Don’t Judge a Motel by It’s Cover

I recently took a long road trip through the Upper Midwest with my sweet dog riding shotgun. I was concerned about finding hotels that would accept Rue without breaking my budget. I usually use an online discount travel site where you bid for rooms and hope for the best. I was pleased to see they listed “pet-friendly” along with other amenities so I placed a bid.

Well.

There’s good news and bad news. I got a motel in the next town ahead for only $37 (which became $7 when tax and fees were included). There would still be a fee (amount uncertain) to pay when I checked in.

The fee was only $10.00, but the bad news was that this place was, shall we say, very humble. It was freshly painted but the multiple layers of paint may have been a structural component of the three old wings of the midcentury building. There was one other car parked diagonally in front of a room. Yikes! This place didn’t look very nice, but the site had already charged my credit card, so this was where we were spending the night.

I went into the office where I found an older couple coaching a young woman on how to register a guest. They smiled and said they hoped I would be patient. A Golden Retriever sat behind the young lady’s chair, whining softly. “Is it okay if she comes out to meet you?” said the man. “She loves to greet everyone, especially if they have a dog.”

It was okay. I passed the sniff test and scratched her ears while I finished the paperwork. The orientee gave me a metal key hanging from a plastic “39” label (like in the old days), then filled me in on the quirks of that room. “It’ll be cool, but the heat is on. Just turn it up a little at a time or it’ll be a sauna in there. Call if you need an extra blanket, or anything. Really.”

The room wasn’t pretty. The carpet was taped. I did need that extra blanket, which was brought promptly, with a smile. Of the four motels I stayed in on my trip, this was where I slept the sweetest.

There, I felt cared for. I pray their humble business prospers.