Originally Posted by
downtube42
At my hotel, the clerk informed me my prepaid room had been forfeited since I didn't show before midnight, and was occupied - as was the entire hotel. Evidently one has to inform hotels, even if a room is prepaid, of a late arrival. Dumbfounded, I said I'd just ridden 240 miles and was going to sleep somewhere. She gave me a blanket and pillow, and pointed me to a quiet area outside the conferences rooms. Without a shower, I changed into the next day's clothing, laid down on a sofa, and went lights out in about 5 seconds. Slept like a baby.
I had almost the same experience on my 600k a couple weeks ago. When I got to the town before the town where the hotel was, I called and was told my room had been given to someone else because I wasn't there by midnight. The guy was frustrated because he had been trying to reach me (my phone was off) but then felt really bad. I told him I was about 10 miles out and would be there as soon as I could and I needed any room, didn't matter what it was. When I got there, turns out that he had actually driven to the town where I had been, looking for me to pick me up and bring me to the hotel (he took a different road, thankfully, and I didn't mention that I wouldn't have been able to take the ride if he had found me). He had booked me a (nicer) room at a sister hotel for the same price and said he'd have put me up in the guest room at his house before leaving me with nothing.