rev:text
| - I've stayed at Microtels in the past, and they were clean and a great bargain. This one was in a class of its own...an entirely different kind of experience.
The chubby receptionist looked sad. When I noticed a little hole in her uniform exposing her pasty belly flesh, I felt bad for her as I assumed that the owners were probably not paying her enough to buy a new one. The elevator appeared banged up inside with blotches all over its carpet. As the doors opened onto the 3rd floor, the oppressive smell of cigarette ash and stale curry lingered throughout the dingy hallway, yet there was no Indian restaurant nearby! Brown carpet stains of varying shades continued from the elevator to my room at the end of the hall.
A wall of freezing coldness engulfed me as I entered my room. Mysteriously, the maid left the window wide open in the dead of winter! After I slid the window shut, it became obvious why they had to ventilate it. The musty stench of sweat, fermented urine, and shower curtain mildew filled the air. Usually, I have no problem walking around a hotel room with bare feet, but in this case, I was too disgusted by the filthy carpet and strange curly hairs shed all over the bathroom floor.
I asked for a new room on the pretext that the odors were making me ill and was assigned a different one on the 3rd floor. Inside the new room, it was less smelly, but the carpet and the bathroom were just as gross and dirty as the last. The sheets and pillows had interesting yellow-brown marks and smelled like B.O. I became really concerned about the sanitation of this place and started inspecting the mattress for bedbugs. Luckily, I found none.
I then noticed a built-in chaise under the window that consisted of a beat-up stained orange cushion on top of a set of drawers. On a hunch, I yanked open one of the top drawers and behold...there exposed, in all its glory, was a small flat rust-colored ovoid bug lying on its back, struggling helplessly to get away (see photo), like a fetus unceremoniously ripped asunder from a mother's womb and blinded by the light. I can't say for sure what kind of insect this was, but it was definitely not a ladybug. At this point, I concluded it was time to get the fcuk out.
Although I regretted not being around for the complementary breakfast buffet the next morning, I knew that paying a little extra to stay at some other cleaner hotel would be worth it. After explaining to the receptionist why I was checking out, she graciously processed my refund without delay. She mumbled, "I wouldn't stay here either" as I exited that Microtel. To me, that says a lot!
|