South Carolina Sojourn: #2 The Inn at USC
My previous visit to South Carolina was comprised of the cheapest of everything: cheapest flight (which is why I chose to fly to an airport an hour-and-a-half away), cheapest car, and cheapest lodgings. This trip was not quite the opposite, but pretty close. My school is reimbursing me for the majority of the flight and paid my hotel bill. We decided to still rent a car because Aaron wanted to drive around and scope our the area.
We flew directly into Columbia this time, and I only saw commuter jets at the airport which may explain why it is more costly to go there than surrounding airports like Charleston or Charlotte. I knew someone on my plane: Collin, another pre-student whom I met at the October showcase and who caught a flight from SLC to Cincinnati to Columbia. The three of us were met at the airport by a current student, Chelsea, but we needed to get to our rental car agency. The following is what happened once we got to our hotel:
This whole interaction came as a bit of a surprise, since this is the best hotel in Columbia. The one I stayed at the previous time was a shabby Extended Stay America, but I got right into my room and no one messed with my luggage.
We flew directly into Columbia this time, and I only saw commuter jets at the airport which may explain why it is more costly to go there than surrounding airports like Charleston or Charlotte. I knew someone on my plane: Collin, another pre-student whom I met at the October showcase and who caught a flight from SLC to Cincinnati to Columbia. The three of us were met at the airport by a current student, Chelsea, but we needed to get to our rental car agency. The following is what happened once we got to our hotel:
- Our room is not ready. A Kentucky women’s basketball team just checked out. They suggest that we wait until it is.
- We counter that we are going out to dinner at 6 (which is in 10 minutes) and could we please leave our luggage in the room? They hand us keys.
- We see the room and it is a mess. It also smells funky. We do a quick change and leave our luggage, but use the lobby bathroom.
- After dinner, we arrive to find our room door ajar, lights on, uncleaned, and luggage missing. We book it to the front desk and try to contain our anger.
- They have our luggage. Whoever went to clean the room thought that it belonged to the Kentuckians. The people at the front desk had such a short-term memory that they forgot that we had put it in there.
- They go back and forth with housekeeping trying to get the room clean. One clerk at the front desk is ineffectual and does not stress to housekeeping that we are WAITING (foot-tapping antsy) and the other, better clerk is busy with the phone and with the chaperone of a high-school group.
- We reclaim our luggage and sit in the lobby, taking out our books and computer and decide to make ourselves at home.
- The incompetent clerk comes out and asks if we’re having dinner. You can tell that she’s excited about giving us some sort of incentive for the distress and lack of comfort caused by this minor-fiasco. I reply that I’m going to the Capital City Club the next night, knowing that it’s one of the most exclusive restaurants in town. Well that took her aback somewhat, but she was thrilled to offer us a free appetizer to Mr. Friendly’s. That did not inspire the reaction she was hoping for, and she gave us a second coupon.
- She comes out again, a few minutes later bringing “Good news and some bad news.” Bad news: we’d have to share the same bed. Oh, the bad news is a joke. The good news is that we’ve been comp’ed to a king suite and I made sure that we would have it all three nights.
This whole interaction came as a bit of a surprise, since this is the best hotel in Columbia. The one I stayed at the previous time was a shabby Extended Stay America, but I got right into my room and no one messed with my luggage.