Tonight's exercise in frustration: The Homecoming hotel room
Homecoming is coming up, and it's my 20th reunion year. Avery and I have been in discussions about it, in an I'll-go-if-you-go sort of way. I haven't gone to a reunion since our 5th, back when it was held at Lou Malnati's. Our 10th happened when I wasn't working, and was held at a bar, and I did NOT wish to give what precious little money I had to something like that. Poor Avery did go, and she is less into bars than I am; I do not think she had anywhere near a good time. I felt really bad about it, too, because I think she figured I'd be there and I wasn't.
Starting roughly 5 years ago, so around our 15th anniversary, the college started holding all-year reunions in Res/Rec, the new-ish building. (This was where graduation was.) I like this concept but wasn't into going at that time. Now that it's the 20th, egads, I'd like to check it out. I do like that everyone is invited to this, so there's no more trying to figure out where to hold all the individual reunions, and I believe it's likely the actual Homecoming dance, which I've never attended. (I went to one dance in the entirety of my high school and college careers, and it was not during college. And I was forced. Ask me about it later.) (See, if Janus or CSF were still around, they'd totally ask in the comments. If you guys stumble by, say hi.) Avery and I were discussing how to get sat together, and the form to mail in for the dinner said, if you want to be a table host, put down your table people! With room for 10 names. Uh...I only care about sitting with Avery. I'd told her, I'm going to cross out the table host part and keep the "seat me with the following people" part, and write in your name, and there you go. The form did stipulate that all the class of '99 people would be seated together, but who knows how many of them will actually show up...or will be people we know and/or care about.
Here was my dilemma, which I recognized at least a year ago, if not two: I like going to the football games. I'm definitely going to want to go to the Homecoming game this year. And--this is REALLY screwy for this year--it looks like the Homecoming game is the home opener. That makes zero sense and I'm going to have to reach out to Dr. K about that; I honestly thought there was a football game this weekend. (I checked the football schedule and there's no game listed for this coming weekend, home or away, though there was an away game this past weekend and an away game scheduled for the 21st.) Anyway. At a football game, you're outdoors, and it can be hot, so you get sweaty, and I know I'll be covered in sunscreen, and let's face it, I will not be wearing a dress to a football game. Wet Wipes aren't going to cut it--I'm going to want to take a shower and freshen up and do my hair. This would mean getting a hotel room.
Good news: There's a hotel only a few blocks west of school. It's fairly new, only a couple years old.
Better news: They have some sort of partnership with the school so NCC people can get a discount.
Naturally, since it's downtown, it's more expensive than, say, the Hyatts I pass in Warrenville on a daily basis. There's no pool, there's no complimentary breakfast, I'm really spending $200+ for not a whole lot, a king bed and complimentary wifi. But I'll be able to walk there from the game, especially if I park down that way to begin with, and leave my car there because I know full well there will be NO parking to be had any closer to the school. Bonus, the hotel has a shuttle, so I may be able to get out of even having to walk. Going there, I'm not concerned about; but coming back late-ish at night, that doesn't thrill me. Especially in heels.
It's less than three weeks away; I'd better buckle down and do this. I meant to do it a week and a half ago. Okay, click through from NCC's hotel partners page...pick my room, and the least expensive with the NCC rate is $195 plus fees and taxes...click select rate...hey, why is it redirecting me to the general parent company website where I have to start all over? Grr. So I go back to the previous page which shows the NCC rate, try again...nope, it's only sending me to the IHG page. And if you go that way, there's no way to select the NCC rate. I did open up a tab so I could copy and paste the two special codes that came up the first time I did it, but it still didn't get me the $195 rate. GRR.
Attempting to use the automated online assistant to ask questions about the situation? Only confused the automated online assistant.
Attempting to contact the hotel via email using the link on the hotel's website? They don't have an email listed, so you can't, say, copy it into Gmail; it's a link that opens up your computer's built-in email system, which I've never used, so that does me no good.
I finally broke down and called the direct line, except he transferred me to reservations, which clearly was a call center. I will say, the accent the girl had at first started off as kind of Australian or New Zealander, so I sort of imagined I was talking to Rebel Wilson. Toward the end of the call she veered off into something else, which was kind of weird, but at least I was able to get the reservation at the $195 price. I'd mentally set a limit of $200 per night, so this squeaked in under that (not including taxes and fees, of course). And all this for 30 minutes spent online and a 10-minute phone call! Sigh. This had better be worth it.
Starting roughly 5 years ago, so around our 15th anniversary, the college started holding all-year reunions in Res/Rec, the new-ish building. (This was where graduation was.) I like this concept but wasn't into going at that time. Now that it's the 20th, egads, I'd like to check it out. I do like that everyone is invited to this, so there's no more trying to figure out where to hold all the individual reunions, and I believe it's likely the actual Homecoming dance, which I've never attended. (I went to one dance in the entirety of my high school and college careers, and it was not during college. And I was forced. Ask me about it later.) (See, if Janus or CSF were still around, they'd totally ask in the comments. If you guys stumble by, say hi.) Avery and I were discussing how to get sat together, and the form to mail in for the dinner said, if you want to be a table host, put down your table people! With room for 10 names. Uh...I only care about sitting with Avery. I'd told her, I'm going to cross out the table host part and keep the "seat me with the following people" part, and write in your name, and there you go. The form did stipulate that all the class of '99 people would be seated together, but who knows how many of them will actually show up...or will be people we know and/or care about.
Here was my dilemma, which I recognized at least a year ago, if not two: I like going to the football games. I'm definitely going to want to go to the Homecoming game this year. And--this is REALLY screwy for this year--it looks like the Homecoming game is the home opener. That makes zero sense and I'm going to have to reach out to Dr. K about that; I honestly thought there was a football game this weekend. (I checked the football schedule and there's no game listed for this coming weekend, home or away, though there was an away game this past weekend and an away game scheduled for the 21st.) Anyway. At a football game, you're outdoors, and it can be hot, so you get sweaty, and I know I'll be covered in sunscreen, and let's face it, I will not be wearing a dress to a football game. Wet Wipes aren't going to cut it--I'm going to want to take a shower and freshen up and do my hair. This would mean getting a hotel room.
Good news: There's a hotel only a few blocks west of school. It's fairly new, only a couple years old.
Better news: They have some sort of partnership with the school so NCC people can get a discount.
Naturally, since it's downtown, it's more expensive than, say, the Hyatts I pass in Warrenville on a daily basis. There's no pool, there's no complimentary breakfast, I'm really spending $200+ for not a whole lot, a king bed and complimentary wifi. But I'll be able to walk there from the game, especially if I park down that way to begin with, and leave my car there because I know full well there will be NO parking to be had any closer to the school. Bonus, the hotel has a shuttle, so I may be able to get out of even having to walk. Going there, I'm not concerned about; but coming back late-ish at night, that doesn't thrill me. Especially in heels.
It's less than three weeks away; I'd better buckle down and do this. I meant to do it a week and a half ago. Okay, click through from NCC's hotel partners page...pick my room, and the least expensive with the NCC rate is $195 plus fees and taxes...click select rate...hey, why is it redirecting me to the general parent company website where I have to start all over? Grr. So I go back to the previous page which shows the NCC rate, try again...nope, it's only sending me to the IHG page. And if you go that way, there's no way to select the NCC rate. I did open up a tab so I could copy and paste the two special codes that came up the first time I did it, but it still didn't get me the $195 rate. GRR.
Attempting to use the automated online assistant to ask questions about the situation? Only confused the automated online assistant.
Attempting to contact the hotel via email using the link on the hotel's website? They don't have an email listed, so you can't, say, copy it into Gmail; it's a link that opens up your computer's built-in email system, which I've never used, so that does me no good.
I finally broke down and called the direct line, except he transferred me to reservations, which clearly was a call center. I will say, the accent the girl had at first started off as kind of Australian or New Zealander, so I sort of imagined I was talking to Rebel Wilson. Toward the end of the call she veered off into something else, which was kind of weird, but at least I was able to get the reservation at the $195 price. I'd mentally set a limit of $200 per night, so this squeaked in under that (not including taxes and fees, of course). And all this for 30 minutes spent online and a 10-minute phone call! Sigh. This had better be worth it.