middle elevator was always a little weird, and I should use one of the other two. I pushed the button, and the middle elevator door opened. I pushed the button again. No other elevator responded. It was starting to remind me of a Twilight Zone episode I saw once. I finally took the service elevator. The service elevator magically stopped on every floor.

My room on the executive floor was the very last room at the end of the hall. I think it had previously been a closet.

I was actually stunned when I walked in the room. The ceiling was low. The room was almost entirely filled with the king-sized bed, which was actually pushed up to the wall. I don't know how the housekeepers were able to make it up. The nightstand was in the only possible location in the room and was about two feet from the bed. I tried to make the best of it, I really did. But I was supposed to stay three nights at this hotel. I decided it was going to be unacceptable when I realized I was going to have to get out of bed to turn off the lamp or turn off the alarm. The whole experience reminded me of the pictures in my childhood storybook of Alice in Wonderland. When Alice ate the cake she grew so large she had to bend over to stand up in the room. Weird stuff in that book.

I plugged in my laptop at the desk to use the free hotel internet. The signal was so low the internet was virtually nonexistent. I looked at other available wireless networks in the area, and discovered that the hotel next door had a pretty good connection.

I looked for another outlet to charge my blackberry and ended up having to charge it in the bathroom. My cell phone just had to wait its turn. I'm just glad I didn't have to wait in that line.

I decided to stay the night, then checked out the next morning and went to another hotel. If I wanted to stay in a rabbit hole I would've invited Alice.

Room with a view

The Holiday Inn Express in Wichita Falls Texas is a lovely, relatively new hotel on the outskirts of town. It was a bit challenging to find at first because of the highway construction. In order to get to it I had to drive through the gas station and around the Sonic Drive-In. After the first time finding my way in though it was no problem.

One side of the hotel overlooks a little man-made lake. I bet there is a nice view. I wouldn't know because I wasn't on that side of the hotel. I wonder what you have to do to get one of those rooms? I'm a Platinum priority member, I booked an executive suite - and I didn't get a room with a view. I got a room with a lovely view of the highway construction, complete with sound effects. But, the heavy machinery didn't bother me too much because the fan worked well in the room.

I also discovered that I wished I was better skilled at TV channel-surfing. The hotel had HD TV, but I couldn't find the HD channels. It turns out that I had to channel down on the remote control in order to find them. I never thought about channeling down from zero. It would have been nice to know that. Maybe the hotel could give a hint or two in their hotel guide. They could call it "Remote Control for Dummies."

Speaking of control... the toilet seat in the bathroom slid over when I sat down. Now I know that this isn't a big deal, but it was a little disconcerting.

Oh, and one last thing. This hotel had a surprising number of active military personnel staying there. Word must have spread that if you had to go TDY to the local air force base, it was a quality hotel with quiet rooms. And, I hope that the servicemen and women were warmly welcomed and given the very best rooms with a nice view of the lake.

All wired up and no place to go.

When I first started traveling, I hauled around a widescreen laptop that weighed around 152 pounds. I even bought a wheeled briefcase for it because I got so tired from hauling the darn thing through airports. Then I discovered the wonderful little HP notebook computer. What a brilliant invention. It weighs less than my purse.

Once I got this petite little laptop, I almost didn’t mind pulling it out to go through security. In fact, I remain a little proud of how smart I was to have made this purchase. I know I’m not alone. I think a lot of savvy travelers have purchased these handy little travel notebooks.

Handy unless you stay in the Intercontinental Hotel, in Dallas, Texas. But what a beautiful hotel! It exuded perfection. Décor, customer service - everything was wonderful. Well, the bed was a little hard, but I can live with that. It just makes me appreciate home a little more.

Just don’t try to use your little notebook say...across the room from the desk. Or while sitting in the comfortable easy chair. Or while in bed. Nope. You have to stay tethered to the desk with an Ethernet cord and a modem, which the hotel cheerfully provided. I thought it seemed a little cheerfully old-fashioned.

So there I was, all wireless in a wired world. What a dilemma I found myself in. The way I saw it, I had four choices:

1. Force myself to sit at the desk long enough to do some work and forget playing computer games for my evening entertainment.
   
2. Go cold turkey and just shut myself off from it for two days.
3. Use the wireless option the city of Addison offered, a weak connection but maybe adequate.
4. Make myself comfortable and/or tipsy in the lobby bar.
5. Sit in the hotel Starbucks and enjoy an grande iced caramel coconut amaretto chocolate macchiato with whipped cream.
   

My decision was all that, and had a cherry on top.

Three strikes and I'm out.

I just removed a hotel from "most favored" status. I can't believe this was the same hotel I stayed in before. Everything seemed to go wrong from the minute I checked into the Crowne Plaza Market Center in Dallas, Texas.

One: Room for improvement

I checked into the hotel, and went up to the 20th floor and used my key to open the door. When I opened it I heard the television blaring. Then I saw a disheveled bed in the room and I quickly backed out not really knowing what was happening in the room. I'm not sure I really wanted to know. It was extremely disconcerting. I took the elevator back down to the lobby and told the desk clerk what had happened. She was polite, said she was sorry and gave me a key to another room.

Back up the elevator I went - this time to the 21st floor. I went into the room and it was a room with two double beds. I always reserve a king sized bed because the room seems to have more space and for some reason I feel claustrophobic in rooms with two beds. Down the elevator I go for the second time.

Now I'm wondering if it's a full moon or something.

The clerk is now not quite as friendly, but still polite and tells me she has a king room on the 7th floor. I don't mind which floor it is as long as it is quiet. I take the key and go back to the elevator. This time the room is a king and is definitely unoccupied. Finally.

Two: I only have ice for you

By now it is fairly late in the evening, and I want a glass of ice water since I didn't get my traditional bottle of cold water at check in. The guest services book in the room said there was an ice machine located on each floor across from room something or other. I take the ice bucket and head down the hall. The ice machine was broken. I got on the now familiar elevator and went to the eighth floor. The ice machine was not working. Ninth floor. Not working. On the elevator I met a guy holding an ice bucket. Don't bother trying ten or eleven because those ice machines don't work either. I went back to my room and called the desk. The desk clerk said I had to go to the third floor.

Three: It's a no drainer

I usually stay in IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) properties. All of the Holiday Inns and HI Expresses have been undergoing renovations as a part of the re-branding of the chain. Many of the more upscale hotels in the chain have also been updated, and I think I heard that the Crowne Plaza Dallas had also undergone upgrades. One of the nifty things they did was add these classy looking sink stoppers to the sink in the vanity. But I discovered a problem when I washed my hands. There was no way to raise the sink stopper so the sink would drain. I looked everywhere. I thought maybe I needed to twist it or something to get it to stay up. Nope. I imagine the intent was for it to always be open, but this one was always closed. Each time I used it I had to put my hand through whatever I had just washed off in order to empty the sink. See the problem here? A person with OCD would have never left the bathroom.

That night before going to sleep, I made a reservation at another hotel. The phone worked.

The next morning I went to the front desk ready to check out. The friendly clerk asked about my stay, and I said unfortunately I was checking out instead of staying three nights as originally intended. She seemed genuinely concerned and called the manager. It turns out the manager was one of the wonderful employees I had encountered on my previous two experiences in the hotel. He was so nice and seemed genuinely sorry about my less than satisfactory experience. I told him I was really sorry too, and very disappointed. He comped my room. He also said he hoped I'd give them another chance sometime.

I might go back to the hotel some day. Everyone deserves a second chance, even after failing three chances on the same night.