Columbia, SC

Well we made it to Columbia. We didn't see much of the town since it rained on Friday and we were all a little tired with running around. Thursdays are usually slow days for us. We stayed at the Marriot Columbia, a nice place – higher end like the Hilton, but this one had a pool. Of course, whoever manages the pool needs to learn a little something about balance: the pool was cold and the hot tub was too hot! Then again, I am a big baby when it comes to hot water.

Something I can't help but wonder about hotels - why is it the more expensive the hotel is, the less you get for free? You go to a Marriot or a Hilton and you have to pay for parking, pay for Internet access, and there sure isn't a free breakfast in the morning. You go to an HIE or Comfort Suites and you get all kinds of stuff. I don't get it. I guess the swanky places figure if you're staying with them you can afford all the other stuff. One saving grace we had here was access to the concierge lounge. That was nice because we could get a hot breakfast, drinks and snacks for free. And it was a nice place to just sit and relax.

Another thing I don't understand about pricey hotels, at least this one – why don't the doors close on their own? I let my room door go and it doesn't shut and latch. It just sits there halfway through the frame. This may not seem like a big deal to most, but I see it as a serious security failure. I don't want people having access to my room while I'm gone just because my door can't seem to shut on its own. Maybe Marriot needs to take some of the money they make and invest in doors that actually latch.

In any case, the room was okay. I liked the one at the Hilton better (playing the Wii on a 42" plasma TV helps with the room rating over there). But the staff here was top-notch. They were quick to provide anything Sherry or I needed and were so friendly I almost couldn't stand it. The only problem we had was not getting Sherry's speaker fax Thursday night. We had to call for it on Friday morning and through the whole system off. And we had 75 people come on Friday, with walk-ins, folks needing certificate requests, etc. It was basically a cluster the whole morning. But if that's my biggest problem, I'll take it.

All in all, a good trip. Next time I hope to see more of Columbia. Guess that's a good excuse to make another trip south. That and the barbeque I never got!