The Bad Chair: Super 8

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One of the things I find with Super 8 hotels which are part of the Wydham Resorts group of which I happen to be a diamond member (woohoo! It doesn't mean anything at all, lol) is that there is never any real consistency from one hotel to the other. Nor room to room for that matter honestly. Wyndham Hotels are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get. But they are economical and mostly tolerable, which is why I choose them. And because for work I generally travel to the same places, I get to know the hotels in the areas I travel to and so I sort of know mostly what to expect. This one that I stay at in Kansas City at 4321 N. Corrington Ave., Kansas City, MO 64117 is one that I have stayed at consistently for at least three or so years. I usually get the same room, but today there was someone else at the front desk and so I got a different one. No worries honestly. But this chair? The computer chair? How in the world could anyone running this hotel think that this chair is not due for the dumpster? It's disgusting, atrocious and makes me quite uncomfortable to sit in it. But sit in it I must because I am of course traveling on business and must conduct some of my work—aside from otherwise liking to tool around on the Internet anyway. I fully grasp that hotel dwellers generally are not the type of people who tend to take care of things, which is why many of them probably cut a few corners to save a few bucks. I am a former landlord and I know all about tenants who don't give a damn. My stance was always "unless I know they are going to take care of something, I am going to give them cut rate stuff." Still, I mentioned that I am a diamond member and also alluded to the lack of perks of that status. Something I mention often of the loyalty program. MAYBE one of the perks could be that there could be a room or two that are "special accommodations." In other words, a couple of rooms specially designated for diamond members when they stay that are extra clean and taken extra care of. I mean, think about it. I stay in Wyndham branded hotels about 82 nights a year. At an average room rate of about $100 per night, that's an annual spend of about $8,200. If I owned a franchise I think I would probably do this. I would 1) recognize a diamond member and give them an extra warm welcome and thank them for their loyalty, including ask them if there was anything else I could help them with. 2) I would make sure to have some "extra nice" rooms available and "upgrade" their stay—preferably with a suite, even if that is not was booked nor paid for. But then, I would have to say that my priority would be anyway to keep the hotel in tip top shape and make the stay for ANY of my customers top notch. Just because my hotel might be an "economy brand" does not mean I need my customers to feel like they are in an "economy room." To me in any business, the customer experience means everything to repeat business, and even though many hotel dwellers are just people "passing through," there is no reason to not take great care and pride in representing the brand and taking care of the customer. Granted, I have never actually run a hotel. So my idea about what should happen might also be nothing more than talking out of my ass. Either way, I just wish my chair did not look like this. But the rest of the room is fine.