I have my rituals in a hotel room ( don’t we all ?)
First I get rid of all the hotel signs ( « no smoking, 500$ cleaning fee », « Only towels on the floor will be changed », etc…) and put them in a drawer, with any hotel brochure or bizarre book supposed to please everyone.
Then I sometimes move a little some furniture, to find my own harmony in this space designed to be a home far away from home.
Finally I unpack ( fully or not, depending on the length of stay ) and organize my stuff as I do at home, first putting a few significant books on the low table, easily reachable - afterwards I always have this thought when I open the wardrobe: who has been here before ? Who did the same gestures here ? If hangers could talk…
Ah oui !
If the window does not open, at all : I cannot stay. I become oppressed and claustrophobic. I changed hotel sometimes for that reason.
And of course a view is the cherry on the cake.
When all is ready, I open the bed and redo it in my way ( no comment, please ), then I can sit in silence, relax, and enjoy the first cup of coffee.
Needless to say, changing of room in the middle of a stay is not an option . When I settle down, I take root right away.
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San Francisco, 2022 © Ann Ray
