In my first year as a solo surveyor at the height of the economic disaster of 2007 when you couldn't buy a surveying job, I picked up a project in the Appalachian foothills and found a seedy little run down place that rented rooms for $20 a night and all the drugs you could buy right there on the porch.?ÿ No toilet paper, bloodstains on the ceiling, and one towel only slightly larger than a wash rag.?ÿ I left nothing in the room during the day and nothing in my truck at night and it all turned out ok.?ÿ?ÿ
Yeah, I stayed at a place, with my wife mind you, that had blood stains and bullet holes in the walls.
I never leave any instruments in the truck at night anywhere.?ÿ Back when I had crews it was a firring offense.
Its hard to find a $120 hotel anymore on the west coast.
That's a hoot!?ÿ You can tell I did not go back and read that again before posting.?ÿ Carpet.?ÿ Not carpenter.
When I was a wee lad I spent the night with my parents at an old hotel in Northwest Arkansas.?ÿ THE bathroom for the floor was halfway down the hallway.?ÿ This was long before Walmart and other major changes to that region.
@holy-cow All I can tell you is the prescription that normally costs him $18 to refill, cost him near on $400 there because the pharmacy wouldn??t accept his insurance.
Spent a few days at a new Marriott in Baton Rouge, LA back in 1977.?ÿ One of the items listed on their fancy menu for breakfast was crayfish soup.?ÿ I overheard a fellow breakfast customer complain, "After spending most of last evening in your bar, the last thing I need to see this morning is some crawdad swimming around in my bowl."
It was 1988 and waking up in a downtown New Orleans hotel.?ÿ Opened the curtains to look out at the world.?ÿ Staring back at me was a gigantic Cat in the Hat.?ÿ It was affixed to the front of some store building and extended far above the roof line.?ÿ That has never happened again........thank Heavens.
In 2002 I had an assignment to spend six weeks in Vermont, a week away, a week home and so on.?ÿ The first week on the road started in early February, prime ski season, and I got a per diam of $65/day.?ÿ Good luck finding decent lodging for that money during ski season!
I swear that over the courese of my six weeks in Vermont that I stayed in every Norman Bates motel statewide and my diet consisted of a 12 pack of beer and a bologna & cheese sandwhich from a small town gas station.?ÿ 4" of fresh snow, -15?ø every morning in a 2 wheel drive 4 speed manual transmission climbing narrow mountain roads was not fun.?ÿ My life on the road concluded at the completion of that project!
"Norman Bates motel"
Oh, yes, have spent time in several of those over the years.?ÿ You wonder how many guests have used the towels since the last time they were in a washing machine.
Those are usually "better" when the jar is full rather than when it's less then half full of egg and the pickle juice is cloudy from Cleatus fishing his less than sanitary hands near the bottom for the 'bonus' chunks... ???ñ ???ª?ÿ
Did an ALTA on a seedy motel in North St. Louis City once.?ÿ It was shaped like the outline of a square and you had to drive through a gated opening to get to the parking lot on the inside of the of it.?ÿ The owner manned a window at the entrance.?ÿ He had a necklace with a little brown bottle dangling from it.?ÿ He had a rate board on the window by the half hour.?ÿ We chatted him up just a bit before passing through.?ÿ He told us that it would get busy around noon and he was right.?ÿ Saw a couple of old fellas take some young hookers back to some rooms.?ÿ Even saw several business men having nooners with what appeared to be the office secretary or a female co-worker of some sort.?ÿ I thought for sure we'd come across a dead body on the overgrown backside of this place. Quite enlightening for sure!
I guess the most flagrant law breaking I ever saw at a motel was in Lawton, OK. near the south gates to the Fort Sill Army post.?ÿ The "maids" were all 'working' girls.?ÿ This was common because law enforcement couldn't shake them down for hanging out in the parking lot as they were employed there.?ÿ The desk clerk that came on duty at 7PM was proud of the fact he could "get you anything you wanted or needed" by just asking.
One of my first evenings there I turned the news on the TV when I first walked into the room and headed for the shower.?ÿ After a hot shower I emerged to see XXX rated junk on the TV.?ÿ I questioned the night clerk Tyrone about the channel mix-up.?ÿ He had a switch on the cable box at the desk he would throw at 7PM when he started his shift.?ÿ This turned on the porn channels for all the rooms.?ÿ He flipped it off when he left at 7AM.
The 'maid service' seemed OK.?ÿ They actually cleaned up the rooms, made the beds and left clean towels out for everyone after their long night shift of keeping company with the more lonely wayward travelers.?ÿ After a few days the girls quit soliciting me and all the guys because they knew us as regulars.?ÿ As was common a lot of the crew members had never seen real-life hookers close up.?ÿ Most of them expected the "TV version".?ÿ Real life is lot more cruel that what is portrayed on the "Rockford Files"....
I never did get used to that TV switcharoo at 7 though.?ÿ One minute it's a news anchor on the screen and the next was a screen full of skin.?ÿ It did little for my evening appetite.?ÿ
?ÿ
The 'maid service' seemed OK.?ÿ They actually cleaned up the rooms, made the beds and left clean towels out for everyone
When I stay at a hotel I don't want anyone messing around in that room.
If I want the bed made I'll do it, and usually am not staying long enough to run out of towels. I put out the Do Not Disturb sign for the entire stay. I'm sure most people don't clean their rooms at home every day
If I was emperor of the world only hotel management would have another key to the room while it was rented. I do not understand why others like staff in the room.
@bill93?ÿ
I understand.?ÿ When my wife and I are traveling we're the same way.?ÿ I don't want anybody rootin' around in my room while I'm out.?ÿ I'm a little different when I'm working though.?ÿ I travel light and always take my gear with me when I leave the room for work.?ÿ Housekeeping can jump in there and have a field day for all I care...just an old habit I guess.
?ÿ
One of the most miserable stays I've had was at an upscale, "our doodoo don't stink", hotel in Wichita near the Century II convention center.?ÿ Good thing I wasn't the one paying the bill.?ÿ Early December 2013 and about 30 degrees outside.?ÿ Started out being told things by the desk clerk that I did not want to hear.?ÿ Things became very tense before he relented.?ÿ Drag my luggage from the parking garage a block away to the 7th Floor (top) room only to discover it is unusually cold in the room.?ÿ Turns out there are three huge windows and one was raised about six inches.?ÿ Clearly the maid had serviced the room, so should have closed it or notified management of a problem.?ÿ I call Mr. Snooty at the front desk to get someone up to my room pronto who can figure out how to shut the window I cannot shut.?ÿ Thirty minutes later a guy shows up to look at the problem.?ÿ Determines it's a problem he can't fix without additional help.?ÿ Another thirty minutes pass and two guys arrive with a couple of crow bars and various tools.?ÿ Fifteen minutes of grunting and straining later the window is closed and working properly.?ÿ Meanwhile I had discovered the remote must have had dead batteries, so couldn't even watch TV while waiting to be serviced.?ÿ Guy takes the remote and comes back 15 minutes later with new batteries and it still wouldn't work.?ÿ Ten minutes later he comes back and is successful.
There is no limo service to run visitors the half mile to the entrance of the convention center and back.?ÿ Driving the half mile and paying to park in a "robber"-owned lot and still walking most of a quarter-mile was not an acceptable plan.?ÿ I knew there was a back entrance at about a quarter-mile walk.?ÿ Succeeded, luckily.?ÿ The next day, the back entrance was locked after the quarter- mile hike.?ÿ That means another 3/8 mile hike, including walking about fifty feet down a grassy slope and then back up again to get around the building.?ÿ It had iced up overnight so that grassy slope in dress shoes could have been disastrous and I could have been swimming in the Arkansas River in one of the rare places where there is actually water visible in said river.
The hotel food was barely edible, but, at least it was in short supply.
I sent a letter afterwards to three different offices representing the "our doodoo don't stink" hotel and did not get a reply from any of them.
I also notified the organization holding the convention to ask that they please discontinue using that hotel or possibly move to a different city entirely.?ÿ That hasn't happened yet, but, I have bent the ear of several of those in charge repeatedly suggesting other sites that should increase meeting attendance.
I always take expensive stuff with me except my suitcase during the day.
I used to let them service the room everyday but COVID shut that down.?ÿ First the hotels we stayed in were nearly empty so they said no maid service during the week.?ÿ Then the cleaning protocols became more involved so no cleaning during the stay unless requested.
They've gone back to the pre-COVID ways so I put the sign out and keep them out of my room. I ask for extra coffee when checking in then use the towels and bedding that are in the room without needing replacements.
@holy-cow expensive hotels are always more aggravating.?ÿ The rooms are stupid expensive plus everything is an extra charge including WiFi and parking.
I checked into a motel years ago that was quite the opposite.?ÿ It was a "our doodoo stinks bad and we're proud of it" kind of place.?ÿ I paid, got a key and headed down the way to the room.?ÿ When I got there the first thing I did was phone my wife (the first one) who was at home with two screaming babies.?ÿ Her insecurity required me to check in quite often.
After I phoned her and told her the room number I noticed the carpet by the window AC unit was soaked.?ÿ The drain was plugged so I called the desk and the girl brought me a new key for the room next door.?ÿ I stowed my gear in the new room and took off across the street for the choke-and-puke diner to get some supper.?ÿ As I left I noticed the girl from the desk was cleaning the room she had originally given me.
After I ate I trotted back across the street.?ÿ The desk clerk caught me and told me I needed to call home as soon as I could.?ÿ A little confused I called home to see what was up.
Seems as though my wife attempted to call me back at the first room I was in.?ÿ The girl was in that room cleaning up.?ÿ She answered the phone.?ÿ My wasn't expecting a female to answer the phone...
Needless to say there wasn't any sort of explanation I could offer that would absolve the situation.?ÿ I think my wife told me I better had taken a lot clothes with me because I was going to need them....I think that was the time she changed the locks at the house.
Oh..fond memories.?ÿ ;)?ÿ
?ÿ
Love that story.?ÿ That's just how easy it is for bad things to happen to semi-innocent people.
Once upon a time I spent a week at the Palmer House Hotel in the heart of Downtown Chicago courtesy of my employer.?ÿ I had to spend one more night there than all of my co-workers.?ÿ Our rooms were all compliments of the Palmer House staff for holding our convention there.?ÿ Somehow the nice people hosting us missed my extra night requirement.?ÿ They sent me a bill for nearly $300.?ÿ My secretary brought it in to me and then asked, "Was the maid service really that good?" with a wink.?ÿ The story made it around the office before I did.?ÿ My boss contacted the hotel and all was forgiven on the spot.
