The Good. The Bad. The Ugly.

The Good:
It was really nice having our grandson come and stay with us.  As you know we picked him up in Houston on Christmas day.  I am pretty sure he got his fill of Mexican food.  He ate at Whatta Burger and was not impressed.  He was amazed at how many of them there were.  He enjoyed the BBQ.  He said it was the first time that he had ever felt like a minority.  But he enjoyed all of it including South Padre Island.

The Bad:
All good thing come to an end and it was the same with our grandson.  He had to go home on Saturday.  He was happy to go and at the same time wanted to stay.  We miss him a lot, but he needed to go back home to family, school, and friends.  What the heck, there is always Skype.  It was sad that the weather while he was here was not the best.  We only had maybe a day and a half of sun.

The Ugly:
He flew out of Houston at 1:30 p.m. and we headed back to Mission, Texas with the idea of driving all the way through.  I started and then Linda drove for awhile and then I took over again, but we are not as young as we use to be.  We got to Kingsville, Texas about 7:00 and decided to stop and spend the night at The Comfort Inn.  We have always been very pleased with Comfort Inns.
Not so this time.  The desk clerk, Teresa, checked us in.  Normally the desk clerks as very professional and friendly, but not Teresa.  At that time it did not even click with me.  We got to the room which was very nice and I proceeded to get my laptop out and turn it on.  When I set down the one of the wheels came off of the chair and I almost fell out of it.  No problem.  I took the chair and asked it I could get another chair.  She said they did not have any in the back room.  There were only two other cars in the parking spaces.  I asked if she could get one out of another room and she said no.  I said if they are not rented out, why not.  She did not answer me but got on the phone and called someone.  When she hung up she said she could get one out of one of the other rooms.  I said thanks and headed back to my room.  She yelled down the hall, "I can't leave the desk." while standing in front of a sign that said "If I am not here, ring the bell" and there was a bell there.

By now I am frustrated and getting ticked off.  I said don't worry about it, I will use this one and got one of the chairs from the dining area.  Once again she yelled at me and said I could not take that chair.  I took the chair back set it down on the floor and pushed it so that it slid up to the table without making contact.  I then asked if she could call the manager and let me talk to them.  She said no and picked up the phone and made a phone call.

Her call was to the police and she said I was throwing things around and being loud.  I told my wife to pack our things and put them in the car that we were not staying there.  I then sat down and waited for the police as I called Customer Service of Choice Hotels.  I told the person  what had and was happening and the police officer came in the door.  I had my phone on speaker and told her that a police officer had walked in but I was sure he would not mind me completing my call with Choice Hotels Customer Service and he waited.  She asked to talk to the clerk which came over the speaker.  I walked up to the counter and said she would like to speak with you.  She refused.  I told the lady on the phone that she refused and she apologized and said she would call her.  The phone rang immediately.  It was funny that she let it ring several times before answering.  Of course I could not hear that conversation.  While that conversation was going on the police officer came over and asked for my side of the story and I told him.  He asked how we could end this situation.  I told him as soon as the customer service representative verified that my reservation was cancelled by her and my credit card was credited I planned on leaving and taking the matter up with the corporate office on Monday.  After the clerk hung up the lady came back on  line on my phone and informed me that she would make sure my reservation was cancelled and that the charge to my credit card would be credited.  I thanked her and hung up.

I then asked the officer if he could do something for me.  And his answer was, "It depends."  I asked him due to the situation and my lack of trust in the clerk to accompany me to my room and look at it.  I did not want it torn up after I left and her saying I did it.  He went with me and said everything looked fine.  I thanked him and went to the front desk and placed both keys on the counter and said "Mam, both my wife and I used the restroom but did not disturb anything else.  Do as you wish, but for health reasons that room should be cleaned before renting it out."  I then walked out the door.  The officer followed me and wished me good luck.  I turned to him and said, "Thank you sir.  It is not a matter of luck.  The corporate office will take it from here."  I got in my car and we drove off.

With all these happenings I was wide awake and we drove another two and 1/2 hours to get home a little after 10:00 P.M.

I will stay at Choice Hotel properties again, but never this one regardless of the outcome of my phone call and emails tomorrow.  I am also going to forward a link to this post to whomever I speak to at Choice.

It is now Sunday and we both got a good nights sleep and the temperatures got up into the middle sixties so life is good.

I will post the results of my phone calls and emails.

I hope all your travels go better.