I booked a hotel room today at a chain that I don’t often stay at. I went on their website and could find rates and rooms but no information on accessibility. So, I called. I don’t understand why accessibility is so foreign that it requires a call, why can computers handle it? Anyways, I called. The fellow who answered the phone was nice, really nice actually. I explained what I wanted and he went into the system to see if there was an accessible room available.
After a brief hold he came back to tell me that the accessible room, please not the singular ‘the … room’, was occupied but there had been a note made that the person had requested a main floor room. He told me he’d call the guest that was scheduled to be in that room to find out if they needed the accessible room or if they only wanted a main floor room. I thanked him, he said he’d be back in a couple of minutes.
Maybe five minutes later he called me back. The person put in that room had not requested an accessible room, did not know that he’d been placed in one and was more than willing to move to a different room so an actual disabled person could have the room. Then we set about making the reservation.
The booking was done, he wanted me to wait until the email confirmation when through, which I did and then we were done. I said, “Thanks,” and rung off. Seconds later I had this kind of realization that I’d not gushed gratitude towards him for doing his job and getting me the room I needed. I felt almost badly that I’d not emphasized my appreciation a little bit more. I felt like I somehow owed him.
I’m now really conflicted about just a plain ‘Thanks’ like any other customer booking any other room. He did have to go to extraordinary measures in order for me to have the room I needed. But, is that my issue? Should it be my issue? If they hadn’t just randomly placed someone in the accessible room, I’d have just been able to book it.
ARGH!!
Sometimes I overthink things.
I do this a lot more as a disabled person that I ever did before, I’m not sure why.
Am I alone in this, do any of you run through routine interactions in your mind because of something to do with either disability or accessibility, I’m curious.
