Whilst on a road trip in the USA, we find the Hampton Inn brand of hotel suits us very well indeed. Generally well located, they offer a reliable and consistent product at a reasonable price. The Hampton Inn in downtown Buffalo is unusually plush and our room particularly spacious. There is, however, one individual quirk which we’ve not seen previously.
All over the ceiling, by every sprinkler, in fact, is a “no hanger” sign. Someone at some point must have used one to hang a coathanger with disastrous consequences. The notices have provoked a different response from each of the three of us and those responses are quite revealing:
Mark: “Well, who on earth would do such a stupid thing?”
Me: “Oh, just think of the mess if all those sprinklers went off”
Mary: “As if I could even reach one"!”
The other Hampton Inn quirk which has developed since our last stay in one is the post it note highlighting clean sheets and duvet covers.
What?! Like weren’t they clean before? Surely, it’s no more than could be expected in any hotel? Welcome to the practice of “pre-emptive advertising” – by highlighting the fact that everything is clean, there’s the vague suggestion that elsewhere, that’s not necessarily the case.
But for me, it simply makes me wonder about the times when there isn’t a note there, especially when the post it note only appeared on the second night of our stay last week! Ewww…
