Side Pieces, Secrets, And Night Shifts: Stories From An Extended Stay Hotel

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

So I want to take y'all back to a time when I was working as a concierge at an extended stay hotel out there in Virginia. And when I say extended stay, I'm not talking about just a basic room. I mean these were full on apartments for kitchen, bedroom, living room, washer and dryer. Everything you needed. Honestly, it was nice enough where you could forget you were even in a hotel. Now, part of the job meant sometimes working overnight shifts, and I didn't mind it at all. I'd bring a change of clothes, take a shower in one of the rooms, get myself together, and head home in the morning like nothing ever happened. It had its own little routine to it. But let me tell you, that hotel, it was an experience. There was this young woman who would fly in from California and she would book a room for about two weeks at a time. She was what people would call a woman of the night. During the day you wouldn't see her. She was asleep. But at night that was a whole different story. Men would be coming in and out of that room all night long, back to back, like clockwork. And over time, working there, I started to notice a pattern. That extended stay hotel wasn't just for travelers or people between homes. It became a spot where people lived different kinds of lives. A lot of men would bring women there, the kind of women they didn't want to be seen with out in public. And let's just say a lot of those men were married. And what really caught my attention, some of the women knew exactly what role they were playing. They knew they were the side piece, and some of them didn't care. In their minds they were being treated better, getting more attention, more gifts, more time, at least in those moments than what they believed the wives were getting. It was a whole different mindset, and I was just sitting there observing it all unfold. Now back to the young lady. When I worked day shifts, she'd come downstairs and talk to me like we were just having a regular conversation, real casual. And one day she told me straight up what she did. No shame, no hesitation. She said she traveled and made her money that way. And she was doing very well. Then one day she tried to recruit me. I said oh no, mm mm nope, nope, nope, nope, nope. That is not my ministry. I didn't even have to think twice. That just wasn't for me. But I'll be honest, when she told me how much she was making, it made me pause for a second. She said in those two weeks she could make six to seven thousand dollars. And for a quick moment, you know how your mind does that math. But just as fast and shut it down. Because everything that glitters is not gold, and everything that pays well ain't meant for you. And then there were the regulars. There was this couple that would come in every single weekend. And I mean every weekend. They'd pull up with baskets. No, not even just baskets. Like full loads of clothes stacked on those luggage carts. I don't know if their washing machine at home was broken or what. But they were committed to doing laundry there. They always stayed on the top floor. And the wife she could cook. When I tell you she could cook, she would be up there throwing down in that kitchen. And every now and then she would bring me a plate. Sweet as can be. But at the same time, they partied loud. Every weekend, music going, people coming through. And of course, they did their little smoking of the flower. And of course, I'd be the one getting the calls from other guests complaining about the noise. So I'd have to go, knock on the door, and remind them to keep it down. And my manager pretty much said, as long as they're not causing real problems, so they kept coming back weekend after weekend, washing clothes, cooking food, hosting parties, and then by Sunday they were gone like clockwork. That hotel really opened my eyes. It showed me how people move when they think nobody paying attention. The secrets, the side relationships, the double lives, the routines people create outside of their normal world. It was all happening right there under one roof. And for me, it was a reminder of boundaries, choices, and staying true to what aligns with who I am. That experience, I'll never forget it. So stay tuned because I definitely have more stories about that hotel.