Picture this: you wake up in the middle of the night and need to get up. You reach for the light switch but cannot remember if this is one that pushes in, toggles on, flips up and down or turns. Even in one hotel room, there can be a variety of options. Moving beyond the bedstand, there are lights that turn on only with a wall switch, step on switches, switch on a cord, switch on the stand, switch on the harp, etc. What a mess. Frequent travelers become adept at trying all options. But even better, I now carry a small flashlight so that I have a familiar light in the middle of the night!
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I don’t need a Power Grid, but…
Electrical outlets in hotel rooms are a total mystery to me. I have been in numerous rooms recently where I have scoured the room searching for an outlet and have finally discovered the sole semi-accessible outlet to be in the middle of the wall behind the bed, or behind a nightstand or requires the unplugging of a lamp or the tv in order to be used.
The irony is that while I may be carrying a number of power-requiring gadgets with me, the hotel itself often provides several electrical appliances such as an iron and a coffee maker. On many occasions I have struggled to find a suitable outlet into which I can plug the iron. And even then, it requires a decision about whether to plug in the coffee maker or the iron.
I have begun to carry a small extension cord with me to allow the plugging of multiple devices into the single outlet. It seems to me that providing a small power bar might be a good practice for the hotels who say that they cater to business people.
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I enjoy having hot showers. However, many hotels have a “fix” on the shower taps to prevent scalding, which usually means the shower is lukewarm at best.
Recently, I stayed at a Hampton Inn in Austin, Texas. I was delighted to find a lovely supply of hot water when I turned on the tap in the shower. Then I pulled the shower knob. Once again, the stream of water felt lovely and hot to my hand. Then I stepped into the shower. Disappointingly I discovered that the water was being dispersed in many directions, none of them toward me. Silly me! I was standing directly under the nozzle when I needed to be standing well off to the side.
Lo and Behold! When alighting from the tub, I finally discovered where all the water had been streaming – all over the floor!
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