The Honeymoon Suite

So for most of this week I was in Liverpool doing some training, along with my boss.


(That’s why the blog posts were kept up to date – I had free wireless internet to take advantage of so I downloaded as many podcasts as possible and uploaded as many photos on to Flickr as possible.)

I was a last minute addition to this training, having taken the place of someone-else, so I hadn’t been involved in the booking of the hotel at all and on the way down to Liverpool my boss was saying that he hoped everything was sorted because it had been a bit complicated booking things and getting things sorted out.

We arrived at the hotel, just a 5-10 minute walk from Liverpool Lime Street and went up to the desk. My boss gave the receptionist his name and said that there was a booking for 2 single rooms. She fiddled on her computer and asked us to wait a moment and went through to the back.

Not looking good.

A few minutes later another woman came out of the back with a huge smile on her face and said probably the funniest thing she could have said, given the context:

“Hi there. Because it’s your wedding anniversary what we’ve actually done is upgraded you free of charge to one of our honeymoon suites which has a lovely four poster bed...”

At this point I interrupt her.

“Erm....we’re here for training over the next couple of days. This is my boss.”

Cue silence from all parties.

“Well we have written down here that it’s your anniversary.”

“Well I don’t know what to tell you. Us? Definitely not married.”

Ten minutes later we were sorted out and had our own rooms but all week we have speculated how on earth they managed to cock up so spectacularly. How in the name of all that is holy do you go from a booking for two single rooms to putting them in a honeymoon suite?!

And what’s sad is that I imagine that in that hotel at some point over the past week there has been a couple somewhere who have missed out on their free upgrade.

(Even though I spent a few nights there I didn’t really get to see much of Liverpool, which is a shame because I’ve only ever been once and that was a good nine years ago. I did get to pop round the Metropolitan Cathedral, but that’s a story for another post. Instead my Liverpool experience consisted of the Liverpool Science Park and the train station. And that was not a happy experience yesterday because THIS meant that I didn’t get home until after 10.30pm last night. I know I should feel bad and sorry for the person involved, but instead I was just mightily pissed off. Couldn’t have done it at any other time apart from rush hour? Yes, I know I’m going to hell. I’ll save you a seat.)