Half way between Houston and Albuquerque, just about the midway point give or take, lies a small town. I have stayed here before, but not in this particular establishment. Usually we roll in around midnight, tired, with a car full of hungry, irritable children. This trip, we timed it so we could stay somewhere with an indoor pool, my youngest wanted to go swimming.
It was 7:30 when we arrived. We were eager to check-in and get settled before a light dinner. I approached the desk. The desk clerk, looked me up and down- made a judgement call. The first words out of his mouth, took a minute or two. He pretended to be busy. Then he stood and walked over to his computer. Not a "Hello, welcome to the...." just "name," not even a please. I was put off a bit instantly.
I gave him my confirmation number, letting him know how it was booked. He snickered. "How did you book, no reservation." I smiled, "I told you it was with Hotels.com. He then pontificated, saying unfriendly things about the company and their parent company. He espoused that "They are a cheating company, located in Thailand, Bangkok and very untrustworthy." He actually said those words. It gets worse.
He continued to tell me I probably didn't know better, and specifically "Where was my husband?" I felt the urge to correct, to say, "What are you thinking you small, little minded man?" I refrained. He continued to demean Bangkok with this "They probably cheated you out of your money and gave it to a Thai hooker." Yup- he said that, in front of another guest too. They smiled and said nothing. Unfortunately I said, "Excuse me?" to which he responded, "Don't worry, it's nothing."
At that moment my husband entered, with my brood, all carrying luggage and pillows. The desk clerk smiled and greeted my husband. I walked away. I was mindful, in a situation where I would have been justified, to put this small minded individual, in his place. I just knew if I had though, my room reservation would never have been found and I had already paid for the room. When my husband was standing in front of him- our reservation- magically appeared in the system.
Needless to say, I won't be staying at that particular hotel again. One person makes a huge impact. The words of a thoughtless person resonate and it leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The room was mediocre- walking to the room, one hallway smelled of trash and our hallway reeked of lettuce. I know what does lettuce smell like? But, it was definitely lettuce. Strange night.
But, mindfulness won for me at least. Being crammed into a smaller than promised room, with all my children, was nice. It felt good to have all of us in the same room, watching TV and eating tacos. So be wary of front desk clerks....just kidding. Most of them are pleasant and cordial and if they harbor ill will towards Hotels.com or Thailand- they keep it to themselves. Strange encounter, one I will definitely remember.
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