I’m staying at one of my favorite hotels right now (which shall remain nameless for the time being) and am about to lose it. That’s why I’ll vent here, because that’s what blogs are for, right?

There’s a group of eight people in the club lounge led by an older guy who has been complaining since he got here. Apparently someone was smoking pot in the stairway of the hotel, and he threatened not to pay for his stay because of it. Fair enough, that’s fine, though what’s annoying about it is how he’s bragging to the other seven people about how important he is, and how the hotel will do whatever he wants. He’s suggesting the hotel should have security stationed outside his room every time he stays here so these things don’t happen.

And I’m not trying to eavesdrop, he’s just talking really loudly.

That didn’t really bother me. But now he’s talking about what a good traveler he is — “I never wait in security lines, I just go right up to the front of the priority line and walk past everyone and say I’m running late. It works every time. All those schmucks are too dumb to realize.”

Sadly everyone’s extremely impressed by him, and saying “ohhh, I’ll have to try that next time.”

Mind you this guy’s talking really loudly, and want to guess what the conversation turned to now? “I hate how some people on planes talk so loudly. I have no problem getting in a fight and telling people to be quiet. I was recently on a flight where I told the guy across from me ‘buddy, shut up,’ and he told the flight attendant to remove me. The head flight attendant instead told the guy reporting me ‘sir, you need to shut up or we’ll have you removed.’” Riiight.

Oh, and why are some people loud in first class? Because “that’s what happens when you have people traveling in first class that are using other peoples’ miles. They’ve never been in first class before.”

Have you ever really struggled with not saying anything? It’s a bit like a train wreck — it pains me to listen, but I just can’t leave because I have to keep listening. And the conversation continues…

Posted on January 1st, 2013 by lucky
Filed under: Travel | 49 Comments »

  1. January 1st, 2013 at 9:05 pm

    David said,

    IC SF?

  2. January 1st, 2013 at 9:11 pm

    Mark said,

    I wish I could have that minute of my life back reading this post.

  3. January 1st, 2013 at 9:17 pm

    mediator said,

    DYKWIA of the year!

  4. January 1st, 2013 at 9:25 pm

    Aznprzn said,

    @lucky , like my roommate used to say, “someone needs to put his ass in check!”

  5. January 1st, 2013 at 9:38 pm

    william said,

    I know your to nice of a person but if it was me I probably couldn’t help but make some sort of little comment in front of his amigos to burst his bubble and bring him down a notch. He might be mad but oh well you get to part ways and he has to deal with the humiliation in front of his friends for the rest of forever lol.

  6. January 1st, 2013 at 9:45 pm

    Mike I said,

    Maybe you can manage to slip some drugs into his luggage for some airport security fun.

  7. January 1st, 2013 at 9:47 pm

    joe said,

    record it.

  8. January 1st, 2013 at 9:59 pm

    EagerTraveler said,

    A big thank you and some commiseration with the staff will go a long way for you.

  9. January 1st, 2013 at 10:00 pm

    MileageUpdate said,

    Maybe that guy needed to inhale some of that pot so he can chill out a little.

  10. January 1st, 2013 at 10:06 pm

    elbarto said,

    Some people need a frontal lobotomy.

  11. January 1st, 2013 at 10:16 pm

    2lovelife said,

    Lucky, we want quality, not quantity. More posts on your blog doesn’t make it better.
    Vent on FT. Leave the dribble there. We deserve better here. Either that or get an editor…
    ;-)

  12. January 1st, 2013 at 10:42 pm

    Charlie said,

    I wonder if it’s the same group that recently traveled on the Acela in first class. They were just as loud and obnoxios and were bragging about a lot of the same things. It was disgusting.

  13. January 1st, 2013 at 11:02 pm

    lucky said,

    @ 2lovelife — Appreciate the feedback, and sorry if you found this to be a low quality post. I think what sets my blog apart from the rest (for better or for worse) is the degree to which I share my random encounters (walking around Singapore airport in pajamas, someone offering to buy my sweater in a club lounge, etc.). These posts end up being the most commented on, and while I realize they’re not for everyone, hopefully you’re able to skim and not waste too much time on posts like these if they’re not of interest.

  14. January 1st, 2013 at 11:03 pm

    RRK said,

    I absolutely agree with Mark AND with 2lovelife.

    What a waste of time to read this boring blog. Way too many blogs lately, ZERO quality.

    drama, drama and more drama !

  15. January 1st, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    Brian L. said,

    I actually liked this post. :)

  16. January 1st, 2013 at 11:17 pm

    lexstyles said,

    Just to even out the numbers here, I too enjoy these snapshots of your travel experience posts.

  17. January 1st, 2013 at 11:17 pm

    lucky said,

    @ RRK — Given that every single comment you’ve left on this blog has included the word “drama,” I’ve really gotta wonder how you really feel. ;)

    @ Brian — Thanks!

  18. January 1st, 2013 at 11:19 pm

    deltaplat said,

    Good post. I guess some people don’t like it because they see themselves in the obnoxious guy you described!

  19. January 1st, 2013 at 11:19 pm

    UAPremierGuy said,

    No offense to the other commenters here…but what a bunch of prudes.

    I, for one, Ben, appreciate the “random encounter” type posts and strongly encourage you to keep posting these when you decide to. It gives a “real-life” aspect to the traveling experience you create for us here.

    Plus, sometimes ya just gotta vent… ;)

  20. January 1st, 2013 at 11:21 pm

    Patty said,

    All you folks who are complaining about this post being not to your liking are of the same ilk as the vocal fellow that Lucky’s writing about. Sheesh.

    Part of the fun of traveling is the colorful people you encounter; though I wish this was more of a fun type of colorful rather than a needs-to-be-knocked-down-a-peg type of colorful. Me? I wouldn’t be able to resist embarrassing the guy in front of his minions somehow.

  21. January 1st, 2013 at 11:36 pm

    Jason G said,

    Yeah, I like these post as much as the others. Keep it up man. There’s always negative people in comment sections. They can read other blogs if they’d like, and I wish they would.

  22. January 2nd, 2013 at 12:10 am

    Alex K said,

    Add another vote for variety – including posts like these. They’re easy enough to skip if you just want trip reports or earn/burn deals.

  23. January 2nd, 2013 at 12:16 am

    chasgoose said,

    I enjoy posts like these. Also, it’s pretty clear from the title that its not going to be a trip report or some mileage/status/points/credit card based tip so it’s not like the complainers should have been surprised by its content.

  24. January 2nd, 2013 at 1:22 am

    Tom // Sit in first said,

    Does he have a Diamond Medallion hat on by chance? ;)

  25. January 2nd, 2013 at 2:28 am

    Gaurav said,

    Liked the post. Keep up the good work Ben. Better to have variety n ppl can skip it if they don’t want to read it.

  26. January 2nd, 2013 at 2:33 am

    Singapore Flyer said,

    Did he say that he has been provided a helicopter and a giraffe in the past?

  27. January 2nd, 2013 at 4:33 am

    Chris said,

    Personally, I enjoy reading your blog and all the adventures you have along the way. Many of us are not as fortunate as you to turn left when flying (most of the time) and I appreciate the time you take in sharing all your travel exploits with us. While many first class passengers are slinging back cocktails and berating their flight attendants, you are taking photos and writing about the experience for us to enjoy. So although we may be sitting at a computer in our home or office, for a few minutes while we read your blog, we can imagine we are taking a shower at 38,000 feet or stepping out onto a terrace overlooking the Liwa desert. And when something goes wrong and you end up in a cramped economy seat or make a mistake with your hotel dates, you’re honest enough to share those experiences with us too. This incident at the hotel is just another aspect of life that you encounter in your travels – thank you for keeping it real.

  28. January 2nd, 2013 at 5:11 am

    Ike said,

    This is why drivel like reality TV survives. Get up, walk away.

    Ike

  29. January 2nd, 2013 at 5:38 am

    Josh G said,

    Thanks for the New Years humor. Maybe the GM should make things better for this moron, hotel staff, and other guests by banning this guy from the hotel.

  30. January 2nd, 2013 at 5:58 am

    Sam said,

    Lucky,
    I actually do like these kind of posts. They are fun to read and I get to laugh a little. You are doing a great job of mixing really good informative blogs, travel reports and funny but very much human encounters.

    Keep it up.

  31. January 2nd, 2013 at 6:35 am

    Ray said,

    Indeed, I enjoy these types of posts as well. It’s just tidbits that are quick, funny, and easy to consume.

    For those complaining, travelling and life isn’t always about credit card posts…(at least, the interwebs didn’t use to be).

  32. January 2nd, 2013 at 6:55 am

    Lively said,

    I like random encounter posts. But, I think you did the right thing, vent to us here and not to the offending party.

  33. January 2nd, 2013 at 7:04 am

    Denise said,

    Love these kind of posts, Lucky! Just said to my husband yesterday, “I like to read Lucky’s blog because he’s such a good storyteller!” And, besides, it’s your blog so you can write what you want. Happy New Year!

  34. January 2nd, 2013 at 7:16 am

    Miles said,

    Lucky, I also enjoy this post.

    While the people in this gentleman’s “audience” may have seemed to be engaged by his banter, it’s likely they were actually thinking something like “What a moron!”

  35. January 2nd, 2013 at 7:26 am

    Victor said,

    Keep it up Lucky. Love the blog. Eventually you are going to post something a little too close to home for some.

  36. January 2nd, 2013 at 7:56 am

    PL said,

    I also like these posts as well. Keep up the random stuff!

    For others that are not interested, there are plenty of other blogs with big circles and arrows to read up on.

  37. January 2nd, 2013 at 7:57 am

    Kevin said,

    Is my picturing all this happening with a New York accent stereotyping… Or… Accurate? :-)

  38. January 2nd, 2013 at 7:59 am

    Walt K said,

    I enjoy posts like this. I especially enjoy the comments from morons too stupid to recognize something that doesn’t interest them.

  39. January 2nd, 2013 at 8:13 am

    Matt said,

    Ben, I have enjoyed almost all your posts and it sure beats reading another cc referral post from other bloggers.

  40. January 2nd, 2013 at 8:44 am

    brianna said,

    I read you blog because you’re funny and I like the occasional insight into your crazy life. There are too many travel blogs that are essentially “Flyertalk Digest Edition crudded up with credit card signup links”. Don’t become one of them!

  41. January 2nd, 2013 at 8:55 am

    D said,

    +1 to Kevin’s comment.

  42. January 2nd, 2013 at 8:57 am

    peachfront said,

    There’s a disorder these people have, blocking on the name of it at the moment but it’ll come back to me, but some of them are dangerous — that guff about he’s not afraid to get in a fight may be hot air or he may actually be a violent person with poor impulse control, so I am rarely tempted to say much of anything when an obvious alcoholic is holding court loud enough to be heard across the room. Usually after the compulsive motormouth leaves, that’s when I speak up and commiserate with the victims. If he was THAT important, he wouldn’t have to speak loudly. He’s an old drunk loser who has no clue what he looks like to the rest of us. I had the misfortune to be sitting in the seat in front of one of these guys on a first class flight. I really should have reported the FA over it, because she kept serving the drunk as he got louder and louder with his life story (and also kicking the seat), and apparently he was on medication as well…the mix of substances with an already unfortunate personality was NOT pretty. I don’t like to get people in trouble with their job but in the future if someone in a lounge, bar, first class cabin, etcetera keeps serving to an aggressively loud drunk, I think it will be my New Year’s resolution to report it when staff keeps serving loud drunks. There’s no reason the guy should have been in that lounge “holding court” when he was that loud. My two cents, and obviously I wasn’t there, but that’s my read on it and I fully sympathize with your horrified fascination about how long the staff and butt kissers were going to allow the sideshow to continue.

  43. January 2nd, 2013 at 10:01 am

    lucky said,

    Thanks for all the kind words, folks! Happy new year!

  44. January 2nd, 2013 at 12:17 pm

    Rich A. said,

    Jerks are everywhere —

  45. January 2nd, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    caligal said,

    love your blog! encountering douchies occurs everywhere and much too often. to save my sanity i typically just laugh. on the other hand i’m now leaving for my favorite run up a sf bay area trail where i will no doubt encounter people loudly yapping on their cell phones, yes, way out in the middle of nowhere where you only hear birds chirping for goodness sake … for which i’ll look at the yapper and say … shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. i guess you pick your battles.

  46. January 2nd, 2013 at 2:51 pm

    eric mueller said,

    and the sad thing is, you probably have 10x the amount of travel under your belt than this blowhard. obnoxious to the max!

  47. January 2nd, 2013 at 4:11 pm

    steve said,

    it’s these type of posts that keep me coming back here, along with some decent info to be found.

  48. January 2nd, 2013 at 8:23 pm

    Gil said,

    Love your blog and this entry is a hoot! Keep up the good work in 2013.

  49. January 9th, 2013 at 10:45 pm

    Starblazer said,

    I have a co-worker like that on the ramp.

    50. Add A Comment

« »

home top

One Mile at a Time is owned by Points Pros, Inc. Some links to credit cards and other products on this website will earn an affiliate commission, and this website has a financial relationship with several credit card issuing banks. All content unless otherwise noted or quoted is the author's own, and not provided or commissioned by any other entity. This site is for entertainment purpose only. The owner of this site is not an investment advisor, financial planner, nor legal or tax professional and articles here are of an opinion and general nature and should not be relied upon for individual circumstances.

Disclaimer: This content is not provided or commissioned by the credit card issuer. Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of the credit card issuer, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the credit card issuer. This site may be compensated through the credit card issuer Affiliate Program.