Get off my lawn and other things.

[csquared]

The Wife and I are having a little vacation. We went up to Chattanooga for the weekend. We have been in the Atlanta area for 22 years now. We have driven through Chattanooga, I am not sure how many time. And we have not been to Rock City, Ruby Falls and Lookout Mountain.

We decided to stay an an Elongated Hexagon. Stayed at this one before. It is an old one (as a matter of fact, it was the second one built), but it is in "nice" shape. It is also one of the least expensive hotels in the area (under $100.00).

When we pulled in Thursday night, we saw a charter bus in the parking lot. The next morning at breakfast, we met the occupants of the bus. It was a senior "leisure travel" group. As The Wife and I ate breakfast, we could not help but overhear what they were taking about. And they all were talking about the same topic: the hotel and how bad it was. On top of the fact that everything was old, we also had,
The arrangement of the furniture
The refrigerator was too cold
They did not like the lighting fixtures Did not say what was wrong, just did not like them)
They could not figure out how to set the alarm clock.
The elevator was too far away

With all the complaining, you would think that they thought that they were staying at the Hilton Gardens. That would have been $250.00 a night.

[Deserted]

Jesus wept. Picky much?

[MoonCat]

They probably ran out of things to bitch about in their home town so they had to travel somewhere to find new ones.

[Monterey Jack]

All I would look for in a hotel room would be clean sheets, walls thick enough not to hear other people, and no cockroaches. All it is is a place to rest for the night before moving on, so why so much bitching about such petty crap?

[Pixelated]

There was a restaurant owner in the small town where my Grandpa lived out his last years who invited everybody at Grandpa's seniors' apartment building for a free meal once a year (it was a small building )

Needless to say, he and his staff faced the same shit as this: endless griping and bitching. The food wasn't good, that desserts weren't good or there weren't enough, etc. etc. etc. After a few years he quit offering the free meal. Frankly, I'm surprised he lasted that long.

[protege]

All it is is a place to rest for the night before moving on, so why so much bitching about such petty crap?

Because a lot of seniors have the attitude of "I spent so much money for this...that the staff has to kiss my ass, and I'll bitch if it's anything short of perfect." It doesn't matter what it is, or how cheap it was, they'll bitch. I could understand if the hotel was like one I stayed in near Albany, NY. That place *was* a dump. Room was clean and the staff was pleasant, but the hallway was a bit on the dingy side. Flickering lights, worn carpeting, etc.

[Slave to the Phone]

Sadly, I have heard a lot of stories like Pixelated's. Some people think that free things means they have to be absolutely perfect. 1 percent of any given group of peop0le cause 99 percent of the problems, so the entire group suffers.

As to hotel/motel rooms, another thing I always look for is how to get out in an emergency. If the answer is to run down 10 flights of stairs and through the kitchen (which is probably on fire, hence the fire alarms), I book elsewhere.

[csquared]

They probably ran out of things to bitch about in their home town so they had to travel somewhere to find new ones.

Where is the like button?

[BPFH]

I could understand if the hotel was like one I stayed in near Albany, NY. That place *was* a dump. Room was clean and the staff was pleasant, but the hallway was a bit on the dingy side. Flickering lights, worn carpeting, etc.

Or a certain place in East Peoria, IL. You know it's bad when you go to another hotel, mention where you were staying, and immediately get a heartfelt apology from the desk clerk.

[greek_jester]

All I would look for in a hotel room would be clean sheets, walls thick enough not to hear other people, and no cockroaches.

All I would add to that list is a clean bathroom. I'd rather not have to deal with residue on various fixtures from the previous occupants.

[XCashier]

I don't ask for much from a hotel. Clean, comfortable, everything works, no vermin. I don't care if the TV is black and white or the decor hasn't been updated since 1972.

The worst hotel I stayed at was one outside of Monterrey, California. The bed was like a slab of granite and the pillows were like sandbags. We had to roll the duvet up and use that instead of the pillows. And they charged us $110 for one night (back around 1995). The next night we stayed at a Holiday Inn in Los Angeles. Delightfully soft and comfortable bed, infinitely better than the previous place and only $90!

[Pagan]

After reading a book called "The Sex Lives of Cannibals" by J. Maarten Troost (I highly recommend it.), I only have two requirements when traveling.

1. Properly functioning indoor plumbing.
2. Food that does not make me sick.

This is even factoring in taking a shower with the biggest cockroach I've ever seen in a hotel in Mérida in the Yucatán.