Now I remember why I'm a hotel snob

Rue's great big summer vacation - Part III* - The Story So Far (To borrow a phrase from J.C. Hutchins and the 7th Son Podcast, which I highly recommend).

- Shuttle to the airport from my friend Fred, complete with a bit of time to catch up and hear what's going on his life - Check.
- Flight from DFW to HSV** with a pseudo upgrade to a row to myself on the A/B side of the Super 80 (that would be the side with just two seats) - Check.
- Claiming my baggage at HSV - Check. No worries. The airport was all but deserted with the exception of the people from my flight. I saw I think four other small regional jets parked at gates. No other noticable air traffic in the area. I'm not used to flying into such small areas.
- Cab to the hotel...this is where it starts to get interesting.
As HSV is a fairly small airport and this is a holiday weekend, cabs were fairly scarce I had to wait a bit for a cab. Not a huge deal. The guy who was there (and already had a fare) called for one and in just over 10 minutes one arrived. I passed the time singing show tunes to myself. I have no idea why I sing show tunes when I'm waiting at the airport, but I do. Personals, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat, a bit of Les Miserables. I didn't get into Tommy but that would have been next. When my cab arrived I was less than impressed with the driver. Let's just say that it's a good thing driving a cab isn't rocket science. But, she seemed a capable driver. And we drove past the Space and Rocket Center (Rocket park was all lit up. It was a beautiful sight. There's a new space education center that looks very shiny. I had my nose all but pressed up against the window as we passed). So, I got to my hotel, paid the fair and collected my gear. I mentioned I had a reservation and stated my name for the desk clerk and he was a bit perplexed. Seems they were all full for the night. And that there are three La Quinta Inns on University in Huntsville. And I got dropped off at the wrong one. The friendly desk clerk called to the corrected hotel, verified my reservation and then called the cab company. About 20 minutes later (after another call by the friendly desk clerk) a cab showed up...from a different company. The desk clerk (I really should have gotten his name) talked to the driver, verified that he was called to take me to the other hotel and then gave me cash for the cab fare (which was more than I was hoping for. I figured I was going to have to pay and then spend some time on the phone with the cab company.) So, I got to the correct hotel and the equally as friendly desk clerk informed me that the hotel was overbooked and they had put me into the Holiday Inn down the street....and just as my brain was processing this information (I was still a bit travel shocked), I noticecd my cab driving away. The friendly desk clerk explained the situation again and tried to call me another cab. Apparently that was going to take an overly long amount of time. So, he stared at the computer, clicked around a bit and found me a room that was open. It was smoking, so I asked if I could check it out before I agreed. Turned out that the smoking status didn't matter. The room hadn't been made up and still had leftover pizza from the previous guest. So, my friendly front desk agent clicked around some more and found me another room, also smoking, but he said he's check it out for me. By this point I was almost ready to take just about any room, as long as it wasn't actually on fire. The room was good to go and I signed the paperwork and got the key. I don't quite understand how at least two rooms could be open if they were oversold by 15 rooms (as the friendly desk clerk told me), but maybe it was just nonsmoking rooms. In any event, I'm going to have to take some ibuprophen tonight before I turn in, as the smoke is starting to mildly bother my eyes. But it's a room and it's only for one night. And hopefully the people frolicking in the pool will head to bed soon.
But, tomorrow is another day and I'm confident it will go well (as long as Brad can find my hotel in the morning...)

*Part I was RYM Colorado in June. Part II was the mission trip to Reynosa in July.
**HSV - Huntsville International Airport. Which, apparently like every other airport I've flown into, out of or through in the past I don't know how many years, is doing interior renovations. But it's a cute little airport and easy to get around in.