I stayed at the Sheraton Gateway LAX last night, and while it was a perfectly nice airport hotel, I’m dead exhausted. After 12 days of international travel with very little sleep, and in yesterday’s case flying from Vienna to London to Los Angeles, I was finally looking forward to a good night of sleep. I got to my room at around 10PM, and noticed there was a very loud, constant noise in the room that I couldn’t quite identify. I was meeting a friend for drinks (aka Diet Coke with lime) in the bar, so figured the noise might be gone when I get back to the room.
Nope, the noise was still there. I call for them to send up maintenance, though as luck would have it, the noise stopped two minutes after I called and before maintenance arrived.
I went to bed and slept well for an hour, at which point I woke up sweating, at around 1AM. I turned on the AC unit, only to find that it made a loud thumping noise every few seconds. Crap, do I put up with a loud noise or sweat myself to sleep? I went with the latter.
I eventually managed to fall asleep, only to be woken up by the screaming baby in the room next to mine at 3AM. I don’t know where the parents were, but the baby must have screamed for 20 minutes. Ugh, the walls at this place are thinner than United’s new first class blankets.
I eventually fell asleep again, only to be woken up at 6AM by that same baby trying to open the connecting door to my room. I could hear the door on the other end being unlocked, and the baby started knocking on my door. He did so repeatedly over the course of an hour, and I had no clue what to do. Do I open my door and tell them to watch after their kid, do I call security, do I play something inappropriate on my laptop really loud so the family gets the message that they’re annoying me, or do I just shut up? I was so exhausted that I went with the “just shut up” option.
I slept for another couple of hours, only to wake up again from the neighbors watching very loud Spanish television (it sounded like a soap opera, though who knows).
Hey, at least my morning had some entertainment thanks to the lady in the club lounge that was wearing nothing but a bathrobe. And yeah, as the douche that wears pajamas in airports, I shouldn’t be talking. 😉
I’m still trying to figure out where she got the jar of peanut butter from…
As if that’s not exciting enough, a new couple has checked into the room next to mine. As they entered, I heard them open the connecting door and then try to open my door as well, at which point the lady yelled to the guy “this door won’t open.”
The only thing that could make this weekend any more relaxing is an encore performance by the Andaz West Hollywood striking quartet…
@ Chris -- You made my evening, thanks!
I've been the one with a crying baby in the hotel. I feel for you, but I also feel for the family. Sometimes in the middle of the night we were doing all we could and she was just freaked out by being in a strange place. Sucks for everyone!
That's why I always request a "Quiet" room with no communicating doors. If it's not quiet I call Security. Then there is a record made of the incident and when I check out they don't ask me if I enjoyed my stay, they make it up by taking something off the bill, like valet parking or resort fee. I had some nights like that so I can empathize with you.
There is (too many) folks that just need to have the TV on in the morning or during the day. They probably don't even watch it. Seems to be most common with Americans, less so in Europe.
Well, the test above didn't work. (It was supposed to be bold...)
@Dan
I'm guessing that the angle brackets get interpreted as HTML tags by the blog software.
test
"...that same baby trying to open the connecting door to my room..."
How does a baby open a door?
I must be lucky.
Ben, your site seems to edit out anything that's not a letter. If you look at your keyboard, the 2 arrow signs next to the letter M will not post, nor will whatever letters are between them.
Ways to deal with a noisy neighbor... bang on their wall/door. Call them. Call the front desk and complain.
I'm not sure what you can do about a crying baby.
Disclaimer... I've stayed at this propery numerous times over the years, and don't have a thing to complain about. I must be .
Did the woman in the lounge seriously bring her own Skippy peanut butter?
I have seen a couple wearing bath robes in a lounge (I can't recall where). Just inconsiderate.
Looks like you had a People of Walmart visitor at the Club Lounge. I've stayed at that Sheraton - had a suite and did not have noise problems - sorry you had a bad experience there. I hear the Westin LAX backs up to a kennel - so it could have been worse.
Send this "letter"/Blog post to SPG and see what you get!
Where are your Lucky Matzo balls? I would have speed zombie-dialed the manager on duty until this noise dissipated permanently or I was compensated/ and the other family relocated. You were at an airport hotel, which essentially means you're paying for rest (that you did not receive). Imagine what I'd pull if I were Starwood Plat?...
JRL
The best earplugs are the malleable putty-type ones...and they fit perfectly in a contact lens container for travel, btw.
I have to say...you really have a knack for describing a cascade of hilarious pratfalls. Are you sure you didn't major in English?
There is always a ton of really useful info on your blog. But I really gotta hand it to you...these occasional slices of the ridiculous - where you come right out and say...
The best earplugs are the malleable putty-type ones...and they fit perfectly in a contact lens container for travel, btw.
I have to say...you really have a knack for describing a cascade of hilarious pratfalls. Are you sure you didn't major in English?
There is always a ton of really useful info on your blog. But I really gotta hand it to you...these occasional slices of the ridiculous - where you come right out and say what most of the rest of this would think in such a situation (the one-armed pat down? hilarious!) - it really sets your blog apart! Keep up the good work.
correction to above: babies don't do those things UNLESS they're that weird dude on the National Geo show who lives his life as a baby.
LOL! Note to nonnative speakers - babies neither walk nor knock on doors. They're....babies (and they do scream). ;-)
Kids do all of the above and then some!
This is why I always carry multiple pairs of earplugs when I travel. :-)