In 30-plus years of physics conferences, Frank and I have ended up in some gnarly lodgings–spartan dormitories in Swansea and in Dresden come to mind, as well as a Paris hotel room so tiny that its double bed took up 99 and 44/100% of the floor.
More recently, we’ve found ourselves at the upper end of the scale–suites with gilt edges and amazing views. Grateful as I am to the hosts who treat us so kindly, I’m very happy here in NYC’s Park South Hotel, which costs about $500 less per night than the St. Regis–but unlike the St. Regis has free and reliable Internet.
Oh, how I love a good, not grand, hotel room with its own ironing board and little coffeemaker!*
Grand hotels so very often have neither. Instead they have butlers, valets, and room service. If I were a millionaire, I might really like this, but I am not a millionaire and I don’t.
What I prefer is to get my clothes ironed within 2 minutes after I notice that they are wrinkled–without paying $10 per garment, plus a tip. What I prefer is to make my own small pot of very bad coffee when I wake up, instead of waiting for room service to deliver a large pot of very bad coffee.
And I bet even millionaires would prefer those things too.
* The Park South Hotel doesn’t have a coffeemaker, I’m sorry to say, but it does have free breakfast for hours, down in the lobby.