I used to travel a lot; mainly on the road. And if I was travelling by myself, I didn't care what kind of room I got as long as it was clean. And I actually rejected a couple of rooms that looked like there might have been a chainsaw murder in them. Maybe it wasn't blood on the carpet, but it looked scary.
I had never stayed in a motel until I went in the Army. When my family went anywhere, we
travelled at night. My Father wouldn't stop at a motel. He just assumed they cost a lot of
money and my Mother wasn't keen on sleeping where "who knows who" has slept and done
other things. My Father would say, "Sleep in the car." So I did.
I have since stayed in a lot of motels and hotels, including very upscale ones. My wife likes
to travel first class so whenever she goes I have to upgrade my accommodations. It's actually
ridiculous what some places charge now...$300 to $400 a night in New York is considered
mid-priced. But I don't go to New York that often or stay that long, so I usually bite the bullet and pick something unusual. A big price doesn't necessarily mean you'll get a great place.
I like to stay at new hotels when they open. We stayed at one years ago...it was so fancy,
they didn't even have a sign on the place; you just had an address. And when you arrived,
handsome young men in black escorted you in. It was designed by Andre Putnam, a hooty
tooty French designer. Everything in the hotel was done in black and white. We had what
was fondly called a Loft...a bedroom, sitting room, bath all done in black and white. Cher
had an apartment there. It was one of those places that you go to be see and be seen
although I don't think we were chic enough to be seen.
The same hotel group opened another hotel in the theater district, so we booked there once.
The rooms were tiny but the lobby was huge and filled with designer furnishings...enormous
modern chairs that were very uncomfortable. And there were mirrors everywhere...when the
elevator doors opened, the inside was covered with mirrors. When they got to your floor and opened, there was a huge mirror right in front of the door. People who stayed there not only
wanted to be seen, they wanted to see themselves as well. They had a menu in the room for ordering rental videos...x-rated, gay and straight. They would bring them to your room. We
didn't order any. I didn't think they should know what we were doing in our spare time.
Now the big thing is providing guests with a "meaningful experience", not just a firm bed and a good night's rest. One meaningful experience, for example, is a 6-hand massage. It's
not included in the room rate; it's extra. And not cheap. I mean, it's very difficult to find massage help that has six hands. Other meaningful experiences include aroma therapy
whereby they shoot exotic smells into your room.
Mainly I just want a place to sleep peacefully. Years ago I started staying at Hampton Inn
when I was on the road. When they first started opening them, the motels were fairly reasonably priced...then gradually (well not all that gradual actually), they started bumping up the prices. A place I stayed at in Atlanta was soon more than a hundred dollars a night.
I thought that was a lot for one old guy to sleep and park. So I soon downgraded my choices
and looked for bargains.
But last year I switched back to Hampton Inn. My wife told me she had stayed at one and
the rooms and bedding were so luxurious. I thought, "How luxurious can they be?". So I
decided to stay in one...price be damned (plus I have an AARP card). Well, let me tell you,
they are luxurious...the beds especially. They are so nice, in fact, that I started stopping
after only being on the road for a couple of hours. Normally I drive for 7 or 8 hours before
stopping but I was coming back from Mississippi and I started stopping before I had even
gotten on the road good. Not all the Hampton Inns had been redone at the time, so one time
I checked out when I saw the room was the old standard.
You have to be careful with budget motels. Years ago I stopped at one in Columbia, S.C.
When I checked in, she asked if I wanted a telephone. It was extra. I'm deaf so I passed on
the phone. Then she wanted to know if I wanted a TV. I did, but they added it to my bill.
She wanted to know if I wanted toilet paper. I asked, "Does this place have a bed with the
room?" She said, "Yes, but sheets and pillow cases are extra." Talk about your ala carte
services.
