tales from a suitcase

I'm fairly used to living out of a suitcase, as a result of being away from home on business fairly often. Sometimes I'm 'based' somewhere else, other times it's just a day or two.

In just the last month, its probably been about 10 days away. It means you get very used to the rhythm of hotels, check-ins and check-outs. As well as the sometimes brilliant upgrades, I've had those situations where there's no room available or they send me to a room with someone already in it. And that regular annoying situation where you go to a room and then find the electronic key doesn't work.

I've also visited a place in Europe where the hotel turned out to be chalets and I arrived late and had to sort of break in to the room. Actually I've just remembered another situation in France, where the place was unsupervised and we had to guess the right accommodation by a key left in the door.

I don't stay in London hotels very often because of where I live, but it's still London where I seem to have the most challenges. No room, room not ready, sultry service. It's just happened to me again, when I wanted to book into a particular hotel at the right check-in time and was told there was no room ready. I'd have to wait another hour - which really didn't fit with the plans.

I realised that even as a Londoner I was being processed as a 'tourist' in this smart London venue.

I moved into complaint mode, and it was grudgingly resolved, but it's reinforced a nagging thought that London's hospitality will need to be on best behaviour for the upcoming events.