HOTELS, HOTELS AND MORE HOTELS

I realize that many of you think that I just travel to have fun....and I do....but the main purpose of most of my travels are to check out the insides and outsides of hotels around the world. That way, I know the perfect hotel for each client that I send to a particular region.

What this means to me is that I "hit the ground running".  As soon as the plane lands, I am checking out the service of the receptive company.  Is the guide there on time?.  Can I see his sign?  Does he or she speak good English?  Is the car clean?  Do they offer me cold fresh water for the ride? Do they help me check in if the hotel staff is not good with English.

All of this I measure as I go from place to place.

When I arrive at the hotel, I am checking out all the details.  How is check in?  Does the staff greet me personally?  Are they dressed professionally? Does the Bellman explain everything in the room and how it operates?  Does he speak good English?  Is the room clean and the bathroom  without grout? Are the towels fluffy and heaven forbid if they smell of mildew.   Does the TV work and does the bellman explain the channel changer or does he leave me to find out on my own?

That is how my trips begin.  Then I settle in to see how the staff treats their guests.  I look at the public rooms and make sure that magazines are up to date and that the food in the restaurants is hot and welcoming.  So many things to  check out and remember for the future well being of my clients.

I am now  4 days into this trip and I have been in and out of 12 hotels.  I have stayed in 3 of them and tomorrow I will stay in one more.  At each of these, I am checking the same things out as I explained above.
Is it clean, are the public areas picturesque and have good seating areas to relax in. Are the bathrooms clean and free of black grout. Do they have a nice basket of toiletries like good shampoo, conditioner and hand cream. Do they have a restaurant and bar, and most of all these days, to they have complimentary wi-fi.  The last being the most important for me as I try to write as I go.

To many people these days, the Internet is an important component of a hotel stay.  How else can you stay connected to your family at home or do emails, or even check Facebook pages.  Or for many of us...how else can you stay connected to your clients as you travel.

So as I move into the 5th day, my impression of the hotels I have seen has been varied.  Some have wonderful public areas but the rooms are horrible.  Others have great rooms and no public areas to speak of.  Still others are worthless the entire way around.

But that is why I am here.  How else can I know which hotel goes with what client.  To those of you who think I am on constant vacation, think again. Eight hours per day of hotel inspections is no vacation.  It is hard work.