Well, somewhere in that happy plan, I didn't get a link to a couple of updates. In fact, I only just now read the post about our last big family trip. Interesting information regarding how he thinks we should deal with a few packing obstacles and the $2+ bottled drinks at the hotel. I really don't have the heart to tell him, for a hotel, those drinks weren't really that expensive. At least they were the over-sized singles. Also, at least the hotel had ice. As our recent rental for the older daughter's baby shower proved, some hotels don't have communal ice makers. Instead, our room had a fridge with an ice maker. An ice maker that had been cleaned out and turned off. About the end of the party, we heard the first batch of ice drop. While I would like to think that was useful for the next user, I expect they emptied and turned it off again.
The good news is in every other respect the hotel was lovely. Marriott did a good thing with those Residence Inns. I've never had a lot of experience with Marriott after the goings on in my college meal halls. They were run by Marriott, and the food was less than stellar. After a lot of whining, someone got the bright idea to get some poor schmuck executive to come chat with us. His whole speech centered on the idea the same recipes were used at the meal hall as in the hotels. After the speech, he made the mistake of asking for questions and comments. First comment was, of course, "Sure hope you don't use the same products to make those recipes in your hotels". The saddest bit of the whole thing was they could easily have gone with less involved, froufrou recipes and made some plain old good wholesome food. It was their insistence on weird sauces and froufrou garnish that was ruining the budget and further driving down the quality of the food.
Now I know what you're thinking, how would you know this? I admit, as a college kid, I only guessed this. After several years of regularly cooking for 80 or so people on Wednesday nights at the church, I can say it with confidence. People would rather have good, wholesome food without the froufrou if you can't afford to do the froufrou right. Thus my avoidance of Marriott. I guess I have to adjust my view a tad. Maybe they simply weren't cut out for the college food service industry, but that hotel was something nice. I guess you can't stay in business unless at least something you do is a little bit of alright. Marriott Residence Inn in Arlington is more than alright, it was a very cushy lovely clean place to stay for a very reasonable price.
;)
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