Half Full or half empty?

As much as I like to think that I'm a "half full" kind of gal, this trip is definitely trying my patience and I'm ready to pour the glass over someone's head. When we arrived in Hangzhou at the Shangri La, they didn't have our reservation. At all. So while I scrambled to pull up my reservation code on my phone (from Expedia), they tried to stick us with a much higher price and kept saying we hadn't paid them yet. We were given a key and a room number. As soon as I found my reservation, the key was taken out of my hand and we were downgraded to the old section of the hotel, a small and musty room (for lowly Expedia people who pay less and shouldn't have the same accomodations as those who pay full price) and charged extra for the executive floor lounge. This ended up working out because we ate every meal in the lounge and so we saved money, but they were going to get more $$ wherever they could.
They decided that they didn't like us doing laundry in the room and so half way through our stay my 11 yr old son got conned into a $55 bill. He went up to the room ahead of us. The "laundry lady" came into our room (unannounced) and asked if we had dirty laundry. He said yes. Because we did. But we were doing it ourselves. This woman told him that she had to take the laundry and so he gave it to her. Duh on his part, but he's only 11! So the next day we get a basket full of clean socks, sweat pants and tees (all his) and a bill for $55.  When I went down to "talk" to the front desk, instead of apologizing for this charge, they told me that they would cut the bill in half but that the ladies did the work and so they should be paid. I told my son right in front of the man that he would be paying this off in hard labor (not really) but the guy didn't budge. Let's talk about the letter I'll be writing to corporate when I get home... We are paying for work done that wasn't authorized and they think that they are cutting us a "deal" by cutting it in half.

Onto the Holiday Inn Shifu (which we stayed at last time too)... "Oh, did you book a room on the executive floor? We only have you down for the Supreme room. The executive room will cost $100 more a night. So sorry." Smirk. Huh, they must have talked to the people at the Shangri La....

The role of the usually docile and meek woman will now be played by "the Ugly American".....

Needless to say, we now have a room on the executive floor with all breakfasts paid for $10 more a night than what we were going to originally pay (as opposed to the $225 a night they were going to try and stick me with). I still got "screwed" but I did get two more breakfasts out of it. So as far as I'm concerned... King.

Oh, oh, oh... and the guide in Hangzhou. We have already established that this was her first adoption guide and translate job. I get that. I was good with her, I allowed her to slip up and didn't really need her that much because we are somewhat pros by now. And let's face it, she went above and beyond with the whole "constipated enema" thing... so I didn't kill her when she told me the last day there (after trying more than once to take Finn out of my arms to carry her and snuggle with her as she attempted to do everyday) that "Finn may have wanted you yesterday but today she seems mad at you. Maybe she wants me as her mama?"... I gave her a tip then and there on things we say and don't say to adoptive parents... Don't worry, I was nice about it. Mostly. Okay, maybe a bit snarky. But seriously, who says that to a parent? And really, this was after she kept giving me parenting advice... because it's not like I have 3 at home.

So at the rate we are going...

Can't wait to see what happens next...