Dealing with Travel Stress and Roommate Issues: My Experience with Work Travel

[etteluap70PC]

Paulette -
We are having a debate in our cluster about rooming... we have two rooms and 5 people. Three of the people think 5 in a room is o.k. - I'm not one of them. Even though I know we won't be in the room that much, 5 is still much for me. One other gal thinks the same way. If she and I decide to keep the 2nd room, would you want to come with us? We are in the Swissotel (don't get me started about why we are not in the Hilton... that is a whole other rant!), but I think the room is $140/night.
Let me know...

Thanks Katie I really appreciate it. I think I will stick with the Hilton. I did the non conf hotel last time and it was just another pain for me. My Dir said she ordered a rollaway. We will just have to wait and see.

Thanks all for your kind, underdstanding, light hearted words/ramblings! That's why I love CS!

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Including that the entire second page was mostly (but somewhat on topic) hijacking? Awwww, now nice of you to say so!

 

[nicki25]

Hey at least you will pay less for the room since you will have to split it 5 ways instead of 4. Think of it as extra spending money for Chicago shopping or conference shopping!!!! I would love to have that 5th person to share the cost of the room with.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

<slowly raises hand to volunteer>

 

[MomToEli]

Oh, my gosh, Paulette, I'm in the same spot! It started out there were 3 of us, and then I got an email asking me if I had an air mattress because there are 5! When I said something about feeling a bit uncomfortable with that many people, I was told that it would be better for me to spend my money on my business, instead of a room. And I found out yesterday that our room has ONE bathroom.

I seriously considered finding a bed with someone else, but after talking with my dh about it, decided I didn't want to be seen as anything but a team player. We ended up having to buy a new air mattress anyway for our camping trip last weekend, and it is a nice one - queen sized with that theraputic memory foam on top, 18 inches high (not the foam - the mattress). (At Walmart, Ozark Trail for just under $48, if anyone is interested) I'll sleep on it alone the whole time, thank you very much. And next year - dh will go with me and we will not share a room with anyone.

I so hear you and appreciate your position ...

 

[MomToEli]

Paulette,

In which hotel are you staying? Five in a room at the Palmer House would not be too bad. Five in a room at the Hilton would be horrible. I have never stated at the Sheraton, but then you are down to one bathroom and that would not be good.

The rooms are very small at the Hilton, even though there are two bathrooms. I am not even sure where you could put a roll-a-way or even if you would be allowed to have one. Some hotels do not allow it. Do you know if you Director checked on that? Also, roll-a-ways are not guaranteed, so what will they do if they cannot get one.

I also would be upset if I was told I would be sharing a room with four other women. Hopefully you are at the Palmer House. It really does have a lot more space. At least the rooms we had last year did.

If you have trouble sleeping with other people in the room, the best sleep medicine I have used (over the counter) is found in Tylenol P.M., but you can purchase the 'P.M.' part separate.

Definitely tell you roomates they should bring their ear plugs since you snore. That might get rid of a roomate or two! Hehehe!

Good luck!
Lisa

Oh, great ... we are at the Hilton. I am going to be incredibly irritated if we haul this heavy air mattress and there isn't even room in the room for it ...

 

[MomToEli]

I sent an email to my director to see if anyone has bothered to check if the mattress will fit. I have that anxious feeling creeping up in the pit of my stomach ...

 

[etteluap70PC]

Sandy,

I sooo hear you on the TEAM player thing! I sooooo want to email my dir and tell her how displeased I am but I do not want to seem like a b**ch. Next year I think I will book my own room and get my own roomies.

My hubby finally got home and I told him about it. He said "see thats why guy's dont room together! And If I were you I'd be finding the closest motel 6 and learning the buss route" Yeah that sounds like even less fun! Gotta love a guy's reasoning!

 

[pamperedlinda]

I sent an email to my director to see if anyone has bothered to check if the mattress will fit. I have that anxious feeling creeping up in the pit of my stomach ...

I stayed at the Hilton last year in a 2/2. There were 4 of us and my director brought her own air mattress (so, I had my own bed....woo hoo!). Her air mattress was a twin size and it fit on the floor at the foot of my bed.....there was no extra room to walk around! If your room is the same size as mine was, I highly doubt you will have room for a larger mattress unless you can somehow re-arrange the furniture - which is quite large and heavy and already takes-up 90% of the floor space.

On a second note, I would be very pissed if this was my room.....5 women and 1 bathroom.....no way! You will save some money, but IMHO, not enough to warrant the hassle.

 

[pamperedlinda]

................... I was told that it would be better for me to spend my money on my business, instead of a room. ................

huh? In what way is this a viable and reasonable answer? I can't stand it when someone makes decisions for me and then tries to tell me how good it will be for me.

 

[etteluap70PC]

I was told that it would be better for me to spend my money on my business, instead of a room. ....

WOW that's pretty bold!

Personally I would rather have a more comphy stay and enjoy my time away from home. Not alot of extra money arround here right now but I'd rather be a bit broke for another month than to be cranky the whole time.

 

[etteluap70PC]

I have that anxious feeling creeping up in the pit of my stomach ...

Me too! And if you knew me better you would understand how that is really not a good thing!

 

[Shawnna]

Sandy, I think it was quite rude for them to tell you about spending money on your business and not your room. This is your business and nobody has the right to tell you how to run it. Yes, it will save you money for there to be 5 people, but if you are uncomfortable you will not rest and not be able to gather all the info you might otherwise be able to gather. I am sorry, but a trip to NC is not only a business decision for me, but it is also my vacation and time for myself. Selfish or not, I want to be able to rest. I live every day on 4 or 5 hours of sleep because of all the comittments I have on a daily basis. This is my time and nobody will tell me what I need to do for my business. Hopefully you will be able to make it work for you. While I would not mind 5 in the room...I have 3 kids...2 teenagers...so I am used to that. However, if you aren't used to that already it could be tough.

 

[MomToEli]

huh? In what way is this a viable and reasonable answer? I can't stand it when someone makes decisions for me and then tries to tell me how good it will be for me.

Yeah, I know. I was a bit put off by it myself. My director is a nice, but a bit, um, quirky. I should probably wait until after conference to confront this too much, since I'm riding with 3 of them. At least I think it is 3. I asked several days ago if there was going to be room in the van for the mattress - it's the size of a small suitcase!

I told her in the email that I am NOT willing to sleep on the floor of the hotel room. I guess if one of them wants to, okay by me ... Well, not really.

We are parking at the HO and doing the Park and Ride thing. I was cool with that - until I found out it was costing me $20 to ride the shuttle bus.

Sandy, Sandy ... next year will be different ...

 

[MomToEli]

WOW that's pretty bold!

Personally I would rather have a more comphy stay and enjoy my time away from home. Not alot of extra money arround here right now but I'd rather be a bit broke for another month than to be cranky the whole time.

Yeah. I know exactly what you mean. And I'm at the age where things can get just a bit edgy ... if you know what I mean.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

We are parking at the HO and doing the Park and Ride thing. I was cool with that - until I found out it was costing me $20 to ride the shuttle bus.

But it would also cost you at least $30 per night to store (park) your car at a downtown hotel and you'd never be able to use it.

 

[MomToEli]

But it would also cost you at least $30 per night to store (park) your car at a downtown hotel and you'd never be able to use it.

That's worse than Kansas City. Of course, if there really ARE 5 of us, that's $100 bucks ... and the parking would be $90. I don't mind riding the shuttle, so long as I don't have to hold my luggage on my lap ...

 

[MomToEli]

I will admit right up front that I'm a bit of a hotel snob. Spoiled is a better word. I really wouldn't think much of paying for a room for just me at that rate - usually do (or just me and hubby, or maybe me and one other), unless we are only going to be using it for a few hours, then all bets are off. Anyway, I don't do the lower end motels - once a company I was doing a consulting job for put me up in a hotel where I could hear the drunk basketball game watching guys - did I say they were drunk? - go pee. Do you have ANY idea how often drunk guys - lots of them - go pee?

The next morning they moved me to a better scale hotel. I've stayed in 4 and 5 stars ever since.

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

I've been in some of those places that have rooms like jail cells. The rooms at a MicroTel I was in once were so small, you had to climb over the bed to get to the bathroom. I've been in Motel 8's that were so bad that calling them dumps is an insult to landfills all over the world. In fairness, many Motel 8's are wonderful places that rival the best places.I now limit myself to certain brands of hotel for the very reasons you mention. They're predictable.

 

[MomToEli]

Yep. I can remember staying at some place where the walls were made of concrete block ... Oh, you know, that place with the rising (or is it setting?) sun ... black and yellow sign ... can't think of it to save me. I know it when I see it, though, and run the other way ...

Then there is the time we were at the Ramada in downtown Atlanta - paid a pretty penny for the room. I had bug bites all over my forearms when I woke up after having them stuck under my pillow while I slept. The head of housekeeping went in and "looked" under the sheets. Didn't see bugs so they didn't feel the need to comp the room ... said I must be allergic to detergent.

Econolodge? No, that's not it ...

Days Inn! That's it!

 

[MomToEli]

Oh, and TKG, you'll like this one ...

My last husband was an over the road truck driver. I was riding with him and we decided to stop around St Louis for the night. We were bopping along and saw that one of the drivers from the same company was staying at this place - he was a nice, family guy. His wife was with him - they were quite a bit older than us. Anyway, I just didn't catch a clue when the guy at the front desk asked us if we wanted the room by the night or by the hour

There was NO phone in the room (in the days before cell phones), the shower was a metal shower stall and there were (gulp) mirrors on the ceiling and behind the bed Oh, and I'm way too polite to talk about what was available on tv. Let's just say there was no news and no Miami Vice.

The next morning we stepped out of the room the same time this other guy and his wife did. We told them the only reason we checked in was we thought it had to be a decent place if THEY were staying there ...

 

[The_Kitchen_Guy]

Bottom line...was it his wife?(And where in St. Louis is that place? I'm going to be there for awhile next Fall. Hehehehehehe.)

 

[cmdtrgd]

I know that you are upset and aren't looking forward to the 5 to a room. However, you don't want this to overshadow the amazing time you will have at NC. Get your gripes out here and let it go before NC - you'll be glad you did. And, you will get your own room and roomies next year! You never know why you have a 5th person unless you ask. Was it for money issues, can't find another room (a few were offered on this site, so it could possibly be fixed), the only way a new consultant would go? Ask and see if it is a good reason. Let the person who told you know that you weren't happy with having the decision made for you because (your reasons listed here) and you would appreciate being involved in any other decisions on travel and lodging in the future. HTH

 

[PamperChefCarol]

I can't believe all the stuff in this thread.

First of all, putting a 5th in a 4 person room is a rip off to the hotel. And bringing your own mattress, what is up with that? I would be embrassed to do that. How can anyone be so bold as to suggest that that is a good idea. I am all about saving a buck, believe me I am dirt broke at this point in my life, but that doesn't mean you cheat a business. Plus, to put a 5th in the room with out consulting the entire group is just rude.

That being said, I love going to conference and I would say, make the best of it. Think of it as a bad camping trip. It rains, the tent leaks, the bugs are monsters, but hey, the s'mores are worth it.

If you are a drinker, I would say, pack your own bottle of wine, or whatever. If not, there is always chocolate! Figure out how much money you are saving with #5 and buy yourself something fun.

 

[MomToEli]

TKG - yes, it was his wife - or at least the woman he passed off as his wife all those other times ...

No matter what, I AM going to have a good time at NC. I don't know about Paulette, but I'm taking notes on what NOT to do. I'd imagine that they (my director and advance director - they are sisters) had been trying to get people to go and no one was going until me. Then suddenly two others said they would go. I agree, its is ripping off the hotel, and tacky. I'm supposed to bring my own sheets ...

Paulette, I had really managed to block this from my mind until now...

 

[etteluap70PC]

Yep. I can remember staying at some place where the walls were made of concrete block ... Oh, you know, that place with the rising (or is it setting?) sun ... black and yellow sign ... can't think of it to save me. I know it when I see it, though, and run the other way ...

Then there is the time we were at the Ramada in downtown Atlanta - paid a pretty penny for the room. I had bug bites all over my forearms when I woke up after having them stuck under my pillow while I slept. The head of housekeeping went in and "looked" under the sheets. Didn't see bugs so they didn't feel the need to comp the room ... said I must be allergic to detergent.

Econolodge? No, that's not it ...

Days Inn! That's it!

I was going to say DAYS INN! after reading your first paragraph.... yup that's it!

 

[etteluap70PC]

Paulette, I had really managed to block this from my mind until now...

I also am making a list of what not to do....


Soooo Sory if I brought up something upsetting for you! It was not my intention!








Skulking away in shame...

 

[MomToEli]

I also am making a list of what not to do....


Soooo Sory if I brought up something upsetting for you! It was not my intention!


Skulking away in shame...

Oh, my dear ... you have NOTHING to apologize for or feel shameful for! First off, if I didn't think about it today, it is soon enough going to jump up and grab me by the rear end and MAKE me think about it July 8 is fast approaching!

Second, this is not a life shattering event. Uncomfortable at worst. We WEILL get through it. Worse case scenario - someone else in my room will be sleeping on the floor - it won't be me

So, you just stop worrying about me. I'm sorry that I took over YOUR thread!

Now, come on over here to the living room, sit in this nice comfy chair, put your feet up and let's have a nice cup of hot tea. Constant Comment is a favorite ... will that do? Let's chat about all the GREAT stuff we are going to learn at NC ...

 

[etteluap70PC]

Oh, my dear ... you have NOTHING to apologize for or feel shameful for! First off, if I didn't think about it today, it is soon enough going to jump up and grab me by the rear end and MAKE me think about it July 8 is fast approaching!

Second, this is not a life shattering event. Uncomfortable at worst. We WEILL get through it. Worse case scenario - someone else in my room will be sleeping on the floor - it won't be me

So, you just stop worrying about me. I'm sorry that I took over YOUR thread!

Now, come on over here to the living room, sit in this nice comfy chair, put your feet up and let's have a nice cup of hot tea. Constant Comment is a favorite ... will that do? Let's chat about all the GREAT stuff we are going to learn at NC ...

OHHHHH Constant Comment is my FAVE!!!!!!

Ok phew.... all is well! you are right not earth shattering just uncomfortable... No worries about the Hijak!!! I am just glad to know there is someone who understands!

I sent a msg to my dir. to let her know how I felt. I was very nice but I can not hide my feelings. It's just not me.....

here is my message:

First I need to say that I am soooo excited for conference that I almost can't stand it. Also I am looking froward to meeting you again and getting to know the others.

That said I have to say I wish I had been consulted about the 5th person in the room. I do not travel allot and when I do I like it to be a leisurely experience. If I remember right the rooms at the Hilton are not that big and it will be crowded. I know it's only 1 extra person so I will deal with it because I need this conference!

I do not mean this message to be a downer or for you to change plans. I just needed you to know how I feel since I have been stressing about it since I got your email yesterday.

 

[chefjeanine]

Oh, great ... we are at the Hilton. I am going to be incredibly irritated if we haul this heavy air mattress and there isn't even room in the room for it ...

Prepare to be incredibly irritated, I don't think it will fit. The rooms at the Hilton are small. They do allow for roll-aways -- that bed is a twin. I've been in a room with five people for one night (last year) and it's just too chaotic for me. I can't imagine what it would have been like with only one bathroom.