The "joys" of cheap hotels
Oct 14, 2012 21:10:17 GMT
Post by auntieannie on Oct 14, 2012 21:10:17 GMT
Almost since I started uni, I have stayed in the same hotel a few minutes' walk from campus every time I have to attend lectures or clinic.
The personnel is welcoming and they do try and make our stay as agreeable as possible with their limited means.
Truth be told, the place is a ditch. But here is what happened tonight.
Got through the door after a whole summer away (we normally have clinic hours in summer, but this year was special what with the Olympic Games... this is London after all.)
So, the receptionist greets me with the warmest smile and loudest "hello, how are you?" possible.
Immediately... "your room-mate isn't here yet!" To which I reply that she won't be in until the morning. So he changes the price to the single occupancy rate for frequent residents. Does not want me to pay straight away. He turns the heating on. (it is rather cold today)
So I find my way to the usual room. our favourite because it has a fridge and a microwave in it. (all rooms are en-suite) believe me, these feel like life-saving appliances sometimes.
someone had unplugged the fridge, so that stank. and one look into the kettle made me cringe.
Back to reception with the kettle after I try to rinse it and even try to boil some water in it... water poured away is brown.
I am given a better kettle and a 2L bottle of water to use in it whilst the guys there try and sort the kettle I gave them back. (one of the regular night porters is also there...off duty)
I borrow a surface cleaner and some cloth and clean the fridge and also wipe most hard surfaces in the room.
They changed curtains over the summer! the old ones kept unhooking themselves from their rack. Someone had had a brainwave at some point and just ran a pair of scissors along/pulled the material apart. they were too short for the windows. These new ones are a bit better and they are almost the right size for the windows.
Can't complain.
The personnel is welcoming and they do try and make our stay as agreeable as possible with their limited means.
Truth be told, the place is a ditch. But here is what happened tonight.
Got through the door after a whole summer away (we normally have clinic hours in summer, but this year was special what with the Olympic Games... this is London after all.)
So, the receptionist greets me with the warmest smile and loudest "hello, how are you?" possible.
Immediately... "your room-mate isn't here yet!" To which I reply that she won't be in until the morning. So he changes the price to the single occupancy rate for frequent residents. Does not want me to pay straight away. He turns the heating on. (it is rather cold today)
So I find my way to the usual room. our favourite because it has a fridge and a microwave in it. (all rooms are en-suite) believe me, these feel like life-saving appliances sometimes.
someone had unplugged the fridge, so that stank. and one look into the kettle made me cringe.
Back to reception with the kettle after I try to rinse it and even try to boil some water in it... water poured away is brown.
I am given a better kettle and a 2L bottle of water to use in it whilst the guys there try and sort the kettle I gave them back. (one of the regular night porters is also there...off duty)
I borrow a surface cleaner and some cloth and clean the fridge and also wipe most hard surfaces in the room.
They changed curtains over the summer! the old ones kept unhooking themselves from their rack. Someone had had a brainwave at some point and just ran a pair of scissors along/pulled the material apart. they were too short for the windows. These new ones are a bit better and they are almost the right size for the windows.
Can't complain.