I May Not Be Able to Wear a Kippa or Hijab to Work But G-ddamit I Can Get $26 Off My Room

One thing led to another and I pull up at the Hampton Inn unexpectedly.

How much is a room?

$159.

Really? That's a lot more than I usually spend here.

Try Expedia.  I can't beat any rate that you find online.

Before I try Expedia I look on the Hampton Inn web site.  Hampton is not showing a Hampton in this location even though I am standing in it (and using the free wifi) for my search.

But look. Here is another third party vendor showing the room at $126. That's more like it.  Website will not take my postal code. However, there is what used to be called a 1-800 number but now it's 1-888.

Dial.

Hold. Bad music.

Ok ma'am I have a room for you, before I take your credit card number let me just convert the total to Canadian funds, and of course there is a Canadian processing fee - which takes us to - $159.

Oh.  No thank you then.

I guess I should take the clerk's advice and look on Expedia.  Here it is - a room for $138.   Am typing as fast as I can on my phone trying to pretend those are not my children grabbing the free chocolate chip cookies in the lobby because there are only two rooms left.  Phew. Nabbed a room. With a king sized bed.  For the four of us.  I don't love them that much.  Expedia not going to work.

It is slowly dawning on me that the kids have abandoned the cookie platter and are now making themselves hot chocolates that I may have to pay full retail price for this sucker.

Then I remember.

I have one card left to play.

Sir? I ask the clerk hopefully.  Do you still have a room with two queens available?

Yes we do.

And the room is $159?

Yes it is.

Do you have a government rate?

Yes.  $133.

I work for a hospital in Quebec, and the hospitals are government owned, do you need to see my i.d. card?

No that's OK, I believe you plus if you don't get your children out of here they may start eating the wallpaper.

Thank you so much.  Have a lovely evening.

The Back Story

Driving home from Toronto with 3 kids and no Husband.

Snowy.

Icy.

No visibility.

Down to One Lane.

Stop for Extra Large Two Milk Two Sugar and see multiple tow trucks lying in wait for their prey coincidentally all having coffee on the 401.

Four hours later we are still one hour from Kingston.

(In other words, this is taking twice as long as it should).

Slippery roads, 18 wheeler, our car ends up in the middle ditch.

Oh poor you, sounds like a nightmare.

No it was actually OK.  Kids fine. I'm fine.  Everyone breathing multiple sighs of relief.

Hampton Inn, Wal-Mart for bathing suits, dinner out.

Ouch. Unexpected budget hit.

No it was actually all very reasonable. Plus we were a bit giddy.

Kids hyper, didn't get to sleep till after midnight.

Ugh, totally exhausting.

Ended up fine, we all slept in, took a mental health day.

Um, Amy, we are all here for complaints.  Sounds like everything went, er, swimmingly.

Not everything.

Go ahead, we are listening.

(Prepare yourselves this is going to get ugly.)

Well I got to talking to two lovely ladies in the hotel lobby.  Turns out they were in town on business.

They work for the government.  They investigate complaints.  Police Complaints.

Awesome!  What a coincidence!

Not really.

Can you believe after all that I didn't have my book with me?

Moral of the Story: There used to be an old saying about wearing clean underwear in case of a car accident but I think they meant wear clean underwear and pack extra purple books.