The Remains of the Day

We have just finished another busy weekend at Saratoga Arms.  That means on Monday morning the telephone calls start.  “Did I leave my phone charger in Room 218?”  “Did you find my thyroid medicine in Room 103?”  “Oh…I left my favorite pillow there!”  We start shipping on Tuesdays…but only after we receive an email or a call requesting that whatever was left behind be sent back.  It wasn’t always this way, but life teaches many lessons.

Our first foray into the lodging industry was in 1984 when we purchased an old motel on five acres on the outskirts of Saratoga Springs.  We moved our family there.  The only paved area on the property was the 135 feet of concrete in front of the motel, and it was in this area that our six year old rode her bike up and down the sidewalk with our wonderful yellow Lab named Bates Motel trailing behind her. Shortly after we refurbished and opened for business, a lovely couple from western New York State checked in for a few days.  The husband had business in the area and the wife stayed at the motel during the day waiting for her husband’s return.  She was especially kind to little Ann and Bates as they rode up and down.  She fulfilled all requirements to be a pleasant guest.  When they checked out, the gentleman left behind a sports coat hanging in the motel room closet.  I was so efficient and organized in those days that without being asked, I packed it up and sent it back to Syracuse.  Three days later I received a telephone call from a woman who asked me exactly when her husband was at our motel.

I don’t return anything now unless someone requests that it be sent back.