Nine consecutive weeks, hopping from hotel to hotel.
I come home from work every day to a crisply made bed.
I've become accustomed to dim, florescent lighting and watched too many hours of The Big Bang Theory, which mysteriously is playing on TBS every time I turn the on the television.
Top five things to keep in mind when frequenting hotels:
5. You can ask for anything, and they will give it to you. But you have to ask.
Don't have a fridge in your room? Call the front desk, and keep calling until they realize you seriously want it. You should get it by the second day of your stay.
Want to make sandwiches, but don't want to buy a whole bottle of Mayonnaise? Grab someone on the breakfast staff and ask for a handful of single-serving packets, they have them in the kitchen.
Need to park in the garage because you don't want to fight for a street space in New York City? Tell the receptionist you have valuables in your car and you'd like to park in the underground garage (slip them a free yoyo at the beginning of the week and they're happy to help)
Need to keep a bunch of boxes in a conference room? They always have one available that isn't being used.
Also, most hotels have razors, Qtips, sewing kits, and other complimentary toiletries available at the front desk.
4. Don't pass up ammenities that are offered at your current location.
I stayed in three different hotels in a row that had washing machines and dryers on my floor, just down the hall from my room. Just before I left North Carolina for New York, instead of doing laundry on Saturday as I had done the previous weeks, I determined to do it the next day at the next hotel. Alas, New York Marriott only offered expensive dry cleaning. I didn't want to take the time to go to an icky laundromat, and I'm on a budget, so....I was stuck washing some necessities in the bathtub and hanging them to dry in the shower:
Lesson learned. Oh, man.
(who is this wierd girl posting pictures of her laundry...that she did in a hotel room??)
Maybe crossing over that sharing-too-much boundary.
Also in this category, I want to mention the "24-hour fitness rooms." Sometimes you'll have multiple machines, a wide range of free weights, and jumping ropes, balancing balls, etc. Take advantage of these things!! The harder you workout the week you have access to these items, the less bored you'll get when you're stuck with two treadmills in a closet at the next hotel.
Ooh...and if they have open computers and printers (ie: a "business center"), print anything you might need and skip a trip to FedEx.
3. How to work the free food
First of all, stock your fridge with veggies and fruit that you can throw in a baggie and stash in your bag. The only way to stay healthy while you're living without a full-on kitchen is to make yourself eat fresh food that doesn't have to be cooked. And while you're at the store, buy a week's worth of water! Otherwise, you won't drink nearly enough and you'll be tempted to reach for that $5 bottle next to the coffee maker or eat ice chips from that gross bucket.
On the first morning of your stay, make friends with someone on the staff who has access to the kitchen. You'll be needing a knife to cut up your apples and things like salt, etc. I don't like having utensils in my room because I feel like they're dirty, even when I have a kitchenette. I take my strawberries down to the kitchen and have the omelet chef slice them up for me.
At continental breakfasts, skip the pastries and bagels. Have an omelet with lots of veggies or a bowl of oatmeal with some fruit on the side.
While you're there, grab a yogurt and a piece of fruit to stow in the fridge in your room for a snack later.
If the hotel has meet and mingle evenings with drinks and snacks, scope out the spread on the first night of your stay. Don't eat anything white, creamy or cheesy. (If you're craving something white, creamy and cheesy, go someplace else where the dish will be delicious enough to merit the calories.) If they have celery sticks or fruit bowls, snack away and chat up the business men who come down for the drinks.
One last note: if you have to leave early before breakfast starts, ask the overnight front desk staff to let you grab something out of the fridge on your way out in the morning. If you've cultivated a friendship, they should unlock the fridge for you.
2. Help yourself.
Be assertive and let them know what you need. Sometimes, however, you just gotta take care of things yourself. (Be sure to keep this legal, and within normal bounds of respect for the company.)
Story:
I needed packing tape to seal up some boxes I was going to leave at the front desk for UPS to pick up the next morning. The girl at the front desk refused to ask the housekeeper and told me the "handy man" was out for the day. She said, "We don't have tape, here or anywhere else." (This girl BUGGED in a lot of ways during my stay at this hotel, she was on my last nerve by the time I asked her for some tape--which most hotels have at the front desk, btw)
When it was clear she wasn't going to be a bit of help, I walked over to the closet where I had seen the housekeepers last. I asked the woman working there. She smiled and said, "Tap-uh? I see, I see." So, she was out looking for tape, I hoped. In the meantime, I went down to the basement where I had seen some maids washing sheets and bedspreads earlier that week. No one around. I started looking in cabinets, and VOILA! found a beautiful roll of packing tape. I was wrapping up the last of my boxes when the housekeeper brought me a roll of masking tape. I thanked her profusely and then handed both rolls over to the girl at the front desk when I dropped my boxes off.
1. Don't underestimate rewards programs, and don't forget about the rewards you're earning. Ask for an upgrade; if it's available, they have to give it to you. You can be paying for a single with a queen bed but actually be staying in a king-sized suite with a parlor and access to the dessert lounge.
Other tips:
Don't stay in, go out and explore whatever city you're visiting. Sometimes the concierge will have tickets to shows/games, will send you out to a restaurant in the shuttle for free, or have other vouchers and deals.
Write your mission statement or goals on a piece of notebook paper and tape it on the TV screen; you'll have a much more productive week.
Be kind to the all the hotel staff; they'll help you and they deserve your respect. Plus, you'll be surprised to find that the lady who signed for all your packages and offered to take the empty boxes to the dumpster is also the person who cleans your room on two days of the week. Or that the shuttle driver may also be the guy who is in charge of finding your fridge and bringing it to your room. Treat them all really well.
Unpack all of your clothes and use the hangers and dresser drawers, and spread all your lotions and potions out on the bathroom counter: you'll want to feel at home as much as possible, so don't live out of your suitcase.
Hope this helps any fellow nomads out there...guess what?? I signed a lease! I'm moving in next week (after I drive across the country...yet another adventure awaits!). Can't wait to have an apartment, sleep with my own bedspread, and cook actual meals.
