The Louisville Hotel
I stay in a lot of hotels, so I’ve become rather adept at finding what I like and don’t in any particular room. My recent stay in Louisville was no exception. My hotel, from a major hotel chain, had a “suite” style setup where the bed was somewhat separated from a couch and desk. The hotel was older and, while not bad, wouldn’t rank among the best maintained properties I’ve seen from the era.
The sheets were worn through with holes and there seemed to be a lack of furniture in the room. Most hotels have two nightstands, one on either side of the bed. This hotel had a single nightstand that was relatively small. These details, seemingly tiny, make the difference between a comfortable stay and a hotel that I would pass on in the future. The living area of the room had a couch but no tables. This made any kind of eating difficult.
The bathroom was divided into two parts, each with a door facing the bed. The first was a toilet with the smallest sink I’ve ever seen in the corner. The second had a shower and larger bathroom counter with a sink, and the requisite towels. Why they didn’t have hand towels in the room with the shower and bathroom counter is a mystery yet to be solved.
Other elements of my stay were equally perplexing. The sheets were comfortable, but threadbare to the point of having holes in them. The holes weren’t many, but they were definitely there. Other parts of the room had missing screws and bolts. The phone was missing more than a few buttons (all of the buttons for any services had been removed, but not replaced with anything. It was as if the hotel was undergoing a rebirth but they hadn’t really gotten to everything yet.
The gym had equipment that worked, but it was the most basic I’ve ever seen. The treadmill had different settings but no fun or interactive display. The TV’s attached to the cardio equipment were not plugged in to the hotel’s cable system.
At an older property, I don’t expect perfection. And I know the hotel staff work long hours and try their absolute best to serve guests like me with high expectations. Yet I set the bar high because it is something I strive to meet in my own work and life. I always see room for improvement, ways to do things just a bit better. Working with engineers I appreciate the precision of a design and the thought required to do something right. The staff at this hotel were nice, but it wasn’t the experience I expected for the amount paid.
