Did That Just Happen?

I was all set to enjoy a quick 2-day trip to NYC for work. A little business, a fun conference, a great dinner with a partner.

After the 'little business' on Tuesday, I went to check-into my hotel.

Now I knew going into it that this hotel would be different than the typical hotels GMI puts me up in. I chose this hotel because it was GENERAL MILLS recommended, but still cheap.

This is what I was expecting for rooms:

This is what I got (can anyone say UNDERDELIVER?):

*(NOTE: These pictures actually make the room look nicer than actual as you cannot see the stains, cracks, bugs, etc)

Now I am one that can appreciate a really nice hotel room, but not someone that cannot 'rough' it for one night. But when you have to UNPLUG the alarm clock to plug in your window air conditioner, avoid the weird crusty substance on the headboard, question the BUNSON burner that is next to the sink, investigate the numerous stains that populated the room, put a chair against the door in the absence of a dead bolt, OR enter the room with windows wide open (as in no screens or anything protecting the room for the eements, and by elements i mean cockroaches and other unsavory city-dwelling creatures) one must take pause and ask themsleves if they really can spend a night and survive.

And poor Katie and Nate both received teary calls about how to get another room. So I called our wonderful travel agents, and they couldn't help. So I stayed.

And I "slept" (I use this loosely) with the 14 inch TV and all of the lights on.

Itgot more interesting at about 11PM when my phone died and i realized that I only brought half of my charger, so it was shaping up to be something straight out of a horror movie. But sure as I am here blogging to you now, I did survive the night.

Now that I am home and am researching this god foresaken place, I learn that many famous rock-stars have in fact died in this hotel, which I suppose explains the bunson burners and my assumption there were for some ingestion of drugs is probably not far off.

And Mom--I write this to you because you would most likely be the one who is the MOST horrified at the conditions--I have learned my lesson. No amount of "holistic margin management' will ever be enough to not stay at the W again.