So, I made a decision and booked a room at a Hampton hotel in the Tech Center in Denver. I had to wait until yesterday to get paid so I had enough money. But it was a long and stressful decision-making process.
However, knowing where I am going now and the thought of being in my new house in 30 days has lifted a huge burden off my shoulders.
I’m excited to spend the next month coming up with design ideas for the office. I want something nice set up for the YouTube videos!
Why Book a Room at the Hampton?
Usually, I am pretty excited to stay at a Hampton Inn. After all, I have access to a pool and a hot tub, two things I desperately need after the past 45 stress-filled days.
Unfortunately, I’m sure those amenities are closed due to this coronavirus pandemic. But I still chose the hotel for a few realistic reasons.
Quarantining Myself from Friends and Family
Because of my roommates as they are essential workforce, I’m sure I’ve been exposed to COVID-19. I don’t have a single symptom, but I don’t want to risk spreading it to my friends and family.
Since I work and live like a hermit from home, I am perfectly capable of locking myself up in a hotel room and waiting this out.
In reality, this coronavirus thing really didn’t impact my life much. It’s moving from this crappy house into my new home that has been the most distressing.
Free Coffee Every Morning, I Hope
I’m not sure how many of the amenities are put on hold at the Hampton. But I hope they still have the coffee pots running 24/7. I know the one I usually stay at keeps the brew going non-stop.
I’ll probably still bring my Keurig just in case as I like my Caribou more.
The nice thing is that I’ll have an endless supply of coffee, even if it’s the single-serve packets from the front desk.
It Feels More Like a Working Vacation
I know for a fact that I can work very well from a Hampton Inn. When we would take trips, I would still work for content mills like Textbroker from the hotel room before Christmas or birthday parties.
I would get on, work on an article or two while the girls were getting ready, and then go to the party.
What is nice is that I am staying at the hotel by myself for a large portion of the time. I’m sharing it with my friend who works at the airport and then goes home on her days off.
This means I’ll have a massive chunk of time when I don’t have kids walking past me while I’m trying to work or bugging me about something they saw on YouTube while I edit an article.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll miss my kids very much. But it’s going to be nice to actually work on stuff uninterrupted for the next 30 days.
Setting Up My Machine
Normally, I’ll tote around my laptop when staying at the Hampton. But since this is an extended stay, I’m setting up my computer…my nice one.
I’m hoping this Hampton Inn has an ethernet jack for the Internet, as some do. But I might need to find a wireless card. And since I’ll be at the Tech Center, I’m awfully close to a Microcenter.
Don’t worry; I’ll be fine.
Taking my actual computer will help me stay productive, though. While the Internet speed will still be an issue over WiFi, I don’t have to worry about transferring important files to Dropbox.
Not to mention this computer has far more power than the laptop.
The nice part is that I’ll still be able to create videos and edit them on this computer. If all goes well, I might get back into a regular uploading schedule or be able to stream live.
Wouldn’t that be nice? Things have been such a mess for so long, I’m going to use April to get caught up and work on a lot of things I had planned for 2020.
And yes, I’m sure I’m going to get in a lot of Subnautica, Minecraft and Diablo III from the hotel.
Awesome Beds, I Sleep Exceptionally Well
One of the biggest highlights of the Hampton is how comfy I find the beds. It’s one of the biggest reasons why I stay at Hamptons as often as I do; I know that I’ll get a great night’s sleep.
And after the past month and a half, I could use one of those right now. In fact, after moving out of the house today, I’m looking forward to my head hitting the pillow tonight!
When you get to be my age, you value every moment of rest you can get.
Forcing Me to Eat Well
Another awesome highlight is how staying at the Hampton Inn is going to force me to eat better. After all, I don’t have a lot of storage space for junk foods like ice cream. Essentially, I’ll have to shop every few days.
There’s a lot of salads in my future.
Part of this is that I challenged my 20-year old to a weight loss goal. We’re going to see who can lose the most over the next 30 days. I’m sure he’ll beat me simply because his metabolism is twice as fast as mine.
I Can Afford It
And lastly, I can afford to live indefinitely at the hotel. The Extended Stay plans cut like $300+ off the bill! Although I won’t have a lot of money by the time I move into the new house for fun things, I will still have enough to get started.
I’m looking forward to my first trip to Ikea.
Since I will have so much “me” time, I can also jump onto the content mills and other platforms to see if I can offset some of my stay with some writing work. Well, that is outside of my normal daily routine, anyway.
In the end, I’m spending around the same amount I was looking at for an AirBnB in the middle of Denver.
Why a Hampton Inn Over an AirBnB?
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve stayed in some very nice AirBnBs in Los Angeles. And I was looking forward to renting out an entire apartment in Denver, but it was reserved before I was paid.
Still, I think I have more of an affinity for the Hampton Hotel.
Far More Comfortable at the Hampton Inn
I’ve never been a fan of staying at someone else’s house. Part of that is because I’m a bit of an introvert and exceptionally shy in person. After all, the hotel is a corporate chain. I don’t have to worry about messing up a person’s home.
It’s not like I throw wild parties. But I know I would walk on eggshells for the next month if I was in someone’s house. And that would drive the comfort level way down.
Besides, I have direct control over the temperature of my room and can stink up the bathroom without offending anyone.
I’m Sure House Keeping Will Have Toilet Paper
Granted, the hotel toilet paper is much to be desired. It feels like newspaper in most locations because, well, it’s cheap. But, at least I’ll have access to some if needed.
Which is saying something about the state of the world right now. Of all things to run out of, seriously, toilet paper?
It’s the flu, people, not dysentery. Stop hoarding!
Access to More Amenities, Hopefully
I’m sure the Hampton probably has the pool, hot tub and weight room locked down because of the pandemic. But it would be nice if I had access to those things.
You’d think at least the pool would be open. It’s chlorinated. Chlorine kills most biological entities, which is why it’s added in pools to begin with and diluted.
It will kill you, too, in high doses.
While I’m holding out hope, I’m pretty sure everything is shut down. I could really use a soak in a hot tub right now, though.
Again, the Beds!
And lastly, I trust the beds at the Hampton. I’ve never had a bad experience, and I always sleep far better than anywhere else. I can’t say the same for AirBnBs.
After the past few weeks, sleep is a priority for me. I know that I will sleep very well tonight and can’t wait to wrap myself up in that thick comforter.
Looking Forward to My Hampton Inn Vacation!
Even though I’m spending a bit more than I wanted to this month, at least I have peace of mind. I know my friends and family will be safe, I know I’ll get to sleep and I know I’ll be able to work.
Sometimes it’s worth the extra money if you can ease tension and stress almost instantly. And like I said before, I’ll have plenty of time to bring in a few bucks more…providing there is work available.
Take care of yourselves out there. Stay safe and practice good hygiene.