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| A daily destination amenity fee of USD 32 will be added to the room rate. I was proud of the discounted flight I found to take me to a Cornell alumni leadership conference in Las Vegas this month. I opted not to choose a seat, not to bring anything that didn't fit in the space it would share with my toes, to board last, and not to ask for anything extra. It's a two day trip; I don't need a lot of clothes. I'm a small person; I don't need a lot of room. The flight is short. I'll be fine. I researched the least expensive way to book the hotel, combing through all the travel sites and the AAA and the hotel's direct website. Cornell's group rate was the least expensive so I booked the room the way I could have done before an hour's stroll through the interwebs. It wasn't going to cost me very much to figure out how to increase the membership of the Cornell Club of Southern Arizona, of which I am now the president. I was flying in for two specific presentations, for the opportunity to coordinate a strategy to save my college, for the chance to learn and, perhaps, make a difference. I wasn't planning to participate in any amenities.....and is participate even the right word? When I think of amenities I flash to the free toiletries in the room, perhaps a bathrobe in the closet, perhaps a bottle of water that is complimentary rather than showing up as a $5 charge on my bill at checkout. I think of the decor and the ambiance. I'm not bringing gym clothes (no room for them) or fancy partying clothes (no need for them) nor a swimming suit (no time for it). I won't be gambling. If they are considering the options available to me (that I won't be using) as amenities, then I think we have to have a conversation around a dictionary. Vocabulary.com agrees with me: Amenities are the little things in life that make you comfortable — like more legroom on a flight or the chocolate on your hotel pillow. Wikipedia, however, gave me the real story: In real estate and lodging, an amenity is something considered to benefit a property and thereby increase its value. My trip is no longer quite as affordable. I'll be paying for things I won't be using. I'll be wondering why the daily destination amenity fee wasn't mentioned in the information promulgated by Cornell when they invited me to the conference. I hate it when a perfect plan develops an asterisk |
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Tough
Hi there Burrow faithful, Little Cuter here, with news on my amazing mom. As most of you probably know by now, my mom attended the Congress on your Corner event yesterday at her local Safeway. Just as she reached the front of the line to shake Ms. Gifford's hand a gunman appeared and began shooting with an automatic weapon. My mom was shot three times. That's a sentence I never thought I'd have to type. Right this very minute my mom is in the ICU with her leg in a traction. She suffered a wound to her left chest, one to her abdomen, and a third to her right hip. She is incredibly lucky that none of her organs were hit, even though one of the bullet's entry wounds was in her abdomen. She has been taken care of by some fantastic and proficient doctors and nurses, and a wonderful social work team. My mom is the toughest broad I've ever met. She is awake and talking and cracking wise and we can all rest assured that the woman we love is still here, kicking ma...
NBC did a story on this recently. We haven't been in a US hotel in so long, I have not seen these charges. It sounds aggravating as hell.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I can't afford it. It's that I didn't count on it. Aggravating is waaaaaay tooooo mild :-)
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