livin' the fancy dancy life
So I'm staying in the fancy dancy hotel that's within walking distance of the training class I'm taking. (I wouldn't want to mention any names, but it's initials are Westin.) I'm doing that precisely because it's within walking distance of the training class. Otherwise I probably wouldn't bother.
I'm going to come off as Mr. Tightwad (something I know I get from my dad, who's the absolute worst), but it strikes me here in fancy dancy land that...isn't it enough that the price of admission is ridiculous? I'm getting a discount rate to stay here, and that's more than $150 a night...for a small room with a nice bathroom and a comfy bed. There's no real place for your clothes besides the floor and a closet, which is cool if you have a bunch of hang up clothes, but I brought more of the folding variety. There's a small fridge, but it's chock full of their stuff and it has some electronic gizmo on it that detects the slightest movement of any of the contents. If you move it, you bought it...or so says the big warning on the front. If there's nothing in there you want...like maybe a gatorade after a workout instead of the supplied coke, red bull or beer, you can go buy some at the local grocery store, but you can't keep it cold in your room, because that small fridge stuffed with their crap is all there is. There's wireless internet access...for a measly $12.95 a day. That's over $90 in a week...which pretty much has to cover their entire internet nut for a month. At truck stops across America, wireless internet access is free. In fancy dancy hotel land, it's $12.95 a day. Excuse me for feeling just a tad gouged. Needless to say, I was disinclined to acquiesce to the $12.95 internet offer..and watched the Olympics and the weather channel, because there's an ominous weather pattern named Fay which may affect my ability to get home.
Undaunted, I went to the local drug store and bought a gatorade and went to the small workout room. It was plenty big enough, though, because I pretty much had it to myself. Again, I'm in fancy dancy land, so all the machines have little TVs in them. Way cool...except the sound doesn't work at all. I turned the volume up to max and got...nuthin'. That was especially evident on the elliptical machine..because while the little TV made no sound, the machine made plenty. I would have picked another, if there was another. This thing was grinding, and felt like it was about to fall apart...like someone needed to tighten some nuts and bolts. I could have picked a treadmill, too, but I was being stubborn. I figured, well, if it breaks, it breaks. Then they'll have to do something to fix it. It didn't, though. It just sounded like it was going to. The workout place got me through what I needed it for, so I shouldn't whine too much, even if my drink was lukewarm.
I know I'm whining, but my point is...for freakin' $150 a night, shouldn't I get free internet? Shouldn't I be able to keep things cold that I buy someplace outside the hotel? Shouldn't there be a chest of drawers to hold clothes? Shouldn't these people maintain the workout equipment? Shouldn't there be a TV remote that lets me pick a channel number and adjust the volume, instead of just having a channel up and down rocker, and volume controls on the TV itself? Oh sure, it's incredibly easy to select a movie, for which they'll charge you, but it's not so incredibly easy if all you want to do is watch the Olympics. Then if you turn it off and turn it back on, you don't go back to NBC, which is where you left it. You go back to the hotel's movie selection channel, where they can once again pitch whatever feature films they have available. Oh, and in case you missed it, the channels on either side of that using the rocker switch are the same thing.
I just can't shake the feeling that I'm walking around with their hand in my wallet. If I would have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, I'd pay half the price, the internet would be free and there'd be room in a fridge for my stuff...and I'd walk out twice as smart (because, we all know, that happens at a Holiday Inn Express). Maybe being twice as smart comes with the prerequisite that you stay away from fancy dancy land.
I'm going to come off as Mr. Tightwad (something I know I get from my dad, who's the absolute worst), but it strikes me here in fancy dancy land that...isn't it enough that the price of admission is ridiculous? I'm getting a discount rate to stay here, and that's more than $150 a night...for a small room with a nice bathroom and a comfy bed. There's no real place for your clothes besides the floor and a closet, which is cool if you have a bunch of hang up clothes, but I brought more of the folding variety. There's a small fridge, but it's chock full of their stuff and it has some electronic gizmo on it that detects the slightest movement of any of the contents. If you move it, you bought it...or so says the big warning on the front. If there's nothing in there you want...like maybe a gatorade after a workout instead of the supplied coke, red bull or beer, you can go buy some at the local grocery store, but you can't keep it cold in your room, because that small fridge stuffed with their crap is all there is. There's wireless internet access...for a measly $12.95 a day. That's over $90 in a week...which pretty much has to cover their entire internet nut for a month. At truck stops across America, wireless internet access is free. In fancy dancy hotel land, it's $12.95 a day. Excuse me for feeling just a tad gouged. Needless to say, I was disinclined to acquiesce to the $12.95 internet offer..and watched the Olympics and the weather channel, because there's an ominous weather pattern named Fay which may affect my ability to get home.
Undaunted, I went to the local drug store and bought a gatorade and went to the small workout room. It was plenty big enough, though, because I pretty much had it to myself. Again, I'm in fancy dancy land, so all the machines have little TVs in them. Way cool...except the sound doesn't work at all. I turned the volume up to max and got...nuthin'. That was especially evident on the elliptical machine..because while the little TV made no sound, the machine made plenty. I would have picked another, if there was another. This thing was grinding, and felt like it was about to fall apart...like someone needed to tighten some nuts and bolts. I could have picked a treadmill, too, but I was being stubborn. I figured, well, if it breaks, it breaks. Then they'll have to do something to fix it. It didn't, though. It just sounded like it was going to. The workout place got me through what I needed it for, so I shouldn't whine too much, even if my drink was lukewarm.
I know I'm whining, but my point is...for freakin' $150 a night, shouldn't I get free internet? Shouldn't I be able to keep things cold that I buy someplace outside the hotel? Shouldn't there be a chest of drawers to hold clothes? Shouldn't these people maintain the workout equipment? Shouldn't there be a TV remote that lets me pick a channel number and adjust the volume, instead of just having a channel up and down rocker, and volume controls on the TV itself? Oh sure, it's incredibly easy to select a movie, for which they'll charge you, but it's not so incredibly easy if all you want to do is watch the Olympics. Then if you turn it off and turn it back on, you don't go back to NBC, which is where you left it. You go back to the hotel's movie selection channel, where they can once again pitch whatever feature films they have available. Oh, and in case you missed it, the channels on either side of that using the rocker switch are the same thing.
I just can't shake the feeling that I'm walking around with their hand in my wallet. If I would have stayed at a Holiday Inn Express, I'd pay half the price, the internet would be free and there'd be room in a fridge for my stuff...and I'd walk out twice as smart (because, we all know, that happens at a Holiday Inn Express). Maybe being twice as smart comes with the prerequisite that you stay away from fancy dancy land.
Labels: It's all about me, Whining
John put this out here at 6:59 AM
1 Comments:
jeez! remind me never to stay there!
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