Locked Out

Last week, I learned what NOT to do when having a late night arrival at a hotel then getting a room on the ground floor: lock yourself out.

So, after a long-delayed flight out of Detroit to Kansas City, my presenters (yup, two of them, again) and I check into the Courtyard Marriott and I get a free upgrade to a jacuzzi suite (sweet!).

Upon entering, I immediately close the security bar on the front door (force of habit by now) and go to drop my bags on the floor, bed, or wherever. I then notice that the hotel has a nice courtyard between the sleep rooms and the adjoining conference center (Adams Pointe). I step outside and, as I close the door behind me, I notice the security bar starting to fall into place as my room keys are both still on the bed. Crap.

The front desk staff helps me get another room key and, by this point, I had forgotten about the lock on the front door. Not for long, though. Now I've gotten myself locked out of the room TWO different ways. Great job, genius.

With some dedication, wire coat hanger, and frozen fingers (why did I have to leave my jacket inside, too?), I managed to jerry-rig the sliding door's lock out of place. By this time, it was almost 12:45 a.m. and I hadn't even started unpacking.

Not a good start to the Kansas City visit, I'd say. The next day proved to be a bit better, especially with the sympathy from the front desk landing me a free mini-bottle of wine to enjoy at my next destination.