Wake up Call and follow-up on Best Western in Snyder Tx

Good Morning! Lots to do today so I'm getting an early start. I crashed at about 8:30 last night - one of those deep deep where am I when you wake up - kind of sleeps. Guess that's what you get when you put 62 miles in the saddle - Giddyup!

I wanna tell you about a neat experience I had yesterday with the Best Western in Snyder Tx.

Quick background - when I got into my motel in Anson late Sunday night I checked ahead to see what motels were in Snyder (via my Gateway LT2016 Netbook and Verizon Wireless service - I mean come on - Anson Tx - the middle of nowhere) - anyway there were 6 or 7 motels in Snyder but the prices were up in the $80 - $100 range, a little too much for the budget-minded roving bicycle adventurer. I noticed the Best Western was in Snyder but it was listed at $79.95.

I piddled around with Priceline and made some lower bids to test the waters and got rejected and finally said - forget it - I'll deal with this tomorrow.

So I'm pedaling along there on 180 W between Anson and Roby and I get an idea.... my Mom always told me you don't get something unless you ask for it .... politely.... so I call Verizon 411 (Information) and get the number for the Best Western because it was kind of in the middle of the pack but had the most features / amenities. Verizon connects me with the Best Western in Snyder and I talk to Mary.

I tell Mary my story - I'm doing a Bicycle Adventure across America and blogging about my adventure.... and I'm trying to do it on a budget.... I've been trying to keep my motel costs at $50 + tax or below. I told her I realize the room was listed at $79 but could she help me out. Mary politely says she'll have somebody call me back. I'm thinking - OK - at least she heard what I had to say and didn't laugh and didn't hang up .... so there's hope.... there's that hope thing again - I can't seem to get rid of it on this trip - it just keeps hanging around and getting stronger with every mile.... but that's another story.

Now you gotta remember - I'm pedaling down 180 W between Jones's house and the Last Frontier - where's Jones's house you ask? Go down the most remote dirt road you've ever been on in your life - take the left fork at the big oak tree - follow that road to the end and then follow the creek for 5 miles and you'll find Jones's house.

I got my Zen MP3 player going in my left ear and my Verizon Wireless Bluetooth earbud in my right ear, my LG Env3 cell phone in my pocket and my Gateway Netbook in my Action Packer on the back of my bike. I mean I probably got more computing power on me and my bike than NASA had when they launched the Apollo capsule to the moon and all this stuff works out here in the middle of nowhere....

So's anyway - I'm pedaling down 180 waving at the cows and going Moooooo like we all do when we see a bunch of cows looking at us - oh come on you know you do the same thing.....

My earbud beeps with a waiting call so I pull my MP3 player earbud out of my left ear and tap the little "answer" button on the Verizon earbud in my right ear and say hello to Ruby at the Best Western. We talk for a minute about by little bicycle thing and why I had called Best Western and she apologizes and says she can't do $50 - the lowest rate Best Western can offer is $59.95 but that they have Hi speed internet, breakfast in the morning, fitness center, etc. I mean this lady could've sold you the paint off the wall - so I said yeah - I can do $59.95 for a king size bed downstairs room.

Ruby says she'll reserve it for me and I ask her how long she'll be there - she says 4 - I tell her I probably won't make it by 4 - she says hurry up.... and I tell her I'm a 47-year old guy lugging 50# of gear on a bicycle and thanks for the encouragement!

I liked that Ruby lady - she has some spunk!

Well the rest is history cause I pedal into Snyder with the sun going down over the Best Western sign and check into my room and it's everything Ruby described and more - I mean first of all I could live in this room - it's got the desk with a little pod that has a Hi speed internect connection cord that spools in and out of it with an electrical connection built in plus they have a business center so you can print items off your computer or off the Internet.

What's the point of all this? 2 things

1. If you don't like the price ..... on anything..... ask politely for a lower one!


2. Next time you get a chance, stay at a Best Western.

They seem to have filled the gap between the Economy hotels and the "a little too high for my taste" hotels.

Best Western is a Wills on Wheels Winner!

Oh yeah - and when I go to the complimentary breakfast, I'm gonna ask them if I can get a discount on all my stays at Best Western motels along my route - hey - it doesn't hurt to ask!

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