The backstory for this post was that the Mild Fiancée and I were traveling to Miami. We'd thought ahead and packed some snacks (read: pizza), so things were already starting out well. We even managed to impress one of my coworkers in the process, drawing chuckles from all (read the previous post if you want the details).
Alas, things were not going to be quite so perfect the whole time. When we arrived at the hotel, we strolled up to the counter and gave them the information for our reservation. I've done this a bunch of times, no big deal. They found our reservation, but then the guy behind the counter grabbed the phone and started talking to someone. I didn't think anything of it, and let him do his thing.
It turns out he was trying to find a room with a really good view. That was awfully nice of him, so we chatted amongst ourselves as he went about his business. Eventually, he was satisfied that the room was up to snuff, so he put the phone down. The catch, however, was that they would need a few minutes to get it ready. We didn't mind, so they gave us a few drink vouchers to pass the time. I gave them my phone number so they could call me when things were ready, and off we went to the bar.
About a drink or so later, I got a phone call: you're all set, sir. Well, okay then. We finished our drinks, and walked back over to the counter. They remembered us, so they got to checking us in almost right away. And that's when the guy grabbed the phone again. In the brief time that the room had been cleaned, they had apparently booked it for someone else. My understanding was that it was some sort of a miscommunication, but either way, we had no room (again). So, armed with a fresh round of drink tickets, we headed back to the bar.
The phone call took a little bit longer this time, but they informed us that our room was a ready again. By this point, we were both a little beat, and wanted nothing more than to just put our stuff down and wash up after the flight. We were actually supposed to head to a conference-sponsored mixer thing, so we just wanted a few minutes to breathe before heading out again. Luckily, we actually got checked in and got room keys. We were on our way.
The problem, however, was that the ceiling above the bathroom was leaking. We noticed it after we put everything down, and someone decided to use the bathroom. The seat was wet, suspiciously so. Looking up, it looked like there was precipitation on the ceiling. I tested our theory as simply as I knew how: I stuck my hand over the wet spot on the seat. Sure enough, I felt a telltale drip. There was no mistaking it: there was a leak above our bathroom, right where someone would sit. That just wouldn't do.
We headed back down to the front lobby, to report our newfound issue. The lady was super nice, and we even ended up chatting about her upcoming wedding at one point (we may or may not have compared notes). Regardless, she got us a new room, but we had to make sure all of our stuff was packed so that they could move it for us. So, here was the new plan: head back to our room, pack up our stuff, go to the social mixer, go back to the lobby, get new keys for our new-new room, walk in, and all of our stuff would be there.
I have to admit, I was a little hesitant about all of this going off without a hitch. But we trusted in the process, and headed off to the mixer. Let's just say that we had a good story to tell while we chatted with a few other folks. It certainly didn't hurt that we now had food and drink, since that helped calm a few of our other needs.
Eventually, we called it a night, and made one more trip to the hotel lobby. Apparently, we'd made an impression, as someone we'd never talked to remembered us. "Oh yeah, I remember you two. You're getting married and you were chitchatting with the other lady who's getting married, right?" Yup, that'd be us. He checked us in, gave us new keys, and let us be on our way. No fuss, no muss.
Mercifully, everything had worked as expected. The room had one heck of a view, there were no leaks, and all of our stuff was present. Phew. It only took something like 6 drink vouchers, two room changes, and getting to know our lobby staff. Now that we were safely turned in for the night, the whole thing drew a chuckle from me.
Fortunately, it'd be fairly smooth sailing after that. Of course, there were still a few laughs to come on this trip.
Alas, things were not going to be quite so perfect the whole time. When we arrived at the hotel, we strolled up to the counter and gave them the information for our reservation. I've done this a bunch of times, no big deal. They found our reservation, but then the guy behind the counter grabbed the phone and started talking to someone. I didn't think anything of it, and let him do his thing.
It turns out he was trying to find a room with a really good view. That was awfully nice of him, so we chatted amongst ourselves as he went about his business. Eventually, he was satisfied that the room was up to snuff, so he put the phone down. The catch, however, was that they would need a few minutes to get it ready. We didn't mind, so they gave us a few drink vouchers to pass the time. I gave them my phone number so they could call me when things were ready, and off we went to the bar.
About a drink or so later, I got a phone call: you're all set, sir. Well, okay then. We finished our drinks, and walked back over to the counter. They remembered us, so they got to checking us in almost right away. And that's when the guy grabbed the phone again. In the brief time that the room had been cleaned, they had apparently booked it for someone else. My understanding was that it was some sort of a miscommunication, but either way, we had no room (again). So, armed with a fresh round of drink tickets, we headed back to the bar.
The phone call took a little bit longer this time, but they informed us that our room was a ready again. By this point, we were both a little beat, and wanted nothing more than to just put our stuff down and wash up after the flight. We were actually supposed to head to a conference-sponsored mixer thing, so we just wanted a few minutes to breathe before heading out again. Luckily, we actually got checked in and got room keys. We were on our way.
The problem, however, was that the ceiling above the bathroom was leaking. We noticed it after we put everything down, and someone decided to use the bathroom. The seat was wet, suspiciously so. Looking up, it looked like there was precipitation on the ceiling. I tested our theory as simply as I knew how: I stuck my hand over the wet spot on the seat. Sure enough, I felt a telltale drip. There was no mistaking it: there was a leak above our bathroom, right where someone would sit. That just wouldn't do.
We headed back down to the front lobby, to report our newfound issue. The lady was super nice, and we even ended up chatting about her upcoming wedding at one point (we may or may not have compared notes). Regardless, she got us a new room, but we had to make sure all of our stuff was packed so that they could move it for us. So, here was the new plan: head back to our room, pack up our stuff, go to the social mixer, go back to the lobby, get new keys for our new-new room, walk in, and all of our stuff would be there.
I have to admit, I was a little hesitant about all of this going off without a hitch. But we trusted in the process, and headed off to the mixer. Let's just say that we had a good story to tell while we chatted with a few other folks. It certainly didn't hurt that we now had food and drink, since that helped calm a few of our other needs.
Eventually, we called it a night, and made one more trip to the hotel lobby. Apparently, we'd made an impression, as someone we'd never talked to remembered us. "Oh yeah, I remember you two. You're getting married and you were chitchatting with the other lady who's getting married, right?" Yup, that'd be us. He checked us in, gave us new keys, and let us be on our way. No fuss, no muss.
Mercifully, everything had worked as expected. The room had one heck of a view, there were no leaks, and all of our stuff was present. Phew. It only took something like 6 drink vouchers, two room changes, and getting to know our lobby staff. Now that we were safely turned in for the night, the whole thing drew a chuckle from me.
Fortunately, it'd be fairly smooth sailing after that. Of course, there were still a few laughs to come on this trip.
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