All Well that Ends Well

Five years ago I decided to surprise my girlfriend Karen with a Jacuzzi suite in my town's local Embassy Suites Hotel. I booked the suite and got everything I would need: dinner, candles, chocolates, and champagne- the works.

I usually stayed at the Sheraton, but I thought, based on a friend's recommendation to try somewhere new. It started out great. The front desk clerk told me that the hotel allowed early check in, (2pm) instead of the normal 4pm. I arrived at 2pm ready to setup for the evening to end all evenings. I was informed by another front desk clerk (who conveniently didn't know who was working the day before when I called) that they weren't allowing early check in today. I should have known trouble was coming.

I returned at 4pm checked in. I opened the door to the suite, "This is really cool!" I thought. The hotel staff had placed roses on top of the TV, two crystal champagne glasses on the table, and three candles lining the Jacuzzi bathtub. This was unexpected and temporarily made forget my earlier experience at the front desk.

I went about unplugging the phones, hiding remotes, loading my CD's in the player, and lighting my candles. I placed little chocolate hearts I had purchased on the bed.

I gave the room one last look over; making sure everything was to my liking. I noticed an old battered "boombox" under the desk. I thought maybe the maid had left it. I had worked at Motel 6 a couple of summers and remembered it was the practice of the housekeeping staff to play music while cleaning rooms. No big deal, I thought.

I picked up Karen and told her we were going to a couples party I found out about that morning. I pretended not to remember the room number as we wondered the halls of the hotel. "Listen at the doors," I instructed as I quickly opened our room. Needless to say Karen was surprised. I started our Jacuzzi complete with bubbles.

We were "relaxing" when suddenly there was a knock at the door. Before I could get dressed, the door began to open. Thank goodness for the chain. I yelled out "Hold on." It was a member of the hotel staff. I threw on some clothes, tossed Karen a blanket and went to the now slightly ajar door.

I looked through the peep hole and saw two women with groceries bags, two men and the front desk clerk. I opened the door. One of the women said, "Excuse me, this is our room!" I was at a loss for words.

It turns out that those roses, champagne glasses and candles were theirs. The beat up old radio, that was theirs also. The hotel had double booked the suite. The clerk asks if we would allow these people to come in and collect their belongings. Did we have a choice? Turns out even though the hotel staff was not supposed to allow early check-ins, someone at the front desk (perhaps the woman I spoke with yesterday) gave these couples their keys allowing them to deposit a few belongings. There I was with my girl, half dressed, ready to be romantic and suddenly I have hotel staff standing by as strangers walk around picking over our things. I thought this couldn't get worse. Then it did.

Twenty minutes later another knock at the door. The couples had returned. I quickly looked around to see what they might have forgotten. I didn't see anything. Karen at this point had dressed and begun watching CSI Miami. I answered the door. Turns out the hotel not only overbook the suite, but the hotel as well. What started out as the romantic evening to end all evenings ended up the very couples's party I had earlier pretended we were attending.

You night think this Valentines Day was a total disaster. It wasn't. Karen (now my wife) and I did eventual get "romantic"-in the Jacuzzi and conceived my daughter, Tasha. The other couples? All were in our wedding (held at the Sheraton) and currently serve as Tasha's Godparents.