Additional travel notes
I suppose this entry works better after my most recent travelblogue, but bear with me. After spending time in Dallas and Chicago in "fancier" hotels while staying at a lot more basic place in Durham, I've realized that it seems like the "lesser" hotels often have better phone and TV service. The fancy places have their in-house TV systems with a chance to see your account on TV, check out of the room, plus pay-per-view movies/TV shows/video games/WebTV. However, the selection of actual channels is often lacking. Sure, you've got your basic major networks as well as ESPN (sometimes ESPN2 as well), CNN and Headline News, Weather Channel, and maybe a movie channel, but good luck trying to find Comedy Central, Food Network, Cartoon Network, etc. (Maybe because I'm spoiled huge by my digital cable) on there. However, it seems like a lot of the "lesser" hotels go with a local basic cable package plus an HBO or Showtime, but minus the rest of the premium stuff. Thus, instead of about 15-20 channels, you end up with 35-40 and more.

On a similar note, you hardly see ads for free local calls at the fancier hotels, where as the motels often have it (although some tack on a small daily service charge on the bill to cover such calls). It matters to me only because of things like this where I can log in thanks to the wealth of local numbers on Earthlink. It's interesting that I'll have a handful of 50-cent or one-dollar charges for each local call just to add to whatever charges are already there (thankfully I don't bother with the eight-dollar beer in the minifridges). And in the case of the Doubletree Rosemont, you get free local calls only for a handful of exchanges in the immediate vicinity of the hotel -- everything else is at least a dollar, even for calls just a couple of miles beyond the boundaries.

I suppose for staying in the lap of luxury, you'd be willing to pay for anything and everything (Thankfully the Doubletree didn't charge me for the cookie at check-in). And yet some of the most effective tools for travelers are easier to find at a basic motel/hotel. Weird, I suppose. Then again, I'm a bit more used to staying on the cheap, so maybe all of this stuff is just a bit strange for me.