Monday, June 27, 2022

La Quinta Inn Nightmare Stay

 We have been gone out of town. It was not a fun or exciting adventure, just business. However, we did stay overnight and I had my first shower since November 2019. It was heaven. Water all over at one time is a dream come true. Here, I use a washcloth all over. Not ideal or even good. 

His has been too nasty for me to consider putting one toe in his tub. I still won't get in it, because I don't feel it is sanitary still. Never mind, it is a long story. 

We requested a disability accessible room. It was a nightmare. Have these accessible rooms changed? Once in the 80s, I stopped without a reservation to rent a room. I was very tired and it was very late at night. There was no room. Finally, they told me I could have a disability accessible room if I wanted it. I jumped at it. 

Then--room was huge with plenty of walking area. Now--Tommy had to make a little zigzag through the narrow room. He hit the wall every time. 

Then--the bathroom was spacious. I was sort of put out at how far I had to walk from commode to sink...lol. Now--it was actually cramped. The commode was right inside the bathroom door. I have no problem with Tommy coming into the bathroom, but it was close passing me with the walker. I was told the shower was a flat floor. No, it had a ledge about 1.5 inches to step over. I have a friend who could not even get over a step that high. There was no place within reach of the shower to put a bar of soap or a washcloth or shampoo! I had to step out of the area to get what I needed. The seat was all the way to the back of the shower, so I had to stand to reach the handheld shower. I was up and down for soap and shower. Scary.

The floor of the bathroom was slick as ice. I stood and watched my feet slide along the floor. I really was afraid one of us would fall. Once I stepped outside the bathroom, the floor was better but not rough enough to make me feel completely safe. 

The beds were so high that we both had trouble getting on! And, they were too soft to even turn over without great trouble. There was one nightstand between two queen-sized beds and it was too far to reach the light from either bed! 

I stuck my walker into a corner where it was really inaccessible for use. Tommy must have his walker at his fingertips when he gets out of bed. The only places for it were in the "hall" or between the beds. That made it difficult for me to get out of bed. I had to work to get out safely. He had to get out of the other side of his bed and walk around between the beds, holding onto his bed in order to get his walker. 

The microwave and refrigerator were both too low for me. I know it is meant for people in wheelchairs and does not help either of us with our mobility issues. When I tried to open the refrigerator, it slid out and there was no way for me to access it. So, I had to rely on Tommy. Not good. He never complains but I hate to ask him to help me do so many things. 

Of course, the curtain provided no privacy as it would not come together. I called the desk and the woman talked to me like I was two, telling me there was a stick to pull it together. Of course, I had nothing to hold it together--clothes pin, bobby pin, hair clip. I ALWAYS have had with me without fail. She could not help me she said as she was the only person working. LIE! I asked her if I was to undress in front of the window or check out or what. She said she had nothing. I asked her if she had a paperclip. She said when she checked in a few people, she would bring me paperclips. An hour later, she brought me three. 

The beds were not only too high and too soft, the three pillows on the queen-sized beds were too thick, overstuffed, and hard. I finally got situated, but Tommy was suffering. He said he finally got settled where he could sleep on his back. 

The closet did not have any place to hang clothes except very low. Not everyone who has a disability needs a knee-high rod for their clothing. I have no idea how anyone in a wheelchair would get into the bed. There were not enough bars for me in the shower and bathroom for me to use to feel safe. And, I need grab bars less than many others would. 

As we sat at the table to eat, I found a dog hair on the plastic lining the ice bucket. Gross. It was red, definitely not belonging to either of us. Then, when I got a towel down to dry off on Monday, there was a very curly hair in my towel. Neither of us has one curl. This was rolled up in the towel.

I did not realize we were on the floor designated for dogs. One dog was barking when we settled into the room. As we came down the hall, four dogs were yapping and barking. Tommy heard dogs barking as he came back from getting ice. What a nightmare!!! In the middle of the night two dogs were barking! 

The manager was very dismissive of my complaint, countering with their "policy". I shut that down telling her I was interested in a night's sleep. Customer service for Wyndam cut me off. 

A funny bit--The only picture of an animate object was a fat little bird with its head cocked. The bird ws about a foot long.Finally, Tommy laughed and said the bird kept staring at him every time he looked at it. Or, something to that effect.

Have you had nightmare stays in a hotel/motel? 

17 comments:

  1. I am curious. What have you been doing for showering since '19?

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    1. Anne,
      I said--a washcloth. It is not ideal! I have been dissatisfied.

      Delete
  2. I often many times had to stick to "sponge baths" myself after surgery. It is fine for a day or two, but nothing compares to a proper shower and I am always relieved when i can take one again. ( I recently had to go 3 weeks without one.) I feel for you and am sorry you are unable to enjoy one at home.

    Sassybear
    https://idleeyesandadormy.com/

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    Replies
    1. Breenlantern
      I despise a shower, preferring a bath. I feel like I am being punished for something when I have to take a shower. But, the all-over-water feeling is good. I cannot get up from a tub! I would not bathe in any tub but my own, so this is hard. But, I stayed clean in the meantime. I am sure it must be hard after surgery not to shower. I am glad you are beyond that.

      Delete
  3. Linda - I am shocked and so very sorry to hear that you haven't had a proper bath or shower since 2019!! That's pretty mindblowing to me really. I am so sorry you have to live like that. Didn't you just pay to have the bathroom professionally cleaned?? But that still isn't clean enough for you to use the tub or shower? I feel for you! I am sure you get the job done with a washcloth but that never could be as good as an actual bath or shower. Makes you appreciate the little things you take for granted!
    As far as your motel room, if you already complained to management about your issues with your room & didn't get anywhere, you should definitely write a review on their website or on a website like Tripadvisor.com or Hotels.com where it will be seen by others, negative reviews often get replies from the upper management.
    Also - YES I have had many nightmare rooms before

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Bri,
      I don't have to live like this. I could shower in the tub where the commode flooded, but that is so gross! He is so oblivious to nastiness. However, when I tell him how about why I do something, he is doing the same thing, being safe, too.

      This is not the end. I tried to complain on the phone and was shut down. I have to get the mental fortitude to try again or even type it on their site. This wears on me.

      I did buy a plastic dish pan from DT and use it for hot water, so not just a damp washcloth.

      Delete
    2. Can't you have your house cleaner come back & focus on cleaning the tub so you could at least shower? Or is it really that bad that it's past the point of cleaning?

      Delete
    3. Bri,
      The glass doors need to come out so the groove and the bottoms of the doors are clean as the doors have not come out in the 42 years he has lived here. She can do it but said the doors will not move sideways. Tommy demonstrated to me that they will. I want my room started first. That is more important to me than a shower right now. She will do what I pay her to do. I won't abuse her, but she will. I will even pay extra for that. I might get the missionary guys to pull them out. They are young, strong, and tall. She is short.

      Delete
  4. Oops I didn't mean to hit Publish yet! I've stayed in many a nightmare room and now I always thoroughly inspect the room as soon as I check in & address any issues with the front desk right away. ALSO - a great trick that I've learned over the years for curtains in a hotel room that don't close all the way (they never do & I don't understand why?!) is to take one of the hangers & use the clips to clip the curtains closed all the way! Another trick is to put the plastic bag from the ice bucket over the TV remote because those are rarely cleaned properly but are a 'high touch' item. I also bring bleach wipes & wipe things down again & spray air freshener too :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I forgot about the hanger clips! We sort of looked it over, but who knew the bed would be too high!? I would have never mentioned any of this except things kept getting worse with dogs barking, dog hair, and hair rolled up in the towel! I did have a Lysol, purse-sized spray we used but not for the remote. Of course, Tommy commandeered the remote which is not a problem since I don't want it, ever. Yes, had wipes, too. and did not use...lol. But, we had on our masks.

      Delete
    2. I use the hanger clip trick almost every hotel stay! Sounds like your stay got progressively worse, I would have been so bugged with all the dogs but the hairs is what would send me over the edge. I hope you find the strength to either write a review or call them back & talk to someone that will actually listen to you. Good luck!!

      Delete
    3. Bri,
      It did, started with dogs barking and ended with the hair in the towel. And, dogs in between. The sign outside the food room said no dogs, but you can bet someone will say they have to bring their tiny dog in or that their big dog won't jump up on the counter. Dog people feel too entitled.

      Delete
  5. Yeah, hotels aren't great for a good night's sleep. Even the high-end ones.
    - I use the pants hanger trick (or binder clip) to close the curtains properly.
    - If the AC won't go low enough, I have the front desk contact Engineering to set the AC to my preferred temp for the night.
    - Hotel air is so dry! I wet an extra bath towel and hang it from a pants hanger to humidify the room. It's always bone-dry by morn.
    - I have antibacterial wipes for phone, remote, knobs, and pulls.
    - I hate soft beds! Also, I often find that my head is lower than my feet! DH I and rotate the mattress or sleep with our heads at the foot of the bed, where the mattress isn't so sunken.

    Most of these tricks wouln't have helped you, Linda. In your case I would always try to stay at the most-recently built hotel, where the chances of have up-to-date, handicap-accessible rooms are greater. That's about all I can offer.

    Glad you enjoyed your shower!
    I am not shocked that you took sink baths for years. My own mother did. She couldn't manage the tub, even with grab bars. She refused to have a home health care aide in to help her (she qualified for it) to bathe. There is only so far you can push a stubborn old lady, and my mom was/is an expert at saying NO!!!!!

    But she was always fresh and clean-smelling. Always.

    How does everyone think people kept clean on a daily basis in the old days? You stood naked on a towl in front of a basin with a pitcher of hot water and scrubbed everything you could reach. You used a very large washcloth or scrub brush to do your back. Part of the hot water was for washing, most for rinsing.

    So don't clutch your pearls over Linda's method. Does it feel as wonderful as water running all over your body? Nope. Does it get the job done? Yep.

    And Linda? You are going to have to get over your phobia with the once-poopy tub at home. Have your cleaner bleach it thoroughly and watch her do it, so that you know no germs or nastiness could have survived the flooding. It's really okay. Nothing stays contaminated forever once it's properly cleaned. Push yourself so you can enjoy showers at Tommy's. That was a major reason for getting a cleaner, wasn't it?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sue,
      I could see the tub was not clean or was stained. She did not wash the mat in the tub to stand on, so I know it was put in the poopy tub. I want to be safe from falling and safe from germs.

      Delete
  6. My grandmother said this about sponge baths. First start with your face and work your way down as far as possible. Next start at your feet and work your way up as far as possible. Lastly wash possible! HaHa!

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