in the Chicagoland area, I’m musing on the cheek of luxury hotels in providing you with not one, but two, 750ml bottles of “natural spring” water on the desk when you enter the room, with a note that states “a charge of $5.00 will be billed to your room”. Granted, it’s some fancy-ass pansy-named Italian water (“bottled at the source, Scarperia Springs, by Sanpelligrino S.p.A., Milan, Italy”), but the point is, I can walk down to the convenience mart half a block from here and buy a bottle of spring water for a buck and a quarter. Or buy it in bulk lots at Sam’s club for about 20 cents a bottle.
Or, of course, I can drink tap water for free, although tap water in hotels is pretty gross.
Sometimes I think the audacity of hope pales next to the audacity of hotels.
Oh, and the mini-bar kills me. “Please make your selections carefully. This is a sensored refreshment center. By removing or moving items you will be billed immediately.”
Oh, and: “Do not store personal items in the refreshment center, as this may cause accidental billing.”
Jesus, people. Why not just put a vending machine in the hall? Srsly.
And finally: What is the point of having a breakfast cafe in the lobby if you don’t sell MILK? Do you not understand that I am currently eating my morning bran/frosted flake mix WITHOUT MILK?
There will be a reckoning, mark my words.
PS: Two more rants:
1) At the height of the spring allergy season, ONE PALTRY BOX OF TISSUES.
2) The free coffee pods? Starbucks crap. “Africa Kitamu” and “Decaf Fair Trade Blend”. Echh.
PPS:
3) DAMN NEAR NO UNUSED ELECTRIC OUTLETS…and why in HELL does a luxury hotel charge daily rates for Internet service (when the cheap hotels give it away for free)?
PPPS: Lunch in the restaurant: Best. Burger. EVER. I guess that kind of makes up for the rest of my rantage.
A "surly curmudgeon[], suspicious and lacking in altruism." (Robert A. Heinlein)