Flashback Friday!

So, in the time when my blogging activity was nonexistent there was still traveling going on and in that spirit I'm going to start Flashback Friday's.  A time when I can go back and remember the good, the bad and the ugly of my travels!  Here we go...

Back in 2008 we (work) hosted a series of dinners for potential donors to introduce them to our campaign and cultivate them toward a large gift.  We had a couple of great volunteers who were hosting and the events came together really nicely.  We traveled to the greater Greenwich CT area for the first of these dinners and decided to check into our hotel before heading to the country club for our event.  Well...I was traveling with my boss as well as a few other representatives from school.  We had all been booked into the La Quinta hotel in Stamford, right off route 95.  That was the first and last time I EVER stayed at a La Quinta.  Now, maybe I shouldn't be so quick to judge the entire chain by my experience....but to date, that is what I have done.

So we check in and all get our keys.  I go to my room and quickly notice that it hasn't been cleaned or made up from the last guest.  I quickly go back to the front desk and ask to be given a new room....to be told that the only other free room they have is a smoking room.  There is almost nothing worse than sleeping in a hotel room that has been smoked in...stale cigarette smoke clinging to your clothes...no thanks...I'll take the dirty room....

But I assume that they can just call housekeeping and have the room turned over and all will be well....so I ask them to do that...and head off to my work dinner.

When we get back to the hotel after the long dinner I stop at the front desk and ask about my room.  They proceed to hand me fresh sheets and tell me they are very sorry that they didn't get to cleaning my room, but could give me some fresh sheets.  WHAT?!?!?!  I have to make my own bed?!?!?!  Well, I didn't want to make a big scene in front of my boss and other colleagues...so I collected the sheets, went back to the room.  I didn't touch a single thing in that room...wrapped myself in the new sheets (fully clothed) and slept in the chair.  I wasn't taking any chances.....I'd rather get a bad night sleep!