On a lighter side...

Starch

...so, I'm at this hotel for a two-day seminar, right (actually a two-day continuing education session for license renewal requirements)? Nothing fancy, just a regular old run-of-the-mill Holiday Inn in Toledo. I arrived and checked in, and the desk clerk hands me my room key-card, yada yada yada. The parking at this place is REALLY screwed up - you pull into the main entrance area, but the main parking lot is on the backside of the building. Desk clerk tells me that "Tom" will help me with my "luggage," and then I can pull around back to park my car. My luggage consists of one overnite bag, my laptop, a briefcase, three days worth of newspapers I haven't been able to read, and several loose-leaf binders (I'm gonna get some WORK done while I'm here, dammit!

"Tom" meets me outside, with one of those luggage carts, and I throw all my stuff at him. Now, mind you, I could have carried all of this up to my room, but it would have required at least three trips in the elevator. He tells me he'll meet me at my room.

I park the car, come in the back door of the hotel, ride the elevator up to my floor, and walk down the hall to my room. When I get there, the door is open, all my stuff is in the room, and Tom tells me that I'm good to go. He then informs me that he turned the heat down, because the room seemed a little warm. Oh, and by the way, he also ran down the hall and filled my ice bucket for me, just in case. Is this great service or what??

So, I'm thinking I need to tip this guy good! I hand him a 10-spot, shake his hand, thank him profusely, and settle into my room. Now, I'm wondering if the tip I gave him was politically correct (don't want the guy to "drop" my laptop when I check out)! I don't travel a whole lot, so I'm not necessarily up on these things. Voila! Hook up the laptop, log on the net, and do an "ask Jeeves" about gratuities. Found a website called www.tipping.org, click on "hotel," and all my questions are answered!!!

Are we living in great times or what???????!!!