So, in the couple of hours of downtime I actually had this weekend between all the work, work, work, I excitedly tore into the plastic wrapping protecting this month's copy and, with Diet Coke and remote control in hand, sat down to enjoy a few minutes with my latest treasure. If that was not enough, this month's cover title was "The European Issue"! Articles listed on the cover included "Italy's Best Wine Region", "Undiscovered French Country Inns", and "London: Your Insider Guide". OK...alright...sounds like a perfect way to relax.
As I flipped to the center of the magazine to start my perusal, my eyes immediately rested upon the first article in the entire magazine...I mean, first crack out of the barrel. An article on the cleanliness of hotel rooms.
I'll cut to the chase... Sparing you the somewhat sickening details: while most hotel rooms are actually cleaner than our homes, we have developed an immunity to the germs in our own homes...unlike those of even the most low-budget motels to high-tone hotels. After reading about how one should (1) never walk bare feet on carpeting, (2) avoid hotel rooms with heavy draperies, bedspreads, and furnishings, and (3) avoid padded headboards I am convinced that the germs and dustmites are suddenly all around me. The article even went on to advise upon initial entry to your room, to immediately take off your bedspread, fold it in inside out, and store in a corner, wear your hotel-provided slippers everywhere, and bring your own mattress cover to put under the hotel sheets...what? Am I supposed to add the question "Is your headboard padded?" to the list of questions, such as "Does the hotel room have a hair dryer" and "Does the hotel have a fitness club" to the list of inquiries I make when making a reservation?
Before I move off this subject...don't even ask what germs and "stuff" (I'll leave it at that) the evaluation teams found lurking in the carpeting and on the spreads invisible to the naked eye....enough said.
Oh, it gets better. Apparently, hotel rooms are a breeding ground for E.Coli and Rhino-something or other (the germs that cause the common cold). The article advised to immediately wipe down your room telephone, ice bucket, door handles, hotel booklet (you know the one that has all the hotel information in it), light fixture, alarm clocks and TV remote control with the sanitized hand-wipes you've packed in your suitcases. Yes, I always travel with them. Don't you?
And finally, there is the bathroom...yes, apparently we are always to wear shower shoes in the tub and again sanitize your hands after every hand wash because apparetnly the sinks, toilet, and tubs are once again ...a breeding ground for E.Coli. Again, with limited luggage space, the shower shoes are not on my A-list of suitcase packables...they are right below the mattress pad I always pack.
Made me start to wonder, should I even worry about the mini bar food and the free bottle of water? Eye-yie-yie!
Well, that did it. After slamming the magazine shut, I realized this simple pleasure had been yanked away. I was better never having read opened to magazine.
The ultimate question in my mind is "what I don't know can't really hurt me...or can it?
3 comments:
See, Carrie is always in you, just waiting to get out! so - how about the best wine region in Spain and the best things to do in London - hope you get to explore some of the latter this weekend!
COnfused Swiss - you should have rad the article...it was kinda alarming.
Confused Swiss - BTW - did not read the best wine region in Spain or best things to do in London articles as the "germ" article caused me to put it down.
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