The Burrow

 

Hotel Alert

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