Despite my efforts to connect with Choice Hotels, contacting privately owned Comfort Inns and offering to hold my first Urban Campout at any hotel interested, I've concluded that I'm not going to get the company or any of its affiliates interested.
So, with that in mind and also due to economic considerations, I've chosen a historic hotel in downtown Toledo as my new urban campsite.
Often labeled as seedy, The Lorraine Hotel is actually a clean, quaint place that had its heyday back in the 1920s-1930s. Signs of its former glory still exist.
Evidence of The Lorraine's former elegance are evident in some of its fixtures, the tile on the floors of bathrooms, and old-fashioned bathtubs with the feet removed.
The Lorraine, despite its reputation, most likely to the clientele who are usually poor folks who can't afford the priceier hotels, is quite clean. It lacks frills, however.
You won't see paintings on the walls or little bottles of shampoo and lotion. There's a TV in every room, but no cable and probably no remote. But the linen is clean.
You do have to ask for an extra towel, but check in early - you can at The Lorrain - and a pleasant young man with mad customer service skills will give you one if you need it.
These days with a new love in my life, my urban camping trips are no longer solo.
My beau suggested The Lorrain for our first rendezvous and, I admit, I was apprehensive.
All my apprehensions were put to rest as was my tired body in the simple but
comfortable room like one you'd find in an old hotel in New York or Europe.
My guy and I go urban camping to get away from our individual domiciles and
daily routines. It's the perfect place with the perfect price for our lifestyle and
budget.
How much do we pay for our bare-bones urban camping experience in one of our
city's best kept secrets? Only $38 a night plus a $5 key deposit. Just $43 total!
Checkout time is at noon and once the heat is shut off at the end of the cold season, you'll have to ask for a blanket if you're there on an unseasonably chilly night.
If you're like me, you won't mind giving up amenities like toiletries, cable, and a
breakfast buffet for an affordable price. Hard times call for austerity.
The Lorraine Hotel offers more than amenities. There you get a clean place to
spend the night and have enough money left to buy your own toiletries and
breakfast.
You can also buy lunch and dinner with the money you save at The Lorraine.
Besides, if you go there with someone, you're not going to be watching much TV anyway.
So who needs cable? If you do go to The Lorraine alone to get a project done or
just relax, it's only $33 a night. Of course there's no wifi in this old hotel from
another era.
Even when my income increases, which it will, in the near future, I'll still go to The
Lorraine for a relaxing, initimate time with my sweetheart. We'll just stay longer!
