“Even Without Electricity”
We do get a hotel room at the airport the night before an early flight because I am completely neurotic about missing planes and the weather and traffic around Detroit can be chancy. So we pulled off of the highway, swung around the corner onto Merrimam Road, and the usual vista of 15 hotels, 12 twelve park and drives and 7 stoplights, etc., is completely missing. For a wild moment, I thought we had the wrong exit. Rather, the power was out from the icestorm that morning. We carefully crept along the road looking for the drive to the hotel (which we had fortunately used in the past, or I dont know how we would have found it in the dark). I went past the loud, diesel belching generator to see if they were open. The staff were all standing behind the service desk in coats and mittens as the electric doors were propped open. (It was December) When I asked if they were still receiving guests, they pointed out the power was out. Yeah, I noticed. Then they tell me there is no heat or lights. Yeah, I had figured that out as well. So they gave us little chemical glow sticks, hauled our luggage up two (instead of the original four) flights of stairs to our room, and promised a wake up call as the alarms are, of course, run by electricity. We spent the night toasty warm a fabulous down comforter, on a fabulous feather bed, and were awakened at five by somebody pounding on the door. Could not ask for better service or attitude under the circumstances.