Hotel-Stay COVID Style

And we thought that the highlight of yesterday’s 438-mile drive would be the RV Hall o Fame in Elkhart, Indiana. In truth, it might have been if we had arrived more than 6-minutes before closing and didn’t sprint from the first rolling home – a covered wagon – to a 41-foot Winnebago complete with sofa. But what we’ll remember most about the day’s adventure is: The Best Western Plus in Mishawaka, IN.

In fairness, hotels have been bludgeoned by the pandemic. Limited guests. No make-your-own-waffle breakfast buffets. Locked pools. Locked gyms. Fortunes spent on hand sanitizer.

Our pet-friendly choice, found on the app BringFido, suffered a particular hit this week; the hotel housekeepers, a mother-daughter team, might have been exposed to COVID last weekend and remain at home in quarantine. Apparently, the BW has no back-up, the registration clerk said cheerfully as she processed our payment. This meant that no first floor rooms had been cleaned since Sunday. “Second or third floor?” she asked, adjusting her mask as it slipped south.

Second floor? With a dog?

Oh well. Another first. First hotel stay for Maisie. And First Elevator Ride.

Unnerved was she. Every ride. Scared of the moving door, she balked before entering, then bolted inside. She slipped when the box bumped into action and peeled out at the first sign of daylight.

She did, however, adore the wide open halls, the overflowing trash cans, the ground cigarette butts in the pet exercise square of grass, and, of course, the king bed.

When the housekeepers return, they will find a nice tip in Room 211. Maisie left more than enough fur to welcome them back.