Yes, really, this word describes me. And I didn’t even KNOW it until I researched “X” for the A-Z blog challenge. And then, there it was, in black and white:
Xenodocheionology (noun) zenadə,kīə´nalajē – a love of inns & hotels.
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| The glass window at the end of the bed looks into the jacuzzi in the bathroom. The shade was remote control operated. So cool! |
Ah, I feel the rush of adrenaline just thinking about them. I love hotels. Have since I was young, although I don’t ever remember actually going to one until I was in my teens. I’ve stayed from budget to four star. And of course, the “love of” part really comes with the four star variety. The budget ones serve their purpose either by necessity or finance from time to time, but I’m fortunate to have stayed at some pretty sweet places.
It starts when I make the booking. I spend hours searching out the right location in regards to the reason we are traveling. I click through all the pictures of the rooms and the list of amenities. I know the place inside and out by the time we arrive. So it’s no wonder that, oddly enough, I often feel a sense of coming home when we get there.
The moment we pull up, my excitement starts. Waiting to check in, I peruse the layout and décor of the lobby. This is the time I plan out my people (read writing ideas) watching space. Someplace where I know I’ll generally end up for a short while and let my imagination run wild with characters and plot lines as hotel guests mill around me.
I love the anticipation of traveling up to our room, swipe card in hand. The door opens and there it is. Foreign, yet home for the next few days. I often take pictures of the room when we arrive. It’s crisp and tidy. Even the most spacious ones, with separate seating areas are a marvel in their compactness to me.
After entering, it’s to the window next to check out the view. Sometimes lush gardens or a beautiful desert view. Maybe a park or a parking lot. Possibly the road we arrived on with the strip mall in view. And although I love a good view, it’s the placement of us in our surroundings that I am looking for. It settles me in.
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| Double vanity at the M Resort. They had that wonderful citrus scent! |
And having saved the best for last, I head to the bathroom. To check out if there are double sinks (score!), the vanity lighting, whether the towels are rolled or folded. The placement of the tissue box, the extra toilet paper roll, and the hair dryer. Last, I check out the small toiletries. Evaluate how they’re displayed (in a wicker basket, a glass tray or a shelf). Each one gets opened in turn, the shampoo, the conditioner and the body lotion. My favorite having been a light citrus scent I’ve yet to find anywhere else.
Over the next few days, we travel through the hallways, the elevators and escalators, through the lobby and shops, the restaurants and bars. It’s a dream world. Maybe we’re on vacation, or traveling for business. Either way, we’ve stepped out of our everyday lives for a short time. We can be ourselves, or we can be whoever we want to be. We can even search for someone else we only dreamed of being. It’s all fantasy – all temporary.
And when it’s all said and done, I am itching to leave to get back to our wonderful home. Where our everyday life waits for us, all solid and rooted in reality. Because hotels and inn, although I love them, are a great place to visit…I just wouldn’t want to live there.
