DM
Dan Michels
Jan 28, 2026
This is the true story of something that throughout all of the hundreds of nights I've spent in hotels, both very nice and not so much, all over North America, has never happened before.
As a project manager for a retail construction company, I essentially travel for a living. In 2024 I spent 15 nights at home. Last year it was about twice that many. So, when I say I travel for a living, I mean I'm on the road, and sleeping in hotels...a lot. The term "road warrior" is kinda corny, but I suppose it's the shoe that fits.
As someone who basically lives in hotels, anywhere from a few nights to a couple months at a time, I've become conditioned to take a few amenities for granted. Chief among them are a small refrigerator and a microwave. I should, but this incident helped me realize I no longer check, and instead I just assume whatever room I'm in for the night will have both of these.
However, this one didn't.
All the rooms here have a plenty large enough fridge, but as I discovered only after having bought some groceries that included frozen dinners, none of the rooms have a microwave.
Hampton Inns has this thing where someone familiar with the property sends you a text after you check in, and once each day afterwards, asking how your stay is going.
My response to the first text, which was after I had bought some groceries, but before I discovered I had no way to cook them, was "great...going great". I said this because it was. This is a nice place. Nice rooms, friendly staff, a good location...there's nothing not to like.
However, by the 2nd day when that text came, I had discovered my no-wave situation, and I responded in a way that made my disappointment clear, using language like "deal breaker".
And so after texting my response I'm sitting there starving, being bummed out about not getting to eat the groceries I had bought, when less than 30 minutes later I hear a knock at my hotel room door.
I get up and go to open the door expecting to tell a room attendant I don't need the room cleaned, when to my astonished surprise...standing there in the hallway outside my door is a member of the hotel staff holding a microwave. This young man hands me the microwave and says "have a nice day".
You can decide for yourself how you feel about staying in a room without a microwave, but for me it will always be truly outstanding personalized customer service that gets my vote (and my money), and this was one of the most significant examples of freaking AWESOME customer service I have ever experienced.
If they will go to that length to do that for me, just think what they might do for you when you decide to spend a night or two here - which is something I highly recommend.