As readers may know I’ve lost my luggage…the worst nightmare of travelers. It leaves you feeling dirty, wearing old clothes and socks, and generally unclean. Fortunately quality hotels offer shaving kits and toothbrushes for personal hygiene. That’s a consolation at least. The Wrest Hotel where I’m staying in Hobart, Tasmania offered such an amenity for which I’m grateful.
I’d also like to say that everyone I’m met in Tasmania has been very kind, and even went out of their way to offer me amenities last night to help me through my travel troubles. I declined with thanks knowing I’d be able to get a shaving kit at the hotel.
It does add insult to injury though when you discover that whatever corporate person chose the shaving kit did so on the basis of cost alone. I discovered with a soap laden face that the shaving kit gave a new meaning to the term “safety razor”. It is so safe in fact, that it does not cut whiskers! Truly a design of the orient made at rock bottom prices.
I suggested to the concierge that the person that made this purchase decision should try shaving with it himself. He replied “yes sir, I know they are terrible”. There were no other options, the hotel store was closed, and none within quick walking distance.
Combine that with the fact that they block outgoing SMTP for email on their Internet service ($10 per hour!) and I’m one really unhappy camper.
So I’m going to leave this up until the Wrest Hotel shows me their new shaving kit. Leave a comment. After all shouldn’t the paying customer be king?
I want to reiterate that Alan, Garth, Bruce, Beth, and many others here have been gracious and my visit was otherwise splendid. Hobart is a great town of beauty and of warmth. I just despise corporate weasels trying to save a nickel where it really is important to provide a basic courtesy for the distressed traveler. At least I can help future travelers left in this situation get a clean shave.
So if anyone sees a smelly, disheveled, unshaven man wandering through airports in AU today muttering about blacklists and weather stations, please come up and say hello. 😉
UPDATE: Some people didn’t see the humor and satire in the headline or in the body. Chill folks. I found the whole thing silly because the razor was 100% nonfunctional, and the concierge agreed with me. Sometimes management needs a prod, and this prod done with some humor might help the next guy that needs help. Besides, you haven’t heard half of my inconvenient travel adventures. 😉
BTW I did catch up with my luggage in Adelaide…so now if you’ll all excuse me, I need to shave. -A
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Did you fly Qantas or Jetstar?
Well… you are not the only one!!!
It’s amazing that a corporation would actually spend real money on crap, to cause even more distress, on someone who paid for a room. Are they the only place to stay on a budget? On the other-hand, it is also a Casino, maybe some of the shaving kits are great?
Anthony said “Fortunately hotels offer shaving kits and toothbrushes for personal hygiene”.
Careful Anthony. The CAGW’s will say you’re in the pocket of “Big Hotel”.
It looks to me like the Wrest Point tower is falling over.
The Leaning Tower of Hobart?
Anthony, sorry to hear about the problems you had in visiting our country. I’m afraid some Australians have a she’ll-be-right-mate attitude to problems like the shavers. And Australian customers tend to be less articulate and forceful in responding to such problems than folks from your part of the world. They may even see such forceful response as typical of those terrible Americans who (supposedly) cause all the world’s problems. The Australian way does make for a more relaxed atmosphere, but also can leave significant problems unfixed.
Our mailserver listens on port 26 and a few others on our “dedi”, to circumvent the SMTP control that most ISPs indulge in. Webmail interfaces help too, of course. We have that too. If you follow “the trail”, you could give me a shout without needing to use email and I’d happily set you up with an account to use on our box as a quick solution.
Tassie is a lovely place – so many contrasts between the east and west coasts – the people are decent too. Enjoy.
if you are flying Qantas, you should visit this website.
http://qantoct.blogspot.com/
Also Qantas is known for losing luggage
Don’t worry, the same thing has happened to me a couple of times. I’ll be very surprised if you don’t get get your luggage back (after it’s made a round trip to Singapore or somewhere).
Very glad to hear how well the OZ tour is going. If you do manage a visit to the UK, I’ll do my best to get to a talk.
John
Based on you experience with Wrest Hotel so far *ahem* I will be thinking twice about availing myself of their accommodations, should I travel there.
You might forward the link to your article and the comments – posthaste-sir. As soon as you get outgoing email, that is.
Now if you later report some significant apologies and booty-kissing by the hotel management, perhaps I might reconsider.
Hope you are reunited with your luggage soon Anthony. I always keep a minimal kit with me in hand luggage. Safety razors are allowed, plus 100ml bottles of lotions etc. Other essentials and emergency supplies I always have with me as I go through security include:
LED headtorch
Writing case
Space blanket
12oz inflatable mattress
Empty water bottle
Snacks including dried fruit nuts boiled sweets etc
polythene bags
foldaway umbrella
Socks and briefs
travel plug and charger
mosquito headnet
small first aid kit
lighter
Teabags (its a Brit thing)
Hat
Small towel
Keep your stubbly chin up!
The TSA lost my purple polo shirt for me. My favorite.
Pawing through my things on the last trip. Grrrrr.
In the good old days we used to fly Pan Am from Puerto Rico to the U.S.
Delicious meals served on china by smiling stewardesses.
Those days are long over.
Flying is now something to endure.
Hope you get your luggage soon.
Anthony wrote: “As readers may know I’ve lost my luggage…the worst nightmare of travelers.”
Which is why experienced travellers keep all their essentials in a carry-on case 🙂
Many thanks for your and David’s presentations last night. SWMBO * was most impressed having largely ignored the Git’s pronouncements on climate for the last thirty odd years. She now feels much better informed. A pity the audience wasn’t larger, but it was a very cold night. It was a great relief that the execrable John Hunter didn’t show!
If there’s a next time, you are welcome to stay with us. While we are 40 minutes drive from Hobart, the accommodation is comfortable, the food and drink excellent and all for free. So’s the broadband Internet access.
*SWMBO = She Who Must Be Obeyed
There’s something to be said for web-based mail (I use GMail)…
I hope you have your luggage returned soon.. See you tonight!
“When the first astronaut sets foot on Mars, his luggage will arrive on Venus”
Anthony, lost luggage is common. It happens to me on about one flight out of twenty, and I usually stay inside the US. Frequent travelers usually have a basic change of clothes in their carry-on.
Might there be other hotels with better shaving kits, etc. nearby – a cut above the Wrest?
Speaking from experience, the Wrest Point prides itself on achieving an international standard that the more discerning among us refer to as mediocre. Having been served punched out skate wings as scallops in the Revolting Restaurant, I have never voluntarily been back.
REPLY: Oh that has me in stiches! Don’t get me started about revolving restaurants. The spin reaches the food. Waiting now at the terminal for my lost luggage. This is the first time in 10 years it’s happened to me. Next opportunity I’ll make an emergency kit.
Good to me you last night. Many thanks for the jovial flyer. – Anthony
Perhaps the Wrest hotel could host the next IPCC conference by way of atonement.
CAGW people are canny gamblers, with model predictions accurate to 1 ppm, astonishing statistical prowess, and most importantly imperturbable beliefs.
The inquiries into where the grant money had gone would be a sight to behold.
Well, Anthony, good luck with that. I’m here in Marysville, CA, just down the road from your place. I presume you have locals who can take care of things here, but if I can do anything here on the right side up part of the planet, you have my e-mail address.
George M.
Hey, look at the bright side, just think of how small your carbon footprint is now that you are not hauling all of that luggage around. That is, unless your luggage was somewhat transferred onto a flight to London in which case your carbon footprint is HUGE and when Guam capsizes we’ll know who to blame!
Bon chance, mon brave! You are doing a great job even though you are filthy and ragged!
When I must fly, I always have basic personal care items and a couple of changes of clothes in my carry-on baggage.
I hate checked luggage with a burning passion, because even when it doesn’t get lost, it is beaten to Hell and back and you have to jostle for position at the carousel and wait to get it. And now you have to pay extra for it too! Might as well pay UPS or FedEx; they’ll at least get the job done.
This is off topic, but I do think it’s important.
As pointed out at Real Climate, both the “Amazongate” and “Africagate” stories have been retracted. If the reasons are valid for the retractions, should we not also make note of it. After all, as critics of sloppy / inaccurate reporting of pro AGW climate issues, should we also not tolerate sloppy journalism of skeptic items?