In August, I spent 15 nights straight in six different hotels. When booking this marathon of lodging accommodations, I actually started to wonder if I'd get sick of hotels by the end of it.
The hotels spanned brands, chain scales and locations, from downtown Houston to an unexpected layover in New York City and then to four different cities in Portugal. I accomplished a nice variety, working in in a historic property, a couple city center spots and a resort to mix it up. Most had amenities — spas or pools — that piqued my interest. This trip was my honeymoon, after all, so we had to sneak in some relaxation time amid the overeating and overwalking that comes with a European vacation.
I thought I might have some big takeaway at the end of my back-to-back stays — some blog-worthy revelation that was a throughline during my trip that harkened back to something I've learned in the almost two years of covering this industry. Lucky for the CoStar News Hotels readers, I did.
At every opportunity, hotel industry professionals love to remind everyone that, at the end of the day, the business is about the people — the guests and the team that exists to serve them on property. I see this in action at any one-off stays, but after six hotel stays in a row, I was inundated with this heartfelt hospitality hoteliers love to brag about.
I was forewarned of the honeymoon perks that come with traveling as a newlywed, but that didn't mean I wasn't pleasantly surprised at every upgrade, special treat or handwritten note that awaited us in our rooms. Each time created a core moment that stays woven into our memories of our first trip together as husband and wife — the time we got the presidential suite upgrade during our wedding weekend or the two times we popped champagne on our balconies while waiting out light rain that delayed our dinners out.
These memories trump the times we realized too late that we were lacking in towels or espresso pods in our rooms, as well as the flight delays that threatened to send the whole trip off track — but unfortunately that particular memory is far too fresh. If I had a nickel for the times I had to run through the Newark airport during my honeymoon, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but I'm still annoyed it happened twice.
I know hotel professionals will continue in perpetuity to highlight that the industry is a people business — that hotel teams always have the opportunity to positively and negatively affect their guests' stays. I have never doubted that sentiment, but after encountering dozens of hotel workers with such genuine excitement for me and my husband, I can say I fully felt it first hand.
Another realization I had on the nearly-missed flight home was that it seems I'm in the right industry, because after all those stays, I'm not sick of hotels. I'm actually looking forward to my next stay — which just so happens to be this weekend.
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