Fancy Hotels
My journalism class went to Durham a coupla days ago for an Ethics and Leadership Conference (don't ask), and because Durham is a few hours' drive from Mt Airy, we spent the night in a hotel, namely, the Marriott. Now I know I am not exactly a world traveler, and I might sound yokel-ish to some of you, but I consider this particular hotel to be fancy-schmancy.
Fancy hotels suck. Or at least they suck if you're like me. Consider the "benefits": room service, expensive coffee in your room, possible internet access, fitness centers, and gourmet dining in the lobby. I don't take advantage of any of them. This particular hotel also featured optional internet access on the television screen, complete with a remote controlled keyboard. By all accounts, this place was high class.
And yet it was all wasted on me. The things I like about hotels (people making your bed for you, free towels, etc.) come standard in most any place of lodging. For all its perks, the Marriott didn't even have Comedy Central! A bottle of Evian is placed in every room, but I hate Evian and they charge you four bucks if you drink it. Breakfast downstairs is not, I repeat, NOT complimentary. In fact, the buffet costs ten bucks. This includes omelettes made to order by a cool African dude with a British accent, and I did enjoy talking to the guy, but it was really a waste. I took my eggs scrambled, that's all, and ended up eating little more than I would've gotten from the continental breakfast at Hampton Inn.
I know many people enjoy fine dining and five-star hotels, but I've come to the conclusion that middle-class lodgings suit me better. Much crappier places than the Marriott at least offer HBO. Besides, can the Marriott match Holiday Inn Express, which apparantly inspired some dude in a towel to balance the federal budget? I rest my case. For people like me, anyway, the Hampton Inns of the world are simply superior, or at least cheaper.
The beds were really, really comfy though.
Fancy hotels suck. Or at least they suck if you're like me. Consider the "benefits": room service, expensive coffee in your room, possible internet access, fitness centers, and gourmet dining in the lobby. I don't take advantage of any of them. This particular hotel also featured optional internet access on the television screen, complete with a remote controlled keyboard. By all accounts, this place was high class.
And yet it was all wasted on me. The things I like about hotels (people making your bed for you, free towels, etc.) come standard in most any place of lodging. For all its perks, the Marriott didn't even have Comedy Central! A bottle of Evian is placed in every room, but I hate Evian and they charge you four bucks if you drink it. Breakfast downstairs is not, I repeat, NOT complimentary. In fact, the buffet costs ten bucks. This includes omelettes made to order by a cool African dude with a British accent, and I did enjoy talking to the guy, but it was really a waste. I took my eggs scrambled, that's all, and ended up eating little more than I would've gotten from the continental breakfast at Hampton Inn.
I know many people enjoy fine dining and five-star hotels, but I've come to the conclusion that middle-class lodgings suit me better. Much crappier places than the Marriott at least offer HBO. Besides, can the Marriott match Holiday Inn Express, which apparantly inspired some dude in a towel to balance the federal budget? I rest my case. For people like me, anyway, the Hampton Inns of the world are simply superior, or at least cheaper.
The beds were really, really comfy though.
posted by Nialator at 8:44 PM
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