JEFF PEARLMAN

JEFF PEARLMAN

So the Red Roof was a mistake

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Flew to Atlanta last night for book research. Paying for the trip myself. Went cheap and got a room via Travelocity at the (egad) Red Roof Inn Plus in Buckhead. It was $68 a night. Seemed fair. I mean, it’s a Plus.

There was one catch—I flew the red eye, so my flight landed at 6 am. That’s why I reached out to the hotel and told them I’d be getting in early in the morning; that’s why I booked it for the previous night. So they’d have a bed where I could crash.

Anyhow, landed after 15 minutes of sleep. Taxi ride sucked. Dropped off at the Red Roof lobby.

“Your room won’t be ready until 3,” the guy said.

“No,” I said, “I booked for two nights so that …”

“You’re late,” he said. “We gave your room away.”

I’m standing in a lobby.

No car.

Bags.

I plead with the guy. “I e-mailed you!” I say.

He looks at the computer before him. “I don’t have you,” he says.

“Do you have ANY rooms?” I say.

“No,” he said. “We’re sold out.”

“Are there any other hotels nearby?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says. “But they’re all sold out.”

He is cold and oozing 0% empathy. Which is fine. He’s probably tired and worn down, too.

I grunt. Open the door to leave. Scream, “Fuck!” Seemed appropriate. It’s drizzling, and I’m walking somewhere. Down a drive. Somewhere. I see a Hampton Inn across the street. Surely there are no rooms. Or I couldn’t check in until 3. But I approach. I am greeted at the front desk by Nerie. She is a young woman with a warm tea smile and long, precisely manicured nails. She sees my pained expression.

“I’ve had a rough morning,” I say.

She has one room. It’s a double, but she can get it to me for $150. I can check in immediately. She shows me where the coffee is, where the breakfast is. She is the face I need to see at this moment.

The end.