As promised, I have a feel good story for you (a little delayed, but it's here) from the week of Sandy:
As you know, we had no power in our hotel during Hurricane Sandy. We had a backup generator that powered the exit signs, stairwell lights, and the elevators, but that's it. This left us with no power in the lobby, guest rooms, hallways or offices. As you can imagine, a lot of the guests were not happy with this. Mostly about the shower, or lack there of.
Along with everything mentioned, there was also no power going to the hot water tank, so showering in the hotel was an unpleasant experience, to say the least. The temperature was in the high 30's/low 40's at night that week, so the water was at an almost unbearable temperature.
Luckily, we have some fantastic regular guests in our hotel. There was one in particular that stays with us multiple nights a week, every other week. She's basically part of our family and we give her whatever she needs when she comes in. She was here working on a big project for two weeks already when Sandy hit, and she continued to stay through the week (and another two weeks after that). On Wednesday night (day three of the power outage), she came to the front desk and handed me a room key. I looked at it and saw that it wasn't for our hotel, so I was pretty confused.
After asking me what it's for, she told me that her company wanted her to stay in a hotel with power so they booked a room at a nearby hotel a few blocks North. Unfortunately for her, she has two pugs that are handicapped that she travels with all the time and the new hotel isn't pet friendly. The company paid for the room anyways so she can have a warm room with lights so she can do her work. She told me that since we were stuck in the hotel and couldn't go home and take a proper shower, we can use her spare key when she's not there. We can feel free to shower, sit and watch tv, thaw out. You know, normal life things that we didn't have for a few days.
It was really such a small gesture, but at the same time, it might have been the most satisfying shower I've ever taken. In a time when most guests were getting antsy and frustrated, she was helpful and considerate and we appreciated it more than she knows.
I don't think she'll ever see this, but if she does, thank you!!
