15/04/2024 – Old world glamour, the bad bits

You already know that I am both cheap and accident-prone. I am also determined to share the “glamour” of Supertrip, warts and all.

I did laundry at Gareth’s, (cheap). I used his detergent, (accident: I forgot to pack ours). I developed a pretty dramatic reaction – swollen, raw eyes, hot, itchy hives on my neck and back. It was the most expensive 10 Euro I didn’t spend… Thanks to antihistamines, re-washing and a heroic determination to limit scratching (many cold compresses), I’m mostly mended. The luxury of no longer being in discomfort provides another focus for gratitude.

We also had an important win, thanks to the redoubtable Hannah and her team.

You might remember we were refused our room when we arrived. The hotel asserted our visitor taxes were unpaid. After a short standoff with the receptionist, the manager arrived. She agreed to let us in while we sorted it out.

We got onto Hannah.

At the end of March, the manager told me that we still owed, not the 676 Euro originally demanded, but 416. Progress, but still not what our paperwork said.

In January, Paris jacked-up a levy to cash in on Olympic tourists. I would have paid up - if they had notified me. Change happens. Instead, nothing was communicated. The hotel confirmation we received (well after the raise) said all taxes, including this levy, were prepaid. By contrast, all our other hotel confirmations say we must pay extra local taxes on arrival.

I told the manager I would keep fighting. She kindly agreed to renew our keycards for April. Hannah went back on the case.

Then, the hotel locked us out of our room, at 5:30pm on Friday, because of “the payment problem” on our account. As an ex-accountant, I know March taxes are reported mid-April. Seeing a hole in their cashflow for the return, the hotel accountants no doubt invalidated our keycards.

And then… everyone did the right thing: Hannah and the team leapt into action, despite the late hour. The partner ended up calling the hotel and paid with their corporate card. The hotel immediately renewed our keys. It took under an hour.

I now suspect the partner just missed the hike and gave a commitment they hadn’t intended. Yet, they owned it, and acted with integrity. Booking with Hannah gives ABTA/ATOL insurance against non-delivery. More importantly, we know she uses solid partners. It was a bit bumpy, but with persistence and kindness from all involved, it is fixed. And another big source of gratitude.

So, we ended this week back in Paris. Our bills settled. Carey in visa compliance. Me, substantially less lumpy. Perfect.

PS: This morning, I acquired a bleeding head wound from an open cupboard door. I applied pressure and burst out laughing. I have poor vision and worsening cataracts, but, it still feels personal! “Infamy! Infamy! They’ve all got it in for me” (google it). I’m increasingly happy we invested in good medical insurance.