Daniel

A stop in Conway for an ASE test, then off to Charlotte to pick up my new car. Swap everything over and it’s off to Greenville, SC. because Asheville still has area’s with limited services. Get to the embassy Suites on Riverplace and it’s off to the reception. It’s nice, cocktails and snacks. snacks are always the same but nonetheless, a snack. Two drinks and it’s up to “Up On The Roof” one of the hotel restaurants (Ruth’s Chris is the other) An order of the Deviled Eggs and a Smash burger and it’s a wrap (The smash Burger is nothing to rave about, very dry and tasteless) Bartenders are great, their friendly and fast! Wednesday it’s up to Asheville for my investigation. 159 pictures and a Data collection and it’s back to Charlotte because I left my gate opener in my old car. A 3:27pm arrival in Charlotte, grab what I forgot and another 3 hour ride home. Been a long day and week considering I was supposed to be on vacation until the end of the year. And now comes the holidays. It’s December 19th, Christmas is less than a week away and I haven’t done a thing. OK, enough blogging, time to get to work. The staff (me) @ HotelHiccups.com would like to wish all of our readers and followers a very happy holiday season and a safe and prosperous new year! Stay safe, happy & healthy!

Went to NJ for work and it was a wild week to say the least. Started with no hot water at the hotel on Tuesday morning. That sucks, cold showers are the worst. Work was good, learned some new things (Yes, an old dog like me can still learn new tricks) that will assist in my daily work! Last night in town, I joined my co-workers for dinner at Victor’s Pub. Story there is it used to be the original Victrola Record Player Factory. Good food, good drinks, Brianna, our server was awesome and the prices are great. Finished dinner and we began walking back to the hotel (It’s only 4 blocks away) when we encounter a “Crack Head” shouting at us that we’re all “Pedophiles” and he’s going to kick all our asses. There are six of us. Paul is 6’4″ 300 lbs and Dan is 6’2″ 255 lbs. Crack Head was 5’9″ 170 lbs soaking wet. Not a good matchup. As we continued walking and he continued screaming, we called his bluff and invited him over to a good old fashioned “Ass Kicking”. He swore he was going to kick all our asses until one of my co-workers going through a bad divorce suggested he go while he still could, as he was an angry man and nothing would have pleased him more than taking it out on a crack head with a nasty mouth. Needless to say, junior kept going. 4:20AM and it’s time to start moving, the ride is 8.5 hours and DC always adds to that. 5:02 AM and I’m on the road. Fill the tank and begin the ride south. Down almost to DC when I encounter my first ever “Karen” The woman is driving an early 2000’s Toyota 4Runner and switching lanes every 2 seconds and 100 feet to get ahead of everyone else. Well, I guess I wasn’t fast enough because after flashing her lights at me 20 times and then getting along side me, she starts screaming, yelling, flailing her arms and generally acting like an asshole. After I stopped laughing I continues my ride. DC added 1.5 to the ride but by 3:21PM, I was home and into a cold Corona. Stay safe, happy and healthy!

Weather is weird lately, it was very very cold for the Carolina’s most of the week. It was in the 30’s with snow in some areas. Today it’s going to be in the high 50’s but the wind is howling 20 -40mph. Friday and the weekend seem semi normal for this time of year. Leaving for NJ in the morning. Have work in Camden but staying at the Waterfront Hilton. One of the better Hilton’s! Hope the ride is uneventful and the crazies stay home! Fingers crossed DC traffic is light and the Express Lanes are with me (They always seem to be going the opposite direction when I need them) and it always seems like DC adds an hour or three to the ride. I get to visit with mom for a few days (She’s 93) so that will be nice. Follow us for our Road Warrior adventures! Stay safe, happy & healthy.

Another week gone by. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving, ate lots of great food, watched Football (If that’s your game) and relaxed. Monday it’s off on another adventure, this time it’s Columbia, and Greenville, SC. Columbia can be a challenge for good hotels. Many of the Hilton properties in Columbia are in need of updating and new furnishings. Last stay included a Wasps Nest on the balcony (Not good, I’m allergic). Greenville however, has a hotel I love overlooking the River. They have a Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse on-site. The hotel has an evening reception every night including snacks, and drinks. Because of Greenville’s nightlife and downtown atmosphere, it has many great Hilton properties to choose from. Check them out! Next it’s off to Camden, NJ for work! The Hilton Waterfront hotel is one of the better Hilton properties with a real bar and restaurant. A bit pricey for Camden but it is the waterfront. Look for updates when I return. Please be careful on the roads. The weather has begun to change in much of the country, it’s colder, it’s darker much earlier and the snow is coming! Add in the Office / Christmas / Holiday parties and unfortunately drinking and driving is guaranteed (Please don’t! Use a designated driver or call Uber, way better for everyone and way cheaper than a DUI). Add in distracted driving and it raises the ante ten fold! Stay safe, happy and healthy!

My beautiful Samsung Range had some corrosion inside the Digital Control Panel. I contacted the extended service plan, Assurant and asked for a service call. Long story short, they cannot locate my account, to bad, nothing they can do for me. Frustrated, I give up. Two months later I get an email asking me to renew my “Protection Plan” with Assurant. Someone knows I have an account, right? I write a letter to the “Office of the President” and he passes it off to the Executive Team at Assurant to resolve. I speak with a wonderful woman, Kimberly and she figures out some issues and restores my account and arranges a service call. Yesterday, two guys show up (Maybe a father son team) for the repair. After watching them for over 12 minutes yank, pull and pry on everything it’s apparent they have no clue what they’re doing. They removed the Control Knobs with a Channel Lock Pliers and now they’re ruined as well. They continue and finally remove the Control Panel. While taking it apart they break it. Now after an hour and a half of watching 100% total incompetence, they tell me they have to get another Control Panel Knob and that it will be after Thanksgiving. After I fall off my chair I say, “That’s not acceptable, it’s two days before Thanksgiving and now I have no stove” Gentleman answers “Well then you better get on the phone and call” So I did. Now that “FISCHER APPLIANCE” ruined my holiday, Kimberly @ Assurant stepped up and offered me a credit to get a new Range. Awesome, except I still don’t have one for the biggest food holiday of the year! The Staff @ Hotel Hiccups would like to wish all it’s readers and followers a safe, happy and health Thanksgiving! Ps: DON’T EVER USE FISCHER APPLIANCE REPAIR FROM HORRY COUNTY, SC.

Is it me or do Truckers seem to drift across lanes far more than they used to? I find when coming along side and passing truckers it seems we are very close to a collision or at least a missing Mirror. I find myself leaning on the horn often which does no good, other than to get a dirty look or a finger gesture. Today with everyone and everything being connected it seems no one pays attention. I’ve witnessed people reading, playing a musical instrument (A Flute) snoozing (Mostly Tesla driver’s) Texting (that’s a big one) Reading or Responding to Emails and of course Eating. For those not aware, you can receive a ticket from an officer for any of the above actions including eating, yes, eating while driving can get you a ticket. They normally issue a “Reckless Driving or Distracted Driving” ticket which is very expensive. Keep your eyes on the road and be safe. Next week see’s a bit of a break. It’s Thanksgiving week and I’ll be on vacation. Nice to get off the road for a week. December brings me back and will hit the ground running for a trip to Jersey. Happy Thanksgiving to all our followers. Stay Safe, Happy & Healthy!

This week was an eye opener. I was in Asheville, NC. and Hendersonville, NC. both towns devastated by the recent hurricane and I got to view the damage first hand. Because of still dealing with “Non-Potable Water” the restaurants cannot use real utensils, you have to be careful not to ingest too much water when bathing, and restaurants and hotels can’t make ice so no fountain sodas or drinks. This makes traveling to those towns tough. They need the tourist dollars but there’s limited menus at most restaurants and cutting a nice steak with plastic utensils can ruin a good meal. Many roads are back open but there is devastation everywhere. Trees down, people’s belongings 30 – 40 feet up in the trees (Yes, the water rose that high in some areas) cars, trucks, and trailers strewn everywhere they don’t belong, electrical wires down and crews working to restore utilities. Entire structures gone, the Asheville Starbucks, gone! flattened! The community is pulling together and neighbors are helping neighbors. FEMA and Work crews are on the ground, first responders are still staged and there to help. It’s sad but NC will recover and move forward. If able give to the Red Cross. They need every type of donation, including Blood, Food, Clothing, Pet Food, Transportation, etc. Please HELP! Stay Safe, Happy & Healthy

Asheville may not have been a good idea. The devastation along I-26 is visible for miles. Downed trees, damaged home and cars, Power Poles down and workers everywhere. Trucks are staged along the Highway and into town. The hotel I’m in is staging for 1st Responders. Currently the hotel has no running water and that presents a major issue (No bathroom) Also they need to alert people that many restaurants are closed. I thought I was being smart by calling yesterday and was not told of about any of this. I wanted to support the local businesses. I get it, shit happens but because my schedule is flexible, I would have skipped the area and come back after further recovery. I will leave in the morning if necessary. Now for dinner? Not sure what’s available so a ride it is. Speaking of rides; It’s getting more crazy on the highways. Trucker’s not paying attention to the road and drifting across lanes and off the sides of the road, not to mention running right up on your rear bumper, amatuer race driver’s who think passing within 1-2 feet is safe and those that instead of paying attention and understanding they are operating a “Killing Machine” are staring at their phones. It’s out of control and we need some minimal enforcement to cut down on “Distracted Driving” I don’t want to become a statistic because of stupidity. Stay Safe, Happy & Healthy!

It was back to traveling last week and Davidson, NC. was the destination. While the hotel is OK, it’s the staff that keeps me returning. Desk staff is efficient and friendly. Bartender is friendly, nice and engaging (Super good Jeopardy player). As for the hotel, it’s old and outdated. There’s plenty of parking but there’s no outdoor area. No play area for the kiddo’s and no pet area for the furry friends (They allow pets) They do have a pool and a gym and generally the hotel is clean. Unfortunately it’s also old. While they are slowly updating, the furniture is old and in poor condition, the bed is old, HVAC systems are uneven and it’s either way too hot or too cold. Very hard to get it just right. The hotel does offer Balcony Rooms and I love that feature. Not many hotels left with windows that open for fresh air or true balconies you can sit out on. Living on the road in hotels with no access to fresh air stinks! Most rooms are musty or sprayed with Febreeze to mask the smell. That brings me to the hotel shower. Whoever at Hilton thought it’s better to get rid of the small Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Lotion, and Mouthwash should be reassigned. The system used now is a 3 bottle system mounted on the shower wall. First, it is way too high for comfort If you’re a young child or a petite person. It’s definitely an adventure to work the pumps. Next, the housekeeper’s often overlook refilling them and once in the shower it’s too late (No, I don’t check them when I get into my room, yes my bad) and the final straw, towels! Most hotels have cut back on the number of towels provided. Stop, that sucks! Refill 3 large, 3 medium and 3 small. Bring back the small Soap, Shampoo, Conditioner, Body Lotion, and Mouthwash and train the housekeeping staff about recycling. Meals; the worst thing about life on the road these days! This particular hotel does not have a full restaurant but offers Breakfast (Terrible) and sometimes an Evening reception. While those perks are nice, better quality would do wonders! Powered Eggs are gross, the prior evenings’ receptions Pulled Pork and Sausage should never be on the following days breakfast menu (Throw it out if you made too much, don’t reheat and reserve) and be conscious of the area. When I looked for Orange Juice, the container was empty (Yes, you help yourself) and the staff was sitting and playing on their phones instead of refilling empty items. I must admit the Blueberries were awesome! Until my next adventure, stay Safe, Happy and Healthy!

Today’s hotel rooms are not designed by anyone who spends time in them. From Sliding Barn Bathroom Doors that will “Smash” your hand if you’re not quick, to the change to “Pump Bottle Soap, Shampoo & Conditioner” which is you’re not 5’10” or more is a pain in the butt to use. They mount them way too high for small adults or children to use comfortably or properly. Couple that with how often housekeeping forgets to refill them and they’re a bad idea! The newer builds seems to use “Thin” or poor sound quality glass. Way too many hotels near the interstates make sleeping tough when the trucks roar by all night long. Add to that, cheap walls and doors and all you hear is noise all night long. I do love the new signs about “Quiet Time” from 10:00pm to 6:00am. Those are respected! HVAC Systems. These are the worst. I swear the ones in the rooms I stay in know when I’m sleeping. Seems they’re throttled back by the hotel to conserve costs between midnight and five or six in the morning. Often wake to find it 5 or 6 degrees hotter then the setting at 3:00am. Weirde, huh? Windows. Moving forward, I beg all hotels to have Windows that OPEN! It’s hard to breathe stale air all the time. Allow windows to open and fresh to come in. It will save on Air Freshner!