Diary of an Innkeeper

Last night, around 8 pm, we were just hanging out in the lobby with several of our guests and our door opened. In walked a man, around 60 years of age, thin, dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt, a baseball cap on his longish gray hair sporting a long graying beard. George turns to him and says "Can I help you?" "Well, I just wanted to come in and see your lobby and see if I can borrow a few movies." We heard a lot of weird requests in the past ten years, but this was a first.

"Um, do you live around here? We don't really lend our movies out." "No, I am staying at the motel across the street." Wait! What?? "I am doing work for them and while I am there working, I am staying at their motel." Ok, this made it a little bit better. It wasn't just one of their guests wandering over here asking for movies. But how did he even know we had movies in our lobby??

"Well, I guess you can borrow some if you promise to bring them back," George said. "Can I get your name and address?" "I don't have an address. I am currently living at the motel across the street. I am just traveling around looking for work." So with just a name and a pinky swear, he was off to pick and choose which flicks he would like to bring back to his room. But did they even have DVD players in their rooms? I didn't think so. Did he carry around his own portable DVD? Who knows.

Odder was his selection of movies that he brought over to the front desk... Crossroads starring Ralph Machio, Dirty Dancing and Mama Mia. Not a new release in the bunch! So as his job progresses, we will see if our new friend is a daily visitor or just a one time video "rental" customer.

This past weekend was The Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. It is the mother of all weekends up here. I heard that just under 100,000 people converged on Cooperstown. Every hotel, motel, inn and B&B for miles is booked months in advance. You could set up a tent on your lawn and rent it no problem if you wanted to. I'm surprised George hasn't started doing this. "Meadowlark T&B, Tent & Breakfast." I know several people that actually leave their homes for four days and rent them out. Front lawns become paid parking lots. And when the inductees are popular, the weekend can be that much worse, I mean..... exciting.

Induction is a great weekend for us, as most of our guests are returning year after year. They are even getting to know each other and some correspond throughout the year. Because of the influx of people into the area, I make sure I put out the "No Vacancy" sign to discourage people from coming in with the hopes that we may have an open room.

It was Saturday night and a car pulled up. I heard someone (standing directly in front of the NO VACANCY sign) yelling to one of our guests "Is there a room available?" "No, I don't think so, but you can check at the front desk." Door opens. "Do you have a room?" "No, I'm sorry we are booked." "I just drove all the way here from Connecticut. This is BS (I used initials, he didn't). We passed a few motels and they were booked too." "Well it is Induction Weekend. The busiest weekend of the year. Did you know that?" "Of course I know that! That's why I'm here!" "Well let me make a few phone calls and see if I can find you a place. Maybe someone has a cancellation." After several phone calls, I said, "No, I'm sorry, there is nothing out there."

That is when he flipped out. As if we took Words With Friends away from Alec Baldwin, "No room at the inn!! There's no room at the inn!! Why do you people even live here?? Where is the Dunkin Donuts?? How can you live without a Dunkin Donuts? There is nothing up here! I haven't seen anything but hills and mountains for miles." Ironically, what we love most about the area, this guy found to be appalling.

Trying to calm him down, George said, "Let me make another phone call." Why George, Why?? Why are you trying to help this guy?? He's just yelling at us. Like it's our fault he drove four hours on the busiest weekend of the year without a reservation. We told him Cooperstown was just 11 miles south of us if he wanted to go check it out. "I don't care. I don't even want to see it! I want to get the heck out of this area and go home. I don't know why people say this area is nice! Some people say they don't like Florida, but I love Florida!" OMG, just leave already!! Why are we talking about Florida now??? He stormed out and got into his car to his waiting girlfriend. And yup, they drove out of our driveway and went the opposite way of Cooperstown. Home. And literally left two innkeepers standing like deer in a headlight, mouths open!

And with that, I am sure he was his own hero! "Come on honey, I'm taking you home to civilization, to the flat lands of Dunkin Donuts and multiple hotel vacancies."