Road Warrior
There was a time when hotels played a big role in my life. Now? Not so much. So, it’s a bit of a treat to spend the night in one, to see how the amenities have changed, if at all, and pretend to be, once again, the world traveler, savvy in the ways of the road. The nicest change is the number of USP ports I can find all over the place. At my bedside, at a workspace, everywhere. They must be cheap.
On other fronts, housekeeping no longer comes every day. And those little free breakfast buffets appear to be a thing of the past. Now it’s just a bag with some goodies. I think both of those changes, in response to the pandemic, are probably saving hotels some money. And I’m all for it and neither change bothers me much at all. Because, in the end, what I need most is a quiet, clean room to call my own with a shade I can draw and control of the thermostat.
Of course, no hotel yet, has figured out how to make good coffee in the room. My coffee this morning is warm brown water, sweetened with 1/8 of a teaspoon of sugar, which is to say it is not sweetened at all. But I can always go down to the lobby, which was my job anyway, when I traveled with my late wife. I’d tote back coffee and rolls if they had them. It was a major way to win points, and I got pretty good at it. So, I think I’ll head on down for old time’s sake just to see what’s up.
PS: I spoke too soon. Just got back from the lobby. Full buffet. Old days are back, I guess. I did bring a nice plate of food back to my room. I’m still uncomfortable with crowds of strangers.
John W. Wilson is the author of the Long Goodbye: A Caregiver’s Tale