This isn’t a nice hotel. Of that, evidence abounds: chipped furniture, frayed carpet, thrift store bedside lamp. A pervasive smell of cream of wheat. The breakfast consists of coffee, packaged oatmeal, off-brand honeybuns, and granola bars. A sign glued to the vent-a-hood reminds guests to open their windows when cooking.
And yet, during my morning stroll to the honeybun cabinet I was reminded that there are families and children who call this home on a weekly to monthly basis.
This isn’t a “nice” hotel. And $88 per night seems high. But it is dry, safe, and relatively clean. The shower worked well and the beds were soft. In the end, the sparse amenities are offset by a heaping share of reality and a reminder to be grateful for what I have and mindful of what others lack.