Gosh, I Feel So Well-Rested

One Friday night, I stay at a chain hotel. I make my reservation at 4:00 pm and check in at about 9:45. I get to my room and do the usual — order a pizza, shower, and watch TV.

At midnight, two women in their fifties open my door. They both apologize and immediately walk out. I have a little chuckle about it and let it slide. I figure the doors don’t automatically lock for whatever reason, so I flip the lock and go back to watching TV.

At 12:15 am, I get a knock on my door. It is a different front desk attendant than who I checked in with. This is a woman in her fifties.

Employee #1: “I’m going to need you to come downstairs.”

Me: “Why?”

Employee #1: “Because I don’t know who you are, why you’re in this room, or how you got in here.”

I get dressed and head down, a little agitated not because I am going downstairs but because of her wording.

I give her my ID.

Employee #1: “My coworker checked you in to Room A but sent you to Room B. Sorry, he’s new. I’m going to go ahead and let you stay in Room B since you’re already there.”

Gee, thanks. So, I walk back up to my room, undress, and hop into bed because I’m ready for it.

At 12:30 am, the room phone rings. It’s the front desk attendant again. She tells me she needs me downstairs again because she can’t find my payment information, so once again, I get dressed, trudge downstairs, and hand her my card. She doesn’t do anything with the card except read the numbers and check her screen. She had the information; she just wanted to verify it, it seems.

I go back up and crash. The next morning, I go to check out and there’s a different attendant at the desk — this one a woman in her twenties.

Employee #2: “How was your stay?”

Me: “There isn’t anything on the computer about what happened?”

Employee #2: “Ahh, yes. I am deeply sorry for everything, and I can give you $10 off of your stay.”

My stay was $115 originally.

Me: “$10? I would think having two women walk into your room and then getting called down to the front desk twice, all after midnight, would be worth more than a $10 compensation.”

Employee #2: “She had you come down here? She didn’t tell me that part.”

I explain the whole story.

Employee #2: “Oh, my God. I am so sorry. I apologize. That never should have happened. I can knock it down to $75, but for anything more than that, I have to get approval from the general manager, who isn’t here this weekend.”

I accepted that with a smile — not the girl’s fault. I’ll definitely be writing corporate this afternoon, though.