Time froze, and from my upside-down view, I saw a guy staring at me with his key suspended in his hand and his mouth hanging open in total shock.
Everyone has hotel stories to tell, and they all vary from funny to embarrassing to unforgettable.
I was staying in a hotel at the heart of Kuala Lumpur one time and my room was on the 14th floor close to the elevators. The room was at the very corner of a wing, with a nice view of the city at night.
On my second day, I went out for a day trip to Malacca. I usually keep a neat room and want to come back with things as I left them, untouched, so I decided to skip housekeeping services.
Straight from a quick shower, I cracked the door open a bit and slid the “Do Not Disturb” sign at the doorknob outside, but the sign fell and dropped onto the floor. I was only wrapped in a small towel and there was no bathrobe in the room but I was in a hurry so I decided to go out as quickly as I could to pick up and hang the sign.
Making sure the hallway was deserted and there was no sign of life anywhere on that floor, I snuck out but as what always happens in bad movies, the sign decided to get stuck on the floor. I bent to pick it up the next thing I knew, the elevator flew open.
Time froze, and from my upside-down view, I saw a guy staring in surprise with his key suspended in his hand and his mouth hanging open in total shock. I was as shocked as he was, with me bent over and water dripping on the carpet from my hair.
More hotel tales
I went from crimson to purple with embarrassment and rushed into my room, slamming the door behind me.
I leaned on the door to regain my breath and it was sometime before I finally heard the door across from me open and close. Thankfully, I didn’t see the occupant of the room across from me again until I checked out.
Luxuries
Some years back, I got a chance to stay in one of the popular hotels at the Las Vegas Strip–one that I would not normally stay in because it’s way beyond my price range. I usually stay out most of the time and I don’t consider it practical to pay more for just a few hours of sleep.
The hotel which is a five-star resort offered an unbelievable, irresistible promo rate of $99 all in, plus breakfast.
The room was luxurious, on the 58th floor with all glass walls facing the Strip. There were the usual niceties in the room but this one particular tray on top of the fridge got my attention. The tray was loaded with specialty dainty chocolates, miniature bottles of wine, and other goodies. I lifted a chocolate bar to sniff it and dropped it back like a hot potato after seeing the price.
Food and drinks are always many times more expensive in a hotel room. One mini wine bottle caught my attention. I picked it up and turned it around in my hand, then I saw the notice. It says anything that has been removed from its place longer than 30 seconds will be considered sold and automatically charged to the room.
I was not even sure how but maybe somewhere there was a small timer or sensor that sends the signal straight to the front desk and they will charge you.
I’ve never dropped anything so fast ever with two seconds to spare.
I still regret why I returned the bottle to its place and not satisfied my curiosity if they will really charge if the item was still in the room.