For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by hotels. I would always rush to be the first in the room, to examine the number and placement of sinks in the bathroom, the type of toiletries provided, which premium channels were on the TV, what was in the mini bar and what was on offer for room service.
The little details are the most exciting: stationary printed with your name, or various items printed with the hotel’s name or motif. I always keep any free items. Favorites that come to mind include the cocktail stirrers from the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood, California, and the duck-emblazoned toilet paper from The Peabody in Memphis – extending a theme to toilet paper is true attention to detail.
Along with lots of pens, notepads, coasters, matchbooks, slippers and other free hotel-themed items, I have also gained from my travels a better understanding of what it means to be comfortable in life. Hotels are meant to conform to the needs and wants of their guests, and in my thorough examinations of how different hotels go about this, I’ve gotten a better grasp on what I need to be comfortable. The following are life lessons I’ve learned from hotels that I continue to carry with me.
1. One should always drink water from a glass, never straight from the bottle (which should be a glass bottle of Acqua Panna Natural Spring Water).
2. When not in public, one’s attire should consist of a robe and a pair of slippers. If part of a couple, one’s significant other should sport matching leisure attire.