Travis is my first new contributor to the blog, who will be writing a post every Wednesday to start. The idea behind adding guest contributors is to add different perspectives to the blog. Travis has a unique approach towards travel, given that he travels almost exclusively with his wife and young children, which is in stark contrast to my travels, which are usually alone.
Travis is currently on a month-long trip to Southeast Asia with his wife, 3.5 year old son Squirt and 2.5 year old daughter Squeaker:
- Hiring A Babysitter At A Hotel
- Travis’ SE Asian Adventure: Hitchhiking On Malaysian
- Hitchhiking The Skies — Flying With Travis And His Family
- Passport Issues! Visiting the US Embassy in Singapore
- Travis’ SE Asian Adventure: Cleared for Takeoff!
My suite at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur was vandalized… and I had to clean it up!
We recently wrapped up a 4-day stay at the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. (Review coming soon.) On the second afternoon of our stay, we received a call from the manager of housekeeping informing us that there was a situation regarding the stool in our bathroom.
He wanted to know if we were aware of the ink marks on the top of it. My wife replied that we were not, but said she would go to the bathroom to have a look. Yep, sure enough there were some ink marks on it. The manager said that his housecleaning crew had tried to remove the marks, but they were unsuccessful, and if they couldn’t be removed, the stool would be unusable. He said he would be down to discuss the matter with us.
It didn’t take long to figure out the identify of the vandal for the telltale “A” matched those of the artwork that are proudly displayed on our refrigerator at home.
We confronted our 3.5 year old son about it immediately. He informed us that that section of the bathroom was his office, and that the stool was his chair. Naturally, he had put his mark on it. (Because clearly, when Daddy goes to his office, he draws on his chair all day!) My wife was not happy. We had no idea what that stool would cost to replace, and we weren’t keen to find out. If a professional hotel cleaning crew couldn’t restore it, what could we as mere amateurs do?
Except we’re not amateurs. We have two preschoolers. We’ve become masters at the art of cleaning up seemingly impossible messes. But our tricks of the trade were at home.
What would MacGyver do?
Then we noticed the “Hyatt Has It” placard on the desk. A couple years ago, Hyatt introduced “Hyatt Has It,” a list of core items for guests to have, borrow, or buy, under the theory that if you know the hotel has it, you can pack lighter by leaving yours at home. It’s an interesting concept, although frankly most of the items seem like things that most hotels would provide anyway. Still, it’s good marketing.
We needed a cleaning solvent. Looking at the placard, we noticed that there was nail polish remover and a first aid kit, the latter of which we presumed would contain rubbing alcohol for cleaning wounds. We called to request those items and they soon arrived. Then we spent the next hour delicately dabbing and swabbing at the marks using a towel moistened with alcohol. Slowly — and I do mean slowly — the ink started to come off. We breathed a sigh of relief. And dabbed some more. By the time we had to squint to see where to dab next, we decided that it could pass the “eye test” and called it a day.
The next day the housekeeping manager caught up with us. We invited him in for a look-see. We all walked into the bathroom.
He looked at the stool.
He looked at us.
He looked back at the stool.
He looked at us.
I think he wanted to accuse us of swapping stools with the room next door. Instead he said something like “there were some marks on here, no. How did you get them off? What did you use?” We sort of just shrugged and mumbled something about wiping them off with the stuff we had in the room. And that was more or less the truth.
He took some pictures “for his boss” and went on his way. We didn’t hear any more about the incident. Crisis averted.
I’m glad we didn’t have to buy that stool, cause if we did, I was totally going to bring it home with us. I’d put it in the middle of our living room and powder my nose while watching Monday Night Football.
Have you ever had to buy an item at a hotel that your child broke or defaced? Do they charge you a fair price, or is it like buying parts for your car at the mechanic where they mark them up 50%? Does it at least count as eligible spend for points-earning purposes? What creative uses have you come up with for the “Hyatt Has It” amenities?
(Full disclosure: My wife actually went out to the pharmacy and bought nail polish remover and rubbing alcohol. We didn’t think to request the items from the “Hyatt Has It” menu until after the fact, though it does seem to make for a good story.)
I'm sorry, but I have to agree with the previous commenters that the headline is misleading and the embellishment is pointless and distracting.
Now, if the headline had been "Our son vandalized our suite" that would have been much better. Likewise, if the author had written that his wife desperately ran out to a pharmacy in search of nail polish remover and rubbing alcohol, only to later realize these items could have been obtained...
I'm sorry, but I have to agree with the previous commenters that the headline is misleading and the embellishment is pointless and distracting.
Now, if the headline had been "Our son vandalized our suite" that would have been much better. Likewise, if the author had written that his wife desperately ran out to a pharmacy in search of nail polish remover and rubbing alcohol, only to later realize these items could have been obtained from housekeeping, that would have been just as entertaining and made for a better story.
I liked this post. In fact, usually I skip most of this blog in my RSS feed but these guest posts I have been reading because they have something new. Haters gotta hate.
This might have been a more suitable guest post for Mommy Points. I'm not interested in reading about mis-behaved children in hotel suites.
The overly sensational title of this post, "My Suite At The Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur Was Vandalized!!!" should be more appropriately titled "Our poorly disciplined child!!!"
I thought this was a light-hearted read, one that I quite enjoyed.
As for the disclaimer, it's another reminder that should this situation happen to me, I should look at what could be used in the room. Travis, I thought it was remarkable that you could relate the incident with humor. I sure hope I can when I have kids!
This article is BS. Having already clicked on some of the authors prior articles and noticed a drop in quality compared to Lucky, I was a bit hesitant to click on this one but as others have mentioned, the click bait was strong in this one. So now I've learned my lesson- I will always be looking to see who is the author and will no longer be reading any of travis' stuff.
Silly to make up part of the story but I don't really have a problem with it. My problem is with his poor children's names. My God, the torture they are going to endure!!! I hope you're making that up too!!!
FCUK!!!! It's a great story. What's the matter with all ye d...heads? Get a life peoples
The credibility and usefulness of this blog is significantly diminished by Travis's embellished story. Additionally, there was absolutely no point to his Air Asia 8501 "fear" post. The guest blogger concept is not working well here.
Looks like OMAT is going to join the ranks of FTG and MMS. Don't be a sell out lucky. You already made enough money from cc referals the hard way.
The title doesn't bother me as much as it does for some others. However, I was very turned off by the use of fiction in the core story, regardless of any disclosures. I think it significantly diminishes the credibility of the blog that has been deservedly earned.
Fun,light hearted read ruined by hateful comments of others.
Why not just say that your wife went out and bought the stuff from the start? Most people would do that anyway, since the hotel will charge substantially more than a nearby store.
The disclaimer basically ends the post with "Suckahs!"
I think parents can appreciate this article; I have a little boy. I recently added the Hyatt to my travel hotels in addition to Hiltons so will try to remember the Hyatts Got It lesson. Thanks, Travis.
I don't mind the click bait - I get how the business works. And I don't mind the stories about traveling with kids. I don't have any, so a lot of it isn't useful, but sometimes some of it is. Traveling can be exhausting, and some of the tips and tricks for work big humans, not just little humans.
That said, I don't understand the need for the embellishment. It didn't make the story any better or worse.
FYI, as a mom of sons (grown now), what removes ink really well is hairspray. Spray the fabric lightly and then use paper towels to absorb the ink. You don't rub, but blot. The ink will come right out after some repeated treatment. I too thought the yellow stains, as pictured, did not look that great.
I just hate clickbait headlines, period.
@JoeMart – In virtually 100% of cases when there is room or equipment damage done by a guest, the housekeeping is not disciplined. One could imagine housekeeping might be disciplined if they did not follow proper work procedure and work orders, but clearly housekeeping did their job by noticing the marks, although it is surprising they did not use nail polish or solvent to clean the marks.
What usually would happen is the guests...
@JoeMart – In virtually 100% of cases when there is room or equipment damage done by a guest, the housekeeping is not disciplined. One could imagine housekeeping might be disciplined if they did not follow proper work procedure and work orders, but clearly housekeeping did their job by noticing the marks, although it is surprising they did not use nail polish or solvent to clean the marks.
What usually would happen is the guests credit card gets charged for a damage caused by a guest, provided the guest has left the hotel and no resolution has been agreed upon with the guest. Luckily these marks on the chair was discovered and cleaned up before Travis left the hotel. But think about what a waist it would have been (both with regards to time and money) if the writer would have been charged for the full cost of replacing the stool, since the stool was not really damaged. All it needed was just some nail polish to remove the pen marks.
Happy New Year.
What Travis failed to mention in his attempt at humour and lightheartedness was that if the housekeeper had failed to notice the vandalism of the chair before their scheduled check-out, he/she would have received severe disciplinary action, possible termination and being held accountable for monetary damages. The story should have included a portion showing sensitivity to that country's culture by apologizing to the housekeeping staff and providing a generous tip. Happy New Year!
What Travis failed to mention in his attempt at humour and lightheartedness was that if the housekeeper had failed to notice the vandalism of the chair before their scheduled check-out, he/she would have received severe disciplinary action, possible termination and being held accountable for monetary damages. The story should have included a portion showing sensitivity to that country's culture by apologizing to the housekeeping staff and providing a generous tip. Happy New Year!
@Travis
With all due respect, I wouldn't have read this article -- because this topic is of zero interest to me -- had I not been tricked into reading it by the sensationalist title.
The only way I can gauge whether an article is worth reading or not is through its title when it shows up on my Facebook feed. So far it has been quite reliable because One Mile At A Time and other...
@Travis
With all due respect, I wouldn't have read this article -- because this topic is of zero interest to me -- had I not been tricked into reading it by the sensationalist title.
The only way I can gauge whether an article is worth reading or not is through its title when it shows up on my Facebook feed. So far it has been quite reliable because One Mile At A Time and other BoardingArea blogs have mostly refrained from using clickbait titles to lure readers.
You may genuinely think it is a humorous title, but many of your readers who feel tricked would beg to differ. Just be truthful with your title, include the humour within the article itself and everyone will be happy.
Cheers and Happy New Year.
Totally plausible and every parent has dealt with this scenario or will..... When I was at the PH Tokyo the other day with my fam, I was glad I didn't have to worry about that since we've passed that stage. Also... I too thought it would be a different kind of stool....
1. Per the "embellishment": I didn't realize that WHERE the cleaning products came from was germane to the story. I thought it was rather ironic that the hotel said they couldn't clean the stool when in fact they offering items to their guest that could in fact do the job. I also thought somebody might learn something about the Hyatt Has It concept by writing a bit more about it. But I get the point...
1. Per the "embellishment": I didn't realize that WHERE the cleaning products came from was germane to the story. I thought it was rather ironic that the hotel said they couldn't clean the stool when in fact they offering items to their guest that could in fact do the job. I also thought somebody might learn something about the Hyatt Has It concept by writing a bit more about it. But I get the point that it detracted from the story. Point taken.
2. Per the title of the post: Parenting for us seems to be about 90% dealing with the messes our kids get into and 10% finding ways to smile / laugh about them. This was an attempt at the latter.
Cute story. Glad it worked out
I don't feel as strongly as some about the use of the headline, but I was very turned off by the fiction inserted into the core story, regardless of the disclosure at the end. It takes a lot away from the credibility this blog has deservedly earned.
I'm ok with the content because I can elect to read the story or not. I check to see if it's written by Lucky of course and make a decision. BUT to embellish the story for no reason is just disappointing. I can't trust anything I read by Travis now unless I read all the way through and look for disclaimers. Sorry, but I expect better. Just tell the story. If you feel the need...
I'm ok with the content because I can elect to read the story or not. I check to see if it's written by Lucky of course and make a decision. BUT to embellish the story for no reason is just disappointing. I can't trust anything I read by Travis now unless I read all the way through and look for disclaimers. Sorry, but I expect better. Just tell the story. If you feel the need to embellish, perhaps it's not that great of a story. Wait until you are a grandfather and you can embellish all you want to your grandkids.
I thought it was an interesting story. I am glad that the Hyatt called out a guest for vandalising the room. Although clearly not a malicious intent, the room was damaged. I certainly don't like the idea of paying for someone else's damage.
I think too often today people don't take responsibility for their own actions. Way to go Hyatt.
@Colleen – I never said said you were dumb. I just believed you got my earlier point fully and were just trying to be “clever” with your earlier post and that was they way (rightly or wrongly) I interpreted that. That was my point when I said lets agree to disagree. But the context of my argument was clear in my view and no insult was intended.
@Colleen – I am not really prepared to summarize the basic content of my argument since I believe I have already explained it sufficiently – at least to the point where a preschooler would kind of get where my argument was coming from. But lets agree to disagree. I think this post was not bait and switch and is justified within this blog. I agree that the embellishment was not really necessary, but Travis offered...
@Colleen – I am not really prepared to summarize the basic content of my argument since I believe I have already explained it sufficiently – at least to the point where a preschooler would kind of get where my argument was coming from. But lets agree to disagree. I think this post was not bait and switch and is justified within this blog. I agree that the embellishment was not really necessary, but Travis offered full disclosure – so it does not bother me as much as some of the mean-spirited posts here.
@Tom - Why advocate for Travis to leave this blog? You stated he has no loyalty to Lucky, and no “grown-up responsibility “and other venomous vitriol, just because you did not like the post. Sorry, Sir, that is mean-spirited in my view and completely unjustified. You claim to be a father, yet I suspect you would not want your children to be at the receiving end of such vitriol. If his writing bothers you so much why not stop reading his posts? Or at least try to make your argument without Ad Hominems, which I suspect you would not do if you were writing under your real, full name. No, instead you chose to thumb your nose and dismiss someone and advocate for them to be fired (from this blog), just because you did not like their post. I sure hope you meet with more tolerance in your own workplace. You claim to be a well travelled wordly man, yet your intolerance would indicate otherwise.
@BHill - Wow!
Can't get much more ad hominem than backhanding me as dumber than a preschooler. And then saying we disagree. I never even opined on the subject at hand.
My question to you was whether there's some meaning to using a certain number of exclamation points. As an older reader, I find that sometimes I'm out of touch with certain customs/uses of abbreviations/acronyms on the internet. You specifically mentioned an obvious intention of...
@BHill - Wow!
Can't get much more ad hominem than backhanding me as dumber than a preschooler. And then saying we disagree. I never even opined on the subject at hand.
My question to you was whether there's some meaning to using a certain number of exclamation points. As an older reader, I find that sometimes I'm out of touch with certain customs/uses of abbreviations/acronyms on the internet. You specifically mentioned an obvious intention of "three exclamation marks" in a previous comment, so I didn't know if there was special meaning to that. And if it's important to count 3, there may be a different meaning to 4.
Rather than civilly responding, you insult me. Really? Who's the mean-spirited one here?
I stand completely behind what I said above, including the part about wishing Travis would start his own blog. The click-bait title here, complete with its use of "vandalized" and three exclamation points -- very significantly and, in my view, inappropriately oversells the thin gruel indeed that the post itself actually offers. That's fundamentally and radically inconsistent with my experience reading this blog (and the comments) over the past several years.
As a father, I...
I stand completely behind what I said above, including the part about wishing Travis would start his own blog. The click-bait title here, complete with its use of "vandalized" and three exclamation points -- very significantly and, in my view, inappropriately oversells the thin gruel indeed that the post itself actually offers. That's fundamentally and radically inconsistent with my experience reading this blog (and the comments) over the past several years.
As a father, I say this with complete understanding about what children can do and, no, I'm not a troll. That would be as beneath me as, well, click-baiting would be beneath Lucky. And by that I mean the real Lucky, not Travis.
I say this, too, as someone with considerable travel experience though certainly not, to be sure, as much as Lucky or even (for that matter) many of the commenters. That's why I keep reading.
I also say this, finally, as someone who really does appreciate off-beat humor and the oftentimes absurd nature of what we all have to deal with while travelling.
On the flip side, One Mile At a Time absolutely can do better on the guest-post front: Tiffany proves it with every post; and Andrew's posts have all been great (and funny!) contributions as well. The in-air Champagne review was memorably a real home run.
Maybe I've just come to expect better here?
I like the new family focused travel posts on the blog. Married with a 2.5 year now completely reshapes my former single travel self, so I welcome the expanded travel perspective.
Like many others I'm didn't enjoy the made up portions of the story or the click bait headline. Once you take those aspects away there's really no reason for this article to exist. These kids sound like they're too young to be left alone around hotel property. Or maybe the parents are a tad too forgiving. I also felt the stool looked pretty bad after everything that was done to "clean" it. I presume that's...
Like many others I'm didn't enjoy the made up portions of the story or the click bait headline. Once you take those aspects away there's really no reason for this article to exist. These kids sound like they're too young to be left alone around hotel property. Or maybe the parents are a tad too forgiving. I also felt the stool looked pretty bad after everything that was done to "clean" it. I presume that's what the manager was reacting to rather than some imaginary accusation about switching stools. On the other hand now I know why hotel furniture ends up looking like crap.
I agree that the cruel "you suck" comments are counterproductive and juvenile, but I also agree with the point that this felt like a click bait article. To me, it's like watching "Homeland," knowing what it's about, how it flows, what to expect, etc... and then having them put on a "A Homeland Christmas Special!" episode where we delve into Carrie's bipolar stress about the CIA white elephant gift exchange and recipe swap party. It...
I agree that the cruel "you suck" comments are counterproductive and juvenile, but I also agree with the point that this felt like a click bait article. To me, it's like watching "Homeland," knowing what it's about, how it flows, what to expect, etc... and then having them put on a "A Homeland Christmas Special!" episode where we delve into Carrie's bipolar stress about the CIA white elephant gift exchange and recipe swap party. It obviously breaks the flow of the genre and the feel for the show (or site, in this case, though maybe not as jarring as A Homeland Christmas...).
Also, for some reason, the Full Disclosure statement really pissed me off. WTF, now we're getting into fictional elements of a story? That was really odd.
My tally is Tiffany +1 (many +1's for her material, in fact), and Travis -1 (and some -1's for other articles; sorry Travis, I'm sure you're a nice bloke). There is always room for recovery with different articles that are pertinent to the OMAAT readership.
I'm amused that some people here are spending more time whinging in the comments than it takes to read the article in the first place.
Keep up the good work, Travis.
@BHill - in your last two comments, you used "!!!" in one and "!!!!" in the other. What's the difference?
I'm not trying to troll you, but you seem to attribute meaning to the specific number of exclamation points. I don't get what the difference is.
@jay - He is writing as a traveling family man; The Hotel was vandalized!!!!. I believe most parents would identify with where he is coming from. Based on your interpretation, I would assume you are not a parent, but perhaps that would be presumptuous of me to suggest that. But my dear fellow, keep bringing your constructive criticism!!!!
@Lisa – When the title has “!!!”. Yes, that is 3 exclamation marks if you did not notice and that sort of explains where the headline is coming from. I respect different opinions, but when they are mean spirited and hidden behind anonymity, many would classify some of the above remarks as something that comes from trolls. And for the record, there was no lying in the post. Nonsensical of you to even suggest that....
@Lisa – When the title has “!!!”. Yes, that is 3 exclamation marks if you did not notice and that sort of explains where the headline is coming from. I respect different opinions, but when they are mean spirited and hidden behind anonymity, many would classify some of the above remarks as something that comes from trolls. And for the record, there was no lying in the post. Nonsensical of you to even suggest that. Travis disclosed what he was embellishing. How is that a lie? But if saying he lied helps you rationalizes your opinion, then fine - but it is simply not accurate.
Still, I do agree that particular embellishment was not really necessary for the post. In my view nothing wrong with this post and I enjoyed it as it was clearly meant to be light hearted and leading into sharing experiences what happens if something gets damaged in a hotel room.
@BHill
"The title ends with “!!!”, which to anyone with an IQ in the teens should give some clue to the contents and how seriously you should take it."
Dumbest thing I've read all week.
So when lucky posted "Etihad A380 Inaugural Is On!!!!" was i supposed to NOT take that seriously?
And my god people.... readers can offer constructive criticism about posts they like or dont like and not be trolls. Don't be so...
@BHill
"The title ends with “!!!”, which to anyone with an IQ in the teens should give some clue to the contents and how seriously you should take it."
Dumbest thing I've read all week.
So when lucky posted "Etihad A380 Inaugural Is On!!!!" was i supposed to NOT take that seriously?
And my god people.... readers can offer constructive criticism about posts they like or dont like and not be trolls. Don't be so defensive that ppl don't like clickbait headlines and over exaggerated stories... everyone doesn't have to like everything that is on the site. this isn't north korea. lucky isn't the dear leader
So having an opinion different from those who liked the story makes the rest of us trolls? Interesting definition. I was annoyed that the "vandalization" was by Travis' own son. I thought this was going to be a *useful* post along the lines of what to do if this happens to you while traveling. Nope. And for future reference, hair spray gets out ink stains faster than plain alcohol and might be easier to find...
So having an opinion different from those who liked the story makes the rest of us trolls? Interesting definition. I was annoyed that the "vandalization" was by Travis' own son. I thought this was going to be a *useful* post along the lines of what to do if this happens to you while traveling. Nope. And for future reference, hair spray gets out ink stains faster than plain alcohol and might be easier to find - there, I've contributed more than Travis did.
And on top of it, the lying about the Hyatt Has It amenities is just weird and nonsensical. I'm going back to my previous habit of ignoring Travis' posts.
I, too, was lured into a story I wouldn't normally have read nor cared about. And then I found out it was embellished.
Lucky, you asked for our input when you decided to start allowing guest posts. I hope you're paying attention to the feedback here.
The title ends with “!!!", which to anyone with an IQ in the teens should give some clue to the contents and how seriously you should take it. The post was clearly supposed to be lighthearted, and then tying in with having issues with some items getting damaged in hotel rooms when traveling. But I guess many of the readers here are not as sophisticated as one would assume. The moaning and groaning from the...
The title ends with “!!!", which to anyone with an IQ in the teens should give some clue to the contents and how seriously you should take it. The post was clearly supposed to be lighthearted, and then tying in with having issues with some items getting damaged in hotel rooms when traveling. But I guess many of the readers here are not as sophisticated as one would assume. The moaning and groaning from the grumpy readers complaining about this is just beyond belief. Travis, good post. Practice makes perfect. Don't let trolls get to you.
Click here! Someone just vandalized OMAAT with click bait!!
I'm a fan of this blog but really, Travis, don't you have any sense of loyalty to Lucky at all? Any sense of grown-up responsibility? Any sense of quality control at all? Click-bait nonsense like this is just plain buck-naked stupid, inconsistent with what this blog has always been, and, frankly, just beneath contempt.
So get a clue, won't you?
Or, better yet, just start your own blog -- somewhere else.
So far I find Tiffany and the other guy's post both useful. I read them and enjoys almost just as fun as Ben's post. Not Travis. I read two posts from Travis -- the first one and this. Both of them completely waste of time and the other posts by Travis didn't even brought up my interest. Why should I ever care for a stranger posting about him breaking his leg? -- not to say...
So far I find Tiffany and the other guy's post both useful. I read them and enjoys almost just as fun as Ben's post. Not Travis. I read two posts from Travis -- the first one and this. Both of them completely waste of time and the other posts by Travis didn't even brought up my interest. Why should I ever care for a stranger posting about him breaking his leg? -- not to say that Lucky shouldn't write such post because we have been reading lucky for this amount of time. But Travis don't have this luxury of the emotional built up between him and us readers. Yet he posts mostly his personal (travel) life and that just does not click.
We read this blog first because of its meterial of mile and points, and we learn, and we love the blogger. Of course family travel adds something to it but the "market" is already exploited by other bloggers -- Mommy points for example. Diversity is good but diluted is not.
I'm a long-time reader and rarely comment, but some of you need to relax a little. I enjoyed the post, keep up the good work Travis!
This is strike 1. Please stop this rubbish from appearing on your blog.
3 strikes and you're out, or so goes the old saying.
This is NOT why the main readership following comes here, not what has built the blog to where it is now.
Am I the only one who thinks the stool doesn't look very good after the alcohol wipe-down? It looks like it's ruined with a large number of yellow-ish stains where the ink was "removed".
wow the asperger's doofuses are really crapping a brick over this post. chill the f out. try actually traveling sometime and maybe you all won't be such frustrated whiners.
This CLICK BAIT TITLE is uncharacteristic of this blog and it's a shame that One Mile At A Time chose to do this. I usually blacklist sites that use click bait titles.
No matter how you look at it, the title of this article is clearly a click bait title because the situation is far less interesting than the title suggests.
For shame!
It was vandalized by your son. Thanks for wasting our time.
Lucky, if you're going to have guest bloggers, can they at least have decent material?
I don't find any problems with the title and I enjoyed the post, but please don't "embellish" your stories in the future. There's nothing wrong with noticing that the hotel provides items after you went and bought them... and you could have used it to solicit kinder, more useful comments by pointing out that you'd overlooked it and asking people to comment on the things they've found in hotel provisions. I'm certain that OMAAT readers...
I don't find any problems with the title and I enjoyed the post, but please don't "embellish" your stories in the future. There's nothing wrong with noticing that the hotel provides items after you went and bought them... and you could have used it to solicit kinder, more useful comments by pointing out that you'd overlooked it and asking people to comment on the things they've found in hotel provisions. I'm certain that OMAAT readers have loads of experience and resourcefulness with hotel amenities that they can share.
Wow, lots of hate going on. I guess these trolls need to get in their snarky comments now before their New Year's resolution of "Don't be the scum of the Earth" kicks in.
Travis, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. I have a one month old and look forward to similar adventures in parenthood/traveling in the near future!
"We called to request those items and they soon arrived."
Except we didn't. I made that up. Good story, huh?
WTF? Serious, WTF.
This post is completely relevant. Travis tells the story of travel, while still using points and miles, as a family. His insight and stories strike a chord with any reader that has a family and travels and is a valuable addition to the blog. Besides, how grumpy of a person can you really be to actually be annoyed at this? It's a new year tomorrow, maybe try to be a bit more happy and less of a miserable troll.
@Vivek D, and @Mike - I agree 100%
I think this post is completely relevant in terms of how Travis is contributing to the blog. He tells the story of traveling, while still using points and miles, as a family (especially with younger children). Dealing with situations like these is exactly what Travis is aiming to do, and why Lucky is having him contribute. His posts strike a chord with traveling families and are a valuable addition to One Mile At A Time.
A lot of the comments are quite hateful and actually make the commenters sound selfish. Travel blogs aren't just meant for you to learn how to get something for free or make your travel cheap. They are also to share stories of things that happen while traveling and how to deal with them.
I appreciate Justin's blog post and appreciate Lucky allowing such contributions.
I wondery why didnt you just hire someone locally that would have done the job for you in under 3 minutes. Seems you wasted good few hours cleaning something that would have otherwise costed a few dollars. I would have spent it to be outside and enjoying the city. KUL is incredibly cheap place, I used to live there
... and the point of this post is?
I rarely comment but this was positively lame. Uninteresting, half made up, irrelevant.
Thought the headline was smart and interesting. Looks like a few posters are a bit grumpy today!
@Lantean – LOL, exactly what I was thinking.
@LarryInNYC – Actually almost all media has reported she was arrested on Tuesday. Don’t know where you get your info from stating that is incorrect.
There's 3 minutes of my life I won't get back.
Clickbait, lame story, has nothing to do with travel or miles.... Lucky, please, nice experiment to bring in a new contributor, but clearly this experiment failed.
@Lantean- Unfortunately, I think my mind is a little off as well, as that is where I thought the story was going as well. :/ But I have to admit, I think I have been the culprit of a few of those. Shhhhhhh
@Nemme: However, I did miss the bit where getting the nail polish from the hotel was made up; that doesn't strike me as quite kosher, even with the disclaimer.
ugggg i hate clickbait headlines like this...
also, i dont know why you'd emblish the story. it doesn't make it any more interesting, just more misleading
... and you disciplined your child how?
I brought a new sleeping mask with me on my last SE Asia adventure. On a balmy night in Mandalay, that sweaty sleeping mask bled all over the pillowcase I was using. Cost me a $5 spot to replace.
@Nemme -- I don't see where the headline is wrong. The room was, in fact, vandalized -- just by his own child. I think the headline is a combination joke and indication that the author takes what his child did seriously.
Not nearly as egregiously wrong as the headline on the blog post just preceding it, which claims that Heather Cho has been arrested while citing an article stating only that a warrant for her detention has been granted.
Cute story and glad it all worked out! Perhaps you have a budding avant garde artist in the family.
I must say, though... stories like these remind me I am a long way off from being able to be a parent!
This is the worst click bait story ever. Headline is awful, story is boring, and then we find out at the end that part of it is fabricated to make it more interesting.
as i was reading "there was a situation regarding the stool in our bathroom"... i thought this was going to be about a totally different issue... LOL
am i the only one?
So the sensational headline is wrong and then you tell the "better story" by embellishing? You've got to have such interesting stories from this trip.
Our 2yo just broke a decorative ceramic ball at the Grand Hyatt Bali but thankfully housekeeping just shrugged it off.
My view of decorative items/tchokes has certainly changed since becoming a parent. I usually do a sweep immediately upon entering a hotel room for the first time, but on this trip, my son and I arrived later (award flight), and my husband is less experienced in these matters.
My wife and I run our spare apartment in NYC as a Home Away vacation rental.
We've had very little problem with property damage beyond he occasional (and normal) breakage of glasses, etc. One time some folks did ruin a set of towels by running them through the washing machine with some of their own stuff that bled -- heaven knows what they did to the towels before-hand to make them feel they had to...
My wife and I run our spare apartment in NYC as a Home Away vacation rental.
We've had very little problem with property damage beyond he occasional (and normal) breakage of glasses, etc. One time some folks did ruin a set of towels by running them through the washing machine with some of their own stuff that bled -- heaven knows what they did to the towels before-hand to make them feel they had to try to wash them!
However, once when checking out a family my wife asked if everything was okay and the six-year-old piped up "My brother drew a picture on the sofa but it's okay now because it's on the bottom!" Sure enough, the mom had turned the cushion over to hide the magic marker drawings. Most of them came out with careful cleaning, but the cushion remains with that side down today.