A Return Home

So I ran away with my husband and son on a business trip. My husband had a seminar to teach this morning and the call of a nice hotel hot tub called my name. After all, I could take my work with me and use the hotel internet to complete the assignments I needed to finish and put up this morning for a client. It really didn’t have to be done in my home office, right?

Well, this morning I just went through hell, all for the bargain price of $130 per night. For that price I think it is reasonable to expect a few things like internet service and hot water. It seems that this hotel couldn’t get their stuff together and it didn’t seem to matter if their customers suffered or not. I tried to connect to the internet this morning and lo and behold, I couldn’t get a connection. I ran diagnostics and reset my wireless card at least a dozen different times just hoping for a different result. (I know, that is the definition of insanity…where you do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.) The result was always the same…the router needed to be reset.

So I ran down to the front desk of the lobby and nicely asked if they were having trouble with their internet and sweetly suggested that perhaps they maybe needed to reset the router. The guy that was working the front desk was a real prick. He answered me in a condescending tone that their router was just fine and that maybe I needed to learn how to work the internet.

Ok. Now, I held onto my temper here and explained that I had been online in this very hotel just last night until around 1:00 am. He became even more condescending and explained to me (as if he were talking to a 2 year old child) that the internet in the hotel was W-I-R-E-L-E-S-S. (NO, are you kidding me?) I explained that I understood that and that I had been connected just 6 hours before with my wireless card. I also reiterated that I was trying to conduct some business and needed to help a client, so I really needed internet service. Could he just humor me and reset the router? He replied, “Well, our router is fine, so I guess it is your problem.”

Are you kidding me?!! When did it become OK in the hospitality business to be rude and not provide hospitable services for your customers? Maybe it was because I was a woman? Hmmm…So what did I do? I returned to my room, took a COLD shower, (I guess the hot water was only for the hot tub), and ran over to the cheaper hotel next door. I was able to upload the podcast for my client and set a few things in order for them. Then, I returned and packed. Next time I visit this town, I will be staying in the cheaper hotel, where I am assured that they ALWAYS have hot water for all of their rooms and internet service for their guests.

I missed working at home this morning. I missed my office. I missed my own hot shower. I can’t wait to return home.

What are some of your nightmare stories about working on the road?

Photo by Kevin Rosseel

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