So, living in a hotel is a bit weird but it's mostly not that weird, if that makes sense. For those of you who don't know, we've been put u in a hotel for the duration of Allison's assignment that brought us here. For now that is 12 months in a hotel, with an opportunity to have the assignment extended up to 18 months. We've been here for just over 4 months now and yes, we have been living in a hotel the whole time. We'd like to use this post to talk about some of the idiosyncrasies of the situation and also respond to some feedback about what we mean when we say "home," "the apartment" or "the hotel," which for us are all the same place!
For those confused about some of the posts references to where we are living, we live in a suite style hotel called the Meriton Suites. They have rooms that range from studios to 3-bedroom suites, all of which have a full kitchen. The suites are great for longer travel (a lot of foreign countries and travelers take longer trips than the United States because they get things like annual leave (for like a month or more at once) so there is a large market for longer stays) but they aren't really set up to live in forever. I have seen fellow travelers here for a month or so before they disappear but most people are here for 7-10 days it seems. Our apartment is a 1-bedroom suite and it fits our needs quite nicely, but it is a little tight.
So, what makes living in a hotel weird? Honestly, not too much. Most of the time it feels like we are living in a security controlled building in any city. But there are some restrictions that make it feel like a cross between being in a college dorm room and a regular high rise in a city like any other, which that alone would be a new experience for both of us.
Some examples of the dorm room vibe include not being allowed to burn candles or make holes in the wall. Instead, we have leaned in to reed diffusers and re-upped our Command Strips arsenal to put up some photos we've taken throughout our travels together. The hotel also allowed us to bring in additional furniture, but we were not allowed to remove any furniture. We were therefore able to bring in some extra storage with a small filing cabinet and buffet and also an additional side table for the living area. However, it means we are stuck with a third, kind of useless chair for the kitchen area that takes up some space and Greg doesn't really appreciate - even though he uses it more than Al. There is also technically a rule against overnight guests and parties; however, we have not had the opportunity to test this yet lacking both local friends and visiting guests so far in our journey!
Besides the small space, there are other things about the suite that remind us of a regular high rise (based on visiting friends who lived in them). For one, the garbage shoot is directly outside our apartment and shares a wall with our bathroom. Which is usually fine, but sometimes we'll hear a large thump in the middle of watching a show and that can be annoying. And then there is the elevator (or as they call them here "the lift"). We are essentially 8 floors from ground level so we have to use the lift to get up to the apartment, but it's also not a direct lift. We need to take one to the lobby and then another up 5 flights to our suite. Waiting for the lift to get home is super annoying, especially since one of the three has been out for at least a month now.
Then there are a few things that feel unique to living in a hotel: some good, some less good - most of these are the weirder ones! First, on a positive note, we have a weight room and a swimming pool (with a hot tub) in each of the two towers of the hotel. I know there are probably regular apartment buildings with these types of amenities, but it still feels very hotel to have them just downstairs and two of each in the same building. We've actually used the hot tub more than we expected! Second, in order to get from the lobby to our floor, you need a room key to control the elevator. This is also mostly positive (unless you forget your key or give it to Allison because she decided not to bring her key and then she doesn't respond to texts letting asking to be let in and you have to find the sneaky, creepy stairs to get back to the apartment) for security reasons, but it does seem to cue hotel vs apartment building.
Third, as we may have described in a previous post, the hotel will supply us certain things if we need them. For instance, we use most of the hotel furnished kitchen wares and we have used the hotel towels not just at home but also when we go to the park (or the Festival of Wind - the one with all the kites - they call this a call back for those of you paying attention). Fourth, yes, we do get house keeping once a week. No, it's not all its cracked up to be but we won't go into that now. Let's just say we've purchased a broom and vacuum since we've been here. And finally, there's the inability to collect your own mail! This has been possibly the worst part of living in a hotel. Greg's Tax File Number (kind of like a social security number) was almost thrown away because his name wasn't on the room when we first arrived. While it is nice to have someone always available to receive a package in your place when you're not home, we have waited days to speak to the right porter who knew where the package was even after seeing a delivery confirmation email come through. And letters! Don't expect us to get any cards or letters in a timely fashion even considering the fact we live halfway around the world! haha
There you have it... living in a hotel is weird sometimes, but it's mostly pretty normal and has definitely started to feel like home! Quick PSA to explain a lack of upcoming posts: we will be heading to New Zealand for Christmas and New Years so won't be putting anything else up here for a while. Hope all is well with you and Happy Holidays!
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