Having never been to this area, I went to the best place I know of to book a hotel room: the internet. In doing my search I ended up choosing a hotel that has a very recognizable name but is not your mega expensive hotel. It had a three-star rating and I figured that we’d only be in the room to sleep and change clothes between activities, so that would be plenty nice. Upon arriving at the hotel I can say that I was pleased with the outside appearance and even walking into the lobby I felt like I had made the right choice. Unfortunately, that’s as far as the feeling of satisfaction was going to go. When we got on the elevator, I became concerned because I could tell the staff had not spent a lot of time keeping it clean. Then walking down the hall I could see wrappers, trash, and a carpet that looked like it hadn’t been vacuumed in days. With my anxiety quickly rising I reached our room and things were not looking any better. I opened the door and my heart sank. I turned to Tami and told her that I’d messed up. Our room was a mess. Carpet with crumbs all over it, disgusting stains, dirty sheets on the bed, walls that looked like they hosted in-room dodge ball tournaments, and to cap it all off we tried to look out the window but it was so dirty that it apparently hadn’t been washed in years. I’ve been in a lot of rooms in my day, including several in third world countries, and this was by far the worst room I had ever entered. I quickly called the front desk to inform them that we could not stay at this hotel. I’ll have to continue my story next week, but let me share with you lessons learned up to this point.
Just because the hotel carried a name that was very recognizable didn’t mean that the hotel was going to be clean. Similarly, just because I was raised in a family that has the reputation of following after Christ doesn’t mean that my life is in order with Christ. The hotel management was responsible for holding the hotel to a high standard just like it’s my decision to live my life in a way that is pleasing to Christ. I can’t be afraid to make the changes to keep my life fresh and on the path God has designed for me. Left unattended, my life will eventually become a spiritual mess. Just as I made the choice not to stay one minute longer in that hotel than I had to, I can also make the choice that I won’t allow my life to go down paths that would hinder my walk with Christ.
What did we do next??? When I called the front desk, I was told our room was guaranteed and no refunds could be given even though we were unhappy with the cleanliness and upkeep of the room. I thought it best to go to the source I used to book the room, so I called and was thrilled to discover that I would have a 45-minute wait for a representative. After a few minutes Tami and I decided that I would keep the call going while we went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. On the elevator ride down I lost the call….ugh! When I called back the wait time had increased to 55 minutes. No big deal, we’d put the phone on speaker and just wait for someone to come on. Finally we heard a voice and I was able to voice my complaint and ask how I could get out of the hotel. I was informed that only the hotel could release me from the room so I’d have to talk to them. After a few minutes of debating I knew I was getting nowhere, so I called the hotel back and asked to speak with a manager. This game of phone ping pong went on for the next two hours and I was still no closer to getting a refund than I was when I began calling. We did check out and moved to another hotel, sure that the money was lost.
The next morning, I again called the third party and I got hold of someone who actually knew what they were doing. They went through my file and were frustrated to find no notes of my previous calls even though it showed I’d called. They assured me that I was not required to stay in a hotel that was unclean. It took about an hour, but in the end I was assured that I would receive a full refund by the end of the day. So, after about 4 ½ hours of being on the phone it looked like things were going to work out. And sure enough, later that afternoon I received an email verifying that the full refund was being returned to our account.
So, what did this experience teach me? First, let Tami book the rooms…lol (just kidding). I believe I had done my research and even the reviews painted the hotel out to be a nice place, so I don’t think I could have done anything different there. What I did learn is that when something is wrong I need to stay calm so that Tami feels assured that everything is going to be fine. I learned that nothing that happens is worth losing my joy and testimony. This was the first night of our vacation, and I determined that whatever happened was not going to ruin my vacation. I believe I treated every person I spoke with respectfully, and even though I disagreed with things they were saying, I discussed those issues in a calm, business-like way. Sitting on the phone was very frustrating and it would have been easy to take it out on the person who answered my call, but that would only make me look like a jerk and cause them to not want to be as helpful. Last of all, stay the course and don’t give up. A couple of times I felt like saying, “Forget it, let’s just lose the money because this is such a hassle,” but I didn’t because I knew we were right. I stayed the course and finally got hold of the right person who knew exactly what needed to be done. Tell me this isn’t the life we live daily in a world of sin. The good news is that Christ has come to set us free from the bondage of having to respond like the world, and we can respond in a new way that brings peace to us and lets our light shine to those we meet. Keep trusting the Lord no matter the circumstances and watch how he will use those circumstances to create growth in your life and impact others for His glory at the same time.
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