Our $6,000 Vacation Upgrade for Free

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It felt like a scene in a movie. There was no handle to flush the toilet in my old-fashioned hotel room in Washington, DC. Pressing the giant knob embedded in the wall did nothing. But when I kicked it gently, the 19th century plumbing erupted with a bang. The toilet turned into Niagara Falls, spewing water in a raging whirl. There was no valve anywhere to shut the water off. In seconds the bathroom was flooded. In a panic I called housekeeping, but it was 6:30 in the morning and the night attendant spoke Spanish only.

Splashing in water, I called the front desk and yelled the room number at the sleepy night attendant. Five minutes later there was a knock at my door.

I waded across the room, still picking up my things off the soggy carpet. A river streamed under the door as I flung it open. The hotel manager was there, looking pale. Two attendants were with him, and they quickly rescued my belongings as I was led to a dry room down the corridor.

"We're renovating," the manager explained. "The whole hotel will be redone, plumbing included." He apologized profusely and asked if I would come and see him after my day's outing. He didn't wish to delay me now.

Leaving the hotel, I saw a waterfall streaming down the building, pouring out of the balcony of my former room.

In the afternoon, I walked into the lobby and the manager came to greet me. "I have a new room for you. It's one of our renovated suites. No one has stayed in it before. A complimentary upgrade to make up for this morning." And he gave me the key.

I passed by my old room on my way to the luxury suite. There was a "Wet Floor" caution sign in the corridor. The door to the room was wide open, so I could see that the room was completely stripped. All the furniture was gone, as well as the carpet and drapes. The small room seemed even smaller.

At the end of the corridor was a wide wooden door. I unlocked it and entered my free luxury upgrade. I had never seen a hotel room this large. In the tiled foyer was a fruit bowl on a glass table. The living room and dining room beyond were decorated in oriental furniture with soothing earth tones. Another door at the back led to a spacious bedroom and a marble bath with a Jacuzzi and shower.

I remembered that hotel rooms listed the room's price on the front door. I went to see how much this suite costs a night. It was $2,000, six times the price I paid for my room. My vacation disaster turned my three night stay in Washington, DC, into a luxury trip worth $6,000.

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