Wednesday, June 20th, 2007 07:30 pm
What am I doing here?

I am in a hotel, a beautiful stunning lavishly-appointed hotel, where people come upstairs to show me personally to my room and where the welcome drink is a half-size bottle of imported French champagne. The "night head butler" just gave me a tour of some of the nicer rooms. "Here," he says, "is the owner's room. He's dating two Playboy models, so..." and he gestures to the enormous bed, "and I've just checked that his favorite drink is ready for him. Let's see the suite where Jack Nicholson stayed last..." I am not making this up. I don't know whether he was making this up.

I do not have enough money to TIP appropriately in this place. Thank God I won't have to pay the actual BILL.

I had really better get some good info for my company on this trip. Holy MOLY.
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 02:33 am (UTC)
I certainly could use a night head butler. Just sayin'.

Enjoy your stay!!!
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 03:07 am (UTC)
Wow! I've never stayed in a place like that -- even the cruise ship that I thought was so luxurious doesn't sound that fancy! (At least tips were pre-calculated, though, or I'd have been totally at sea....)

Enjoy being pampered -- you deserve it!
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 03:22 am (UTC)
I don't even know WHAT to tip or HOW to tip! I was scrambling along trying to follow someone to my room and simultaneously dig a couple bucks out of my wallet which was inside my messenger bag... aaagh! I'm sure people get better at that sort of thing, but, well, I haven't exactly had practice. :)
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 03:23 am (UTC)
Mmmmm, now that you put it that way... :-)
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 05:25 am (UTC)
When we were on Dole's Press 'Plane in 1996, our homebase was the Ritz Carlton in Arlington. It's *far* too easy to become accustomed to staying in luxury hotels, especially on someone else's dime. NBC still puts us up at the Ritz or the Four Seasons or other resort hotels like that that freakin' amazing Hilton resort in Kona. (http://www.hiltonwaikoloavillage.com/index_flash.asp) Oh. Em. Gee. I mean, I stepped out onto my balcony in the morning and watched dolphins cavort in the lagoon. That's just... surreal.

Enjoy!!

Thursday, June 21st, 2007 06:08 am (UTC)
Sounds Mahvalous Dahling. Enjoy!
Remember too, they are doing their job and being polite. You are being nice and friendly, as a result they feel they can be friendly back. They are probably having fun, too. Most people are bored of this stuff and they rarely get to show off.
I'm very jeolous (see comment in next post). I rarely get to travel on company expense accounts. *sigh*
Again Enjoy!
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 01:20 pm (UTC)
Ooo, how fun. I love a bit of luxury on someone else's dime. Enjoy the champagne!
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 01:47 pm (UTC)
Heh. Take advantage of it. Enjoy! :-)
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 04:00 pm (UTC)
In a slightly less fabulous way, what you are descibing kind of reminds me when Toni and I stayed at the W in Chicago.

You've got the better deal, obviously.

If you haven't heard that story, ya really need to. I'm not sure which of us tells the story of the pinching the Aveda (Aveda?!?!?! At a hotel???)shampoos off the maid's cart better.

Enjoy the luxury, darlin'
Thursday, June 21st, 2007 05:19 pm (UTC)
US or if not, what foreign country? Tipping "customs" vary dramatically.

I am unclassy and blunt enough to have on several occasions said "I'm not used to staying in this quality of hotel, so I'm going to embarass myself and straight-out ask you what an appropriate tip is."