Economy and Closing Lodging

The economy has an impact that travelers may not realize. In recent months, we have had hundreds of AllStays listed bed and breakfast and small motels close down. They have shuttered their doors and ended business. Only a few of these are listed for sale. And sales are probably not likely. We remove the listings as we find out about closings. However, many bed and breakfasts sell gift certificates for their businesses. Other bed and breakfast websites sell these in connection with some B&Bs as well.

In the current state of the economy, we recommend not buying these gift certificates. You never know when a place will close down. They may or may not honor gift certificates. And even if they eventually honor the certificate, it may not be worth the hassle to you or your loved ones.

Hotel Desk Chairs Are Office Store Rejects

Hotels catering to business travelers may have many things. They have coffee, ironing boards, bags for laundry, desks and lamps. So why can't they have a decent desk chair? In all my travels and countless nights in hotels working on a laptop, I can only think of a couple of times where the desk chair was even remotely close to being usable. There are several kinds of chairs that you'll find at your hotel desk when you check in.

A comfortable chair. Great. I'll fall asleep before I can sit up straight and actually work. The hotel that has this chair at your desk probably also has massage therapy. You will need to pay for that for your back the next day.

The Willy Wonka chair. A desk chair that sits lower than those in the children's section at the library. If I'm not careful, I'll bump my chin on my laptop.

The straight back hard Thanksgiving dinner chair. This chair should be at Gramma's house, not at your desk. It is not the correct height for any desk made on planet Earth since 1940.

The desk chair with adjustable levers. We are getting into the 1980s now, maybe even the 1990s. Except these levers are for looks. They are only there to get your hopes up and make you feel like you should turn the chair upside down to figure it out. See above about the back massage services available in the hotel.

The adjustable throne of hope. This ones actually goes up and down. But in the end you are still sitting two inches shorter than you should be.

The bed. This may be the most comfortable if you don't burn your lap or have easily flammable bedding. But the comfort also depends on pillows, the firmness of the bed, and lighting. If you spend too much time in the wrong positions in bed, you may need those aforementioned spa services again.

Advice to hotels: Get a real desk with a real office chair. Business travelers will come and come back again. Also put a power strip so I don't have to climb under and over things to plug devices in. And stop using clear glass desk tops over everything. Optical mice do not work on them. I'm sure they are easier to clean but figure something else out.